WVHS Club Fair is an exploration of interests and opportunity
The old gymnasium was buzzing on Thursday morning, as hundreds of students wound their way between rows of display tables showcasing the many… many!… clubs and co-curricular activities offered at Warwick Valley High School. Each club table was staffed by student ambassadors from each group, who there to do Q&A’s with interested classmates. Many of their faculty advisors were also there with them.
Check out a photo gallery from today’s Club Fair below this story.
To give you an idea of just how expansive the list of clubs and activities offered at WVHS is, here’s a partial list.
… Art Club, Autism Awareness Club, Book Club, Chair Club, Debate Club, Drama Club, Empty Bowls, Film Club, Future Business and Investment Leaders, Future Educators, GSA, Math Team, Mental Health Club, Model UN, OCAL, Philosophy Club, Robotics Club, Sports Medicine Club, Strings n’ Things, SADD, Studio Music, Warwick Valley FFA, Writers Workshop, WVTV Remote Operations Club, Yearbook Club and Youth in Government…
To even offer an array of clubs as numerous and wide-ranging as this, WVHS Associate Principal Chris Fiorentino explained that the district also had to make sure that students have the appropriate time and leadership to be as meaningfully involved in these pursuits as possible.
“At the high school, we live the Portrait of a Graduate,” said Mr. Fiorentino. ”That’s right down to the way our schedule is set up. We have what’s called ‘unit lunch’ every day, when everyone has lunch during the same period. Even our teachers are free during that time, so they can choose to be club advisors. It just opens up a lot of doors for everyone!”
Ultimately, having Unit Lunch in the daily schedule supports Warwick’s approach of having students be active in making decisions that shape their education, and providing educational opportunities for exploration and growth that extend beyond the classroom.
“It even benefits, say, someone who plays a sport or has another after school commitment,” added Mr. Fiorentino. “This schedule still lets those people participate in all kinds of clubs, to be involved with just about anything.”
Senior Chloe Davidson is president of the Global Engagement Club. She was at the Club Fair to chat with other students interested in getting together to discuss and inform others on international issues and how they relate to our global community.
“This year, we’re hoping to engage even more people, and address current issues and events to help people be more globally aware,” said Chloe.
Senior Kate Gobinsky was at the Club Fair representing the Interact Club, a civic engagement and leadership-building group sponsored by the Warwick Valley Rotary.
Check out a photo gallery from today’s Club Fair below this story.
“Basically, what we’re doing in Interact, is we’re just trying to get involved in the community,” said Kate, who explained that Interact Club offers its members a great combination of engaging in civic opportunities and practicality. ”Everybody needs community service hours to graduate, and this is obviously a great way to do it!”
“Every year, we do a school-affiliated project and an international, and we do the big drives right before Thanksgiving and Christmas,” added Interact member, senior Maeve Wright. “It’s a great club. It makes you feel good too, getting to help people.”
Alex Pack, also a Class of `24 member, is president of WVHS SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), our local chapter of the high profile national organization. He and his fellow SADD officers had a crowd of interested students at their table, and were sharing the experiences they’ve had hosting some of the more popular school-wide events that SADD is responsible for each year.
“Basically, what we do is we inform our community on ways to avoid making destructive decisions,” said Alex. “We’re in charge of Red Ribbon Week for the school, and our other big event each year is working with local law enforcement and first responders to stage our mock crash.”
There is no shortage of either published or anecdotal evidence espousing the benefits of participating in extracurricular activities. On our website, we refer to them as “Co-Curricular,” to indicate that the activities support the academic mission of WVCSD. Among the benefits:
Better educational outcomes- Positive post-high school results
- More school engagement and sense of belonging
- Positive youth development/life skills
- Healthier behaviors
- Great civic engagement
- And so on…
Every interested Wildcat is encouraged to “get into something,” and explore their interests in ways that complement their education and growth, and WVCSD is glad to be able to provide these pathways for our students.
For anyone wondering about clubs and co-curricular activities at other grade levels around WVCSD, of course we have that! More stories to come.
