A Guide to High School Clubs

By Christina Yao & Sophia Zhu, Press & Written Media Staff

If you want to meet new people, learn about different subjects and get involved in your school, joining or starting a club is for you! We’ve outlined some fantastic organizations in various topics to join for the upcoming school year, and what to expect from them.

Politics and Social Change

Model UN is a simulation set in a certain political climate, where students can assume unique roles and practice diplomacy. Whether you’re in a fictional Harry Potter session or a WWI committee, you’ll practice writing, passing and enacting resolutions. In many cases, students will be assigned a country or a political figure to speak for. Simulated crises and problems will occur in real-time to challenge delegates to think quickly on their feet.

If you are interested in current events and politics, start a social issues club! Gather together to discuss different topics each week, ranging from climate change to presidential candidates, and create a safe space for civil discussion by making sure to be respectful of everyone’s opinion!

Business

High school business organizations include Future Business Leaders of America and Distributive Education Clubs of America — two examples of clubs your school can participate in if you meet certain criteria. Both involve competitive events ranging from accounting to business presentations. Events can include timed tests or live speeches, depending on the category chosen. These clubs are excellent opportunities for getting exposure to various fields and careers in the world of business!

Media

Starting or joining a media club at your high school is a great way to gain experience and skills in entertainment. Creating a podcast is a unique way to use your voice and learn basic editing and design techniques. Your podcast can be centered around your school, so starting a club and recruiting your classmates is a simple and exciting way to hear new people and ideas. Interview students, teachers and alumni for the podcast and learn how to edit and publish episodes.

A photography club is another great way to pick up a new skill. Assign weekly photography tasks and reward prizes to club members for taking the best shot! Going on trips to a garden or park is a perfect activity to guarantee good photo results.

For a newspaper or magazine, collaborate with others to publish articles and images related to your topic. Join a group of talented writers to cover school events, local news and opinion pieces! Writing for school newspapers and magazines is a surefire way to improve your writing skills and let your creativity shine.

Volunteer Clubs

Volunteering is one of the most fulfilling activities to do in high school. Whether you’re helping out a local food bank or tutoring younger kids, you will see your immediate impact on the community! If there are not many opportunities to volunteer through your school’s current clubs, think about starting a Red Cross club, Key Club or something completely new! Countless organizations focus on allowing teens to volunteer safely and productively. Most schools also have a National Honor Society or NHS for short.

Another fun volunteering opportunity is Big Buddies! This program is for high school and middle school students to go to a local elementary school and read books to the children there. Both the reader and the listener get to enjoy a relaxed reading session and make new buddies! However, to stay safe and socially distanced this year, Big Buddies may take place on Zoom or other web conference apps.

Arts

Joining an art club will connect you with other artists who are passionate about what they do. If you don’t have an art club at your school, consider starting one. You can hold monthly art contests using different mediums, ranging from pencils to sponges — get creative! Have an exhibit for the finished art pieces and allow others at your school to purchase the work for affordable prices. Profits can be donated to a charity or kept by the artist! There are countless other activities to hold in an art club, but what’s important is giving creative people a place to express themselves and form bonds with others like them.

Whether you’re a strings student, band kid or neither, orchestra is the perfect place to have fun with friends while learning new things. Playing new music or trying new instruments for the first time can be an exhilarating experience, especially when you’re learning along with others! Also, music is proven to reduce stress and improve your memory. Allow yourself to relax and enjoy this rewarding club!

Science

If you’re a big fan of the natural world, Envirothon is the club for you. It’s a science competition with topics about the ecosystem and the environment, and there are plenty of learning opportunities along the way. Start or join a local Envirothon team today to begin your nature journey!

Science Olympiad is another science competition that you can participate in by joining your school’s team! Unlike Envirothon, Science Olympiad topics include biology, earth and space sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering and math. If you’re interested in STEM but don’t know which field is best suited for you, Science Olympiad is a great place to start.

If you’re more of a hands-on innovator, you can check out your school’s Robotics team and compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Spend your time working with coaches and different teams of student engineers and programmers to create a robot that will compete with other high schools at the regional and international levels. Turn your ideas from the drawing board to real-life machines!

We hope this compilation of clubs helps you choose the best organizations to join this year! Remember: Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone and try something new. Some of our favorite clubs now are those that we reluctantly joined at first. We at Wave encourage you to be curious and immerse yourself in opportunities that are interesting to you. Good luck!

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