For years, high schoolers throughout the country have founded and joined clubs at their schools to find a sense of community, explore and refine their interests, and chase their dreams. Such engagement in clubs is vital to students’ futures and ultimately shapes the person they will become.
Students at schools such as Sherwood High School have a wide variety to pick from, from leadership, career-driven, and competitive clubs to volunteering-based clubs and honor societies.
In order to develop their confidence and leadership skills along with their engagement with their community, students could apply to join Sherwood Student Ambassadors. Ambassadors represent the school and demonstrate leadership, leading events such as 9th grade student orientation, back to school night, 8th grade course registration and more to contribute to the Sherwood community. Ambassadors additionally grow more confident and develop vital soft skills, including communication and teamwork with a group of similarly driven student leaders.
Other clubs involve leadership but are geared more directly towards future careers, including Forensics of Medicine (FOM) and Mock Trial. Each FOM meeting includes an educational lesson detailing a medicinal field or an experiment such as strawberry DNA extraction. Mock Trial similarly introduces students to what they may encounter if they pursue a career pertaining to law.
Students who wish to directly give back to the community and help others have a plethora of clubs to pick from; volunteering-based clubs include Stand up to Cancer (SU2C), and Link Generations. SU2C works to raise money for cancer research, increase awareness, and make care packages and cards for cancer patients. Link Generations also contributes to the community, with club members visiting nursing homes and writing letters and cards to interact with older individuals.
“I knew that interactions between teenagers and elders with neurocognitive disorders seldom occurs,” Link Generations president Rahman Waseem explains. “I wanted my peers to experience the joy that it is to talk to older adults, and maybe even learn something from them.”
Volunteering, as proven by numerous studies, leads people to healthier and happier lives; starting volunteering early will contribute positively to one’s life.
“Getting involved in school clubs is very important for high school students because it allows them to create meaningful connections, and in cases like Stand up 2 Cancer, reach out to help the community outside of school,” SU2C president Melia Walz said. “At Sherwood, Stand Up 2 Cancer donates to cancer research and local infusion centers. This is important as it teaches students to take initiative and give back to those around them! Club involvement is a great way to develop leadership skills, meet new peers, and have an impact on your greater community!”
To gain recognition for their hard work in high schools and gain opportunities for further leadership and community involvement, students can opt to join a variety of honor societies. These include National Honor Society, but also National English Honor Society (EHS), National Art Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and more.
“As Sherwood (MCPS) students, we too often lack the space and encouragement to be genuinely challenged—both as learners and as individuals,” EHS president Max Scher said. “The English Honor Society matters because it offers that opportunity: to ignite a lasting love for literature, to push back against complacency, and to inspire critical thinking and a lifelong passion for learning.”
Students should research each club and see how well it aligns with their interests and goals before joining. Having a set of well-balanced clubs can enhance one’s high school experience and set them up for maximal success in the future.
Written by Nisha Khatri
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons