Many students entering high school want to be a part of something bigger. Clubs present the opportunity to discover their passions and create lasting memories. With new students arriving at Foran every year, students’ interests are always evolving.
Recently, many students have been motivated to start their own clubs. Clubs have been known to help students connect with others through what they enjoy. In recent years, many after-school activities have been added to give students more opportunities to socialize and strive to create change.
Junior Ava Rohleder, the co-founder of Foran’s Habitat for Humanity, says, “We wanted to start a club to spread more kindness throughout the school and give other students a way to be active in the Foran community.”
Statistics from the National Center for Education show that after-school activities are a crucial part of a well rounded education. “Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context,” says the NCES research center.
For incoming freshmen, finding a place to exhibit their interest after school can help foster a love for learning, while acclimating themselves to a new environment. Not only does Foran offer many clubs and after-school activities, the school has an easy process for creating new clubs.
Rohleder states, “In order to start the club, we needed an advisor, an outline, and an overall purpose for the club.” She and a few of her peers restarted Habitat For Humanity this year and they work together to create more volunteer opportunities for students who want to be involved.
To begin the process of starting a new club, students will need to fill out a detailed outline of their idea. Afterward, Foran Principal Mr. Berkowitz will need to approve those details. In order to find the form and outline, students can visit student life.
The next step is to find an advisor for the club. This year, Meredith and Nora Hayes approached Mr. Zachary Phelan, a social studies teacher, with the proposal to advise their new club, Sleepy Sloths.
“I was asked to fill out the paperwork for a club they were in need of an advisor for. We meet every other Friday and I help organize meetings and events, but it is largely student led,” says Phelan.
Students have many ideas and passions, and any interest can have the potential to be turned into an after-school activity. Junior Rema Maarouf started the Cultural Activists Club this year.
She says, “My friend Dabi and I were talking about starting a club together, and we wanted to help people learn about different cultures in a fun way and that’s when we came up with Cultural Activists.”
Cultural Activists is a club where students obtain new information about different cultures around the world through activities and crafts.
Maarouf states, “It’s definitely a lot of work to find activities to do every other week, but it’s rewarding because it’s fun.”
Maaroof adds, “The process was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. The most challenging part was coming up with the idea and purpose of what club to create.”
The link below is a list of all the current clubs and activities that are offered. If students feel as though there are no clubs or activities that interest them, they are always welcome to create one. Creating a new club can allow students to not only create a lasting impact on the Foran community, but it can extend years beyond their graduation.
All clubs, new and old, provide a safe place for students to learn new things, meet new people, and gather an idea of their interests for the future.
