It seems that at almost every school, clubs are taken very seriously. But why? Well, it’s been proven that clubs can help with organizational, communicational, and social skills – all of which can be very important in our future adult lives. Luckily for us here at West, we hold an annual Club Rush where students can sign up for the clubs they wish to be a part of. Although Club Rush just ended last Friday, September 15, there is still an opportunity to sign up for almost all the clubs that featured. Here are some clubs that students may be interested in: 

   Video Games Club: In the video games club, students can play video games with their friends in a stress-free environment under Mr. Newcomb. As the adviser, Mr. Newcomb said the club “makes [students] feel welcome in a club that is not an honors club” and allows them to “feel safe here.” So, if you are a student who loves video games, the video games club might be for you.

   National Honors Society: If joining a club that recognizes your achievements in school is something you’re looking for, then look no further than the National Honors Society. Vice President of Administration for the club Simran Bhattacharya (12) described the club as “the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students” and went on to say that “National Honors Society looks great on your college applications… and people from NHS have gone on to go to UCLA.” So, if the National Honors Society is something you would be interested in, work quickly and talk to someone like Bhattacharya because applications will be due on September 29.

   Book Club: Sometimes, sitting down with a good book is all you need to brighten your day and no one understands this more than  Book Club. According to club President Morgan Tan (11), “Book Club is a club where we obviously read books, but we also do book-related trivia, some scavenger hunts around the library, and we generally help out in the library too.” If any of these activities sound fun to you, don’t hesitate to sign up for the Book Club.

   Vietnamese Student Alliance: Also known as VSA, the Vietnamese Student Alliance is a club where students from all over West High can sit down to celebrate and learn about Vietnamese culture. Kaitlyn Vu (12) is the president of VSA and expressed  that the club “helps to bring Vietnamese people and other people together into this community and it helps us learn about a different culture.” If learning about Vietnamese culture is something you would enjoy, then VSA is the place to be.

   Black Culture Club: Like VSA, Black Culture Club (or BCC) is another club focused on sharing the wonders of a specific culture with the students of West High. BCC Secretary Ayonna Robinson (12) would recommend the club to any student because “not only is it about Black culture, but it’s about bringing everybody in the community together to celebrate . . . and just enjoy our time together.” So, if you would like to join the community that is BCC head over to room 3204 every other Thursday to feel the love.

   Academic Decathlon: If furthering your knowledge is something you would enjoy then maybe Academic Decathlon is the place for you. Co-Captain Yuhan Jia (12) said that “something special about Academic Decathlon is that you can make a lot of good interpersonal connections . . . [and] be able to speak and communicate your ideas with each other through public speaking.” Jia loves Academic Decathlon and if you think you would too, he invites you to sign up for this year’s team.

   Taiwanese Chinese American Association: Otherwise known as TCAA, this club aims to spread a united community throughout West High in order to show the importance of learning about the cultures of many races. Club President Jodie Cheng (12) described that while members of the club can look forward to enjoying many snacks during the meetings, non-members can look forward to a multicultural day performance where they “are planning on doing another skit, last year we did our first skit and it was amazing! Everyone loved it!”

   United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund: In UNICEF, the goal is to educate students about children’s rights and help local children who may be struggling. President Aastha Kashyap (12) said that UNICEF has given her some satisfaction because, “coming from India where poverty is huge, I’ve seen these children in person being treated negatively…not being able to be educated. So, knowing that UNICEF is doing something to help my home country is something that I could not be more thankful for.” If you too would like to make a difference that can significantly impact people, UNICEF is the place to be.

   In the end, it’s really up to you whether you would like to join a club; regardless, it’s important to know that clubs like these and many others are being born at West to further the community we’ve built through our student body. Clubs are very important to schools, so it’s a good thing we at West aim to aid our students through them everyday.