What to Know About the Clubs at TC
By Ava Stroshane
At the end of every day, students leave to go participate in extracurricular activities. Some outside of school, but also some still in school. At Timber Creek, students have the option of joining many clubs that fit their interest from Art Club to Cancer Awareness Society, from Girls Who Code to Key Club, and from Speech and Debate to the VNN Sports Crew. Those are just a few of the clubs that students can join and as students walk the halls they can see advertisements for which clubs they want to join. Coming back to school is one of the perfect opportunities that students have to start pursuing their interests after-school and meet new people along the way.
Many of the clubs at TC are volunteer oriented and work with students to give back to the community. These clubs include Bring Change 2 Mind, Cancer Awareness Society, Domestic Violence Awareness Club, Epilepsy Awareness Club, Helping the Homeless, Key Club, National Beta Club, and others. Annika Ettienne is a senior who is a part of the National Beta Club, National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, and PreMed Club, all of which are clubs that focus on giving back to and being involved in the community. Ettienne is the historian for PreMed Club and recording secretary for Beta Club. According to Ettienne, a typical meeting for these clubs include “learning about the service opportunities that officers have lined up and how we can sign up for them.” In clubs such as PreMed and Science National Honors Society, members will be able to sign up for opportunities such as tutoring and helping with homework, similar to activities performed in Beta Club such as writing PenPal letters. Another club offered at Timber Creek is the Cancer Awareness Society. The secretary for the Cancer Awareness Society is Chayse Tiell, who believes that people should want to join the club because “it is so important to raise awareness for all types of cancers and it makes your heart feel good knowing your making a difference and helping people.” Throughout the year, the society participates in several events such as Making Strides, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Relay for Life, and others. Around TC there are many ways for students to reach out to areas of the community and affect change.
Between this year and the last, there have been many changes made in clubs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Because many students last year did not physically come to campus, most club meetings turned virtual, using meeting software like Teams and Big Blue Button instead of meeting in person at school. For several clubs focused on providing for the community, most of the volunteering events were moved to online last year as well. Many opportunities that clubs often offer were not available last year because of the majority of clubs completing activities online. However, this year as all students are now back to campus, most clubs are back to face-to-face meetings and activities. “We have had to focus on readjusting and getting things going in person again,” said Ettienne, when referring to the changes in clubs for this year. Since Ettienne is a senior, she is ready to get back to the socialization that in person clubs offer. Many people use clubs as a way to create new friendships and meet new people, something that will likely be more common this year than last. Even though many of the clubs have gone back to traditional ways of carrying out the club, there are still changes that have been made in clubs to fit in with the new normal of our school year.
Overall, students at TC can get a lot out of all the school has to offer. Clubs provide a way for students to relax and focus on enjoying themselves and their interests. Each year, clubs are changing by adding new members and completing new events and each activity allows for students to make new experiences and to have more accomplishments. Whatever your interests are, TC probably has something for you. To find out more about the clubs offered at TC go to https://timbercreekhs.ocps.net/clubs/ clubs_at_t_c_h_s.
