At the start of every school year, new clubs and activities are made available for students to join, this year was no exception. Clubs are optional extracurricular activities that provide students with many different opportunities. They are run by student leaders from grades nine through twelve, and have at least one teacher advisor present during each meeting. During the Activities Fair, held on August sixteenth, seven brand new activities were introduced to the Graded community. These clubs dealt with a wide range of topics pulling on various interests. In this article, The Talon set out to explore three of these new additions to the Graded Community.

First on its list was the Astronomy Club, which takes place every Tuesday, from 3:15 to 4:00pm at A05. It’s run by Joshua Yamada, Lucas Vidal, and Vitor Salomao. Yamada, sophomore, stated that the club aims to better inform members about the vastness of space and astronomical concepts, varying from the age of the universe, stellar parallax, moons and so forth. Additionally, it hopes to touch on the matter of astrophysics. The club has no prerequisites or ‘homework.’ 

Next up is the Digital Music Club. This club takes place in the Music Room during flex and after school on Fridays, and is led by Sung Jun You. Where students are taught to interact with other people while freely writing any music of their preferred genre. It aims to be a very cooperative and calm environment relying on members collaborating. One of the clubs members, Lucas Vidal, explained how the structure of this activity allows for students to “explore their musical instincts with people that share similar passions.” Like the Astronomy Club, it requires no outside work. 

Lastly, the Talon set out to investigate Girls Code. This activity is run by Eva Goethals with the assistance of Mr. Griswold, who has had 25 years of coding experience. It takes place on Fridays during flex time at B7. When asked Eva described the club as a “non-competitive coding club primarily directed towards girls from grades 9-12 where they will learn the basics of coding and programming.” Girls Code, unlike many clubs, is exclusively for women, aiming to provide young girls with greater knowledge of computer programming and web design. Though members are encouraged to continue their work outside of the meetings, it is not required. 

The Talon was unable to get information regarding the four other new clubs – Creative Writing, Rhythmic Eagles, Spanish Club and Amnesty International. However, after reading this article students were hopefully able to better inform themselves over some of the new activities, enabling them to make better decisions of whether or not they are a good fit for them. For further research on the matter, The Talon suggests contacting Mr. Switzer.

For those who are interested in starting a club of their own, it is easier than one might think. Firstly, students are required to submit a proposal of an interesting activity or topic they would like their club to focus on. Keep in mind that for its success, the club must be original within the Graded community. Students are then required to find a teacher who will serve as their advisor, who will ensure the club’s organization. With the information collected, the student must then fill out and submit a form to Mr.Switzer.

Clubs and activities are an opportunity for students to spend their time in a meaningful way after school, challenging them to explore all of their interests. Therefore, the Talon hopes that students push themselves out of their comfort zones and join at least one of the various clubs offered at graded.