BY JESSICA BROWN
High school isn’t how it was portrayed in the movies and TV shows that we watched when we were in elementary school. The fact is that it is filled with tests, school work, homework, and all the things we obtain responsibility for as we get older.
The “high school experience” is more real and memorable then it is shown on the television screen. You get to connect with other students and teachers, and see a new side to people that you wouldn’t have seen before. One way to do that is through our school clubs, and this year there are quite a few new ones. So here are my adventures exploring new organizations on campus, one club at a time.
When I met art teacher Jennifer Hanko, Ceramics Club sponsor, she left a lasting impression. I could tell that she loved everything about art and teaching art. She was kind enough to invite me to be a guest at their next meeting and I gratefully accepted, not knowing the impact that visit would have.
Just walking in, you can see the dedication that the members have as they sat painting ornament after ornament, each separate line and indention, wiping it down, then moving on to the next ornament. “We do different projects so they can explore different techniques,” Hanko said.
They trusted me enough to let me paint the ornaments, which they were making to sell for a fundraiser. It was an amazing experience to see the work and to have the feeling of accomplishment after you finished.
Hanko’s art room is ready for the world of ceramics. “We are the only room equipped with full grade commercial equipment,” Hanko said. “Someone had donated some equipment, which includes kick wheels and electric wheels.” The goal is to give students the ability to learn everything they can about ceramics, and with a teacher that loves art this much, it is a recipe for success.
Then it was on to Book Club. I first attended during my freshman year, brought by one of my friends, fellow book lover. Not even two days after that, I went back to the library for the book that I needed to read for the next meeting, and I have been going ever since.
Book Club gives you the opportunity to learn about the people that you pass every day but never actually talk to. “It is an opportunity for teachers and students to relate outside of school work,” library aide Victoria Wells said.
Book Club meets every few weeks, during which members read the assigned book and then get together to discuss. It’s a very relaxed environment, even with all the debates and opinions. It’s a club that’s really hard to feel left out of. There are so many other teachers and students that all share something in common, and even if you don’t always talk the most, you can still relate to how others feel about the book.
Book Club is simply Book Club, but from my personal experience as a student, once you try it you’ll be asking for the next book.
When I first heard of Crochet Club I thought that it sounded so crafty. The work English teacher Heather Brown showed us that she had made looked like one of the perfect results in the end of a how-to craft book.
Brown was inspired to start Crochet Club from the students, for the students. “The students were doing an expository essay on how to make something, then I showed them something I had made, and they all wanted one,” she said.
So instead of making them all one, she thought that they should make their own. Their first project was fingerless gloves, which was a simple start. “I wanted to give the kids passion to create something on their own, that if they make something they can be more proud of it,” Brown said.
Maybe my visits to the new clubs on campus would never be shown in a TV show or a movie, but this is one case where reality is better because it comes with the dedication and passion that students and teachers share over a common subject.
High school isn’t how it was portrayed in the movies and TV shows that we watched when we were in elementary school. The fact is that it is filled with tests, school work, homework, and all the things we obtain responsibility for as we get older.
The “high school experience” is more real and memorable then it is shown on the television screen. You get to connect with other students and teachers, and see a new side to people that you wouldn’t have seen before. One way to do that is through our school clubs, and this year there are quite a few new ones. So here are my adventures exploring new organizations on campus, one club at a time.
When I met art teacher Jennifer Hanko, Ceramics Club sponsor, she left a lasting impression. I could tell that she loved everything about art and teaching art. She was kind enough to invite me to be a guest at their next meeting and I gratefully accepted, not knowing the impact that visit would have.
Just walking in, you can see the dedication that the members have as they sat painting ornament after ornament, each separate line and indention, wiping it down, then moving on to the next ornament. “We do different projects so they can explore different techniques,” Hanko said.
They trusted me enough to let me paint the ornaments, which they were making to sell for a fundraiser. It was an amazing experience to see the work and to have the feeling of accomplishment after you finished.
Hanko’s art room is ready for the world of ceramics. “We are the only room equipped with full grade commercial equipment,” Hanko said. “Someone had donated some equipment, which includes kick wheels and electric wheels.” The goal is to give students the ability to learn everything they can about ceramics, and with a teacher that loves art this much, it is a recipe for success.
Then it was on to Book Club. I first attended during my freshman year, brought by one of my friends, fellow book lover. Not even two days after that, I went back to the library for the book that I needed to read for the next meeting, and I have been going ever since.
Book Club gives you the opportunity to learn about the people that you pass every day but never actually talk to. “It is an opportunity for teachers and students to relate outside of school work,” library aide Victoria Wells said.
Book Club meets every few weeks, during which members read the assigned book and then get together to discuss. It’s a very relaxed environment, even with all the debates and opinions. It’s a club that’s really hard to feel left out of. There are so many other teachers and students that all share something in common, and even if you don’t always talk the most, you can still relate to how others feel about the book.
Book Club is simply Book Club, but from my personal experience as a student, once you try it you’ll be asking for the next book.
When I first heard of Crochet Club I thought that it sounded so crafty. The work English teacher Heather Brown showed us that she had made looked like one of the perfect results in the end of a how-to craft book.
Brown was inspired to start Crochet Club from the students, for the students. “The students were doing an expository essay on how to make something, then I showed them something I had made, and they all wanted one,” she said.
So instead of making them all one, she thought that they should make their own. Their first project was fingerless gloves, which was a simple start. “I wanted to give the kids passion to create something on their own, that if they make something they can be more proud of it,” Brown said.
Maybe my visits to the new clubs on campus would never be shown in a TV show or a movie, but this is one case where reality is better because it comes with the dedication and passion that students and teachers share over a common subject.