Many new clubs have popped up throughout the high school recently.
“This year we have a great influx in club number and variety,”said Patricia Jacobsen, dean of student life. “This is great for the school because it gives us great diversity.”
Here is a quick overview of the many clubs this year. Meeting times of each club can be found on the calendar in the high-school office.
Environmental Awareness Club
“The club’s main goal is to promote awareness of our environment and spread eco-sustainability and eco-friendliness throughout the community,” said senior Johann Dias, president.
The club is advised by drama teacher Brian Frishman and garden coordinator Michael Covey.
Members will promote environmental awareness through tips displayed on posters and club events. The club also wants to encourage people to realize their effect on the community by playing their own part.
Members are trying to encourage people to cut back on water usage and learn to better recycle.
The club encourages students to learn to recycle things they didn’t even know were recyclable, Dias said.
The club was responsible for emptying all the recycling bins around the campus until the end of September. Members were subbing in for the janitorial staff since they were short-staffed.
Japanese Club
Co-presidents sophomores Nina Dym and Atsuo Chiu and senior Zoe Dym, who are fluent in Japanese, started the club because they were being frequently asked to teach Japanese to other students.
“We finally decided to create a club where they can spread Japanese culture and language to the school,” Nina said.
The co-presidents all visit Japan every year, and at home they are surrounded by Japanese culture from books to the food that their mothers cook.
At club meetings, the presidents teach Japanese language and culture to students and provide authentic Japanese food.
MOGAI/LGBTQ+ Club
The goal is to create a safe space at SCDS for students who identify as MOGAI/LGBTQ+ (marginalized orientations, gender alignments and intersex/ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), as well as their friends and allies.
“The club is devoted to spreading love and acceptance to people of all sexualities and gender identities, across all communities,” junior Austin Talamantes said.
Talamantes is president, and junior Isabelle Leavy is vice president.
“Through this group, we hope to educate not only their members, but the school as a whole,” Talamantes said.
Together, members will discuss specific LGBTQ+ issues, covering topics from marriage equality to recognition of transgender people.
Design Thinking Club
The Design Thinking Club began when founder and president sophomore Sahej Claire wanted to make an impact on her community.
The Design Thinking Club is a service-oriented club that will work with the school community to change through creativity and innovation.
“We will use the design thinking methodology to help solve problems or challenges,” Claire said.
The problems can be processes, concepts, programs or even experiences, according to Claire.
The core of design thinking is based on empathy for the end user, modeled in the formula, “Empathy + Ideation + Disruption = Innovation.”
Anime Club
Freshmen Emily Hayes and Grace Naify are co-presidents of the Anime Club. During a typical meeting they watch anime and have fun, Hayes said.
Naify said she became interested in anime at the beginning of the year and was inspired to start a club. As she sensed anime was something she would be interested in for a long time, she said she wanted to join whatever community there was.
So she and Hayes, who’s been watching anime for a few years, started the club.
“I joined with (Hayes) to sort of speed-learn anime,” Naify said.
The club plans to watch “Attack on Titan” next.
Math and Science Tutoring
The Math and Science Tutoring Club is run this year by seniors Colby Conner and Saachi Sikaria.
At meetings, Conner and Sikaria help other students with homework or with studying for an upcoming math or science test.
French Club
French Club (or Le Club Français), is open to all francophiles, middle schoolers and high schoolers alike.
“French teacher Richard Day is awesome comme d’habitude (as always), and he’s really looking forward to it,” freshman Chardonnay Needler said.
Needler is the president of the club, which is advised by Day.
Needler said there will be a lot of French food, croques monsieur (sandwiches), croissants, and French-African food.
There will also be French movies and macaroons. Other activities include learning French idiomatic expressions and French dances, forming a French band, and making club T-shirts or custom berets.
Pre-Med Club
When juniors Avi Bhullar, Alexa Mathisen and John Hansen heard a friend talking about volunteering at Mercy General Hospital, they all had the same idea to start a pre-med club.
They started the club late last year, with a turnout of only two other students.
The Pre-Med Club meets only when they have items to discuss, such as fundraisers or conferences.
Members will go to medical conferences, conduct fundraisers and volunteer.
“My mom works at the UC Davis Medical Center, and with her connections students are going to be able to shadow doctors,” Bhullar said.
American Sign Language Club
Sophomores Evann Rudek and Lily Brown and senior Emma Brown were inspired to start the club after watching “Switched at Birth,” an ABC family TV show about deaf and hearing teenagers learning how to communicate with each other.
Brown said that they all really enjoy signing and think that other people will too once they learn some basic signs.
“The club is trying to raise awareness for the deaf community as well, since it is sometimes overlooked,” Lily said.
Members have been signing popular songs and conversations, and they want to share their knowledge with the rest of the high school.
Presidents teach the alphabet or whatever songs the members want to learn. The club also teaches signs used daily, so students can have basic conversations with one another.
The club may try to visit a deaf elementary school in the future, Lily said.
—By Jack Christian
