Clubs Come Back From COVID
Molly Charles and Olivia Lapinksi prepare a plant in the Go Green Club. Eagle Talon Archive
In the past year, there has been a serious increase in new clubs as seen at the club fair on September 9. After Covid-19 and a year at home, student life is finally getting back to normal, including club life!
Niesha Charles is the president of the Jewelry Club, which she founded at the end of last school year.
“I noticed early in the 2021 school year that Paxon didn't have many creative outlets or clubs that weren’t academic or sports-oriented, so I created my own based on my hobby,” Charles said.
She had trouble deciding on how to appeal to the many kinds of students at first because our school has an incredibly diverse student population.
“I was scared that there wouldn’t be many people interested in the Jewelry Club,” Charles said. “My mind changed after I heard people around me talking about it and the endless support from my friends.”
The president of Anime Club, Emily Apel, also struggled with club fair preparation. The club was founded at the beginning of last school year.
“Preparing for the club fair was not an easy task,” Apel said. “But with the aid of my vice president, we created what I think was a fun and interactive board for the fair.”
The Anime Club was founded to highlight another culture that is of growing popularity, Japanese culture as it relates to Anime. This club is attempting to break stigmas and defy the odds!
“I think that anime can be looked down on by people and in general the community has a stigma attached to it,” Apel said. “Everyone in [the] club is extremely supportive and together we cultivate a loving environment where we don’t have to face unwarranted prejudice.”
This year is jam-packed for the Anime Club with many events and opportunities for growth, including fundraising for the club.
One thing to be on the lookout for is “Cheap Cosplay Day” where students are separated into groups and given a character to create a cosplay for one member of their team.
“A huge event we have planned is a fundraiser in partnership with Treata Tea Shoppe on October 15, for every drink sold that day with a mention of our club, Treata will donate 1$,” Apel said.
Paxon has also found itself a new debate club. Grace Idowu is the president of The Current and founded it in the summer before this school year.
“The purpose of the club is to create a space where we as students can talk about controversial, current events that are happening right now in our time, with complete understanding and no judgment,” Idowu said.
There are always controversial issues, more now than ever. As we become young adults our opinions are becoming increasingly important to the world around us.
“I believe the hardest thing will be [some] people feeling like they can’t share their authentic opinions without judgment, but they should be, simply because we have created that environment,” Idowu said.
All these clubs are excited about the new year and looking for engaged members. Be sure to contact the officers via their sponsors or Instagram for more information.
Click the image above to see a full list of clubs on campus.