The club fair will invite students to explore their passions, interests and potential in a different way on October 11. This year, new student-created clubs explore a variety of topics, including spirituality, fundraising and creative writing, but they all have one main theme: opening up students’ minds to new ideas. They place a strong emphasis on having a safe environment and a non-judgmental space.
“Everyone’s opinion is valued equally,” sophomore Amara Radetsky, creator of the Spirituality club, said. “There will be no debate [in this club], just conversation.”
Sophomore and Tam News reporter Marley Townsend is on the same page as Radetsky. “Students will come to Creative Writing Club for a creative and open environment to share and improve their writing,” she said.
Radetsky says that these new clubs are designed to help students open up their minds to new ideas. Radetsky wants to discuss religion and deeper questions at Tam. “The main goal is to open up the conversation to things that aren’t really talked about.” The club is meant to connect people that have questions and are going through the spiritual process and is designed to be both educational and personal. Radetsky is worried about people not joining her club because they are afraid to share their thoughts. “A majority of kids won’t join the club, either because they’re not thinking about spirituality at this stage of their lives, or they’re not open to sharing or hearing other people,” she said. “I’ll probably only get a fraction of students, but those students will be more committed.”
Radetsky feels like she can help kids break new ground not only in the academic sense of learning about religion but also learning about themselves and the world around them. She is open to anyone joining, but “the meetings are most productive and interesting when people are open to share very deep and personal beliefs and are absolutely non judgmental.”
Seniors and Tam news reporters Markita Schulman and Kate Luebkeman co-created the Outdoor Adventure Club. They are looking for places throughout the Bay Area where they can hike, bike, rock climb, hula hoop, slack line and camp. “We have this beautiful backyard of Mount Tam and the larger Bay Area,” Schulman said. “It’s this wonderful resource that a lot of kids at Tam don’t use as much as they could. Sometimes it feels inaccessible or not fun to go out in nature alone, but with a fun group of people to be outdoors with, you can be active and appreciate this beautiful place where we live.”
By joining the Outdoor Adventure Club, students would have the chance to improve their relationship with nature, get active and learn new skills. Schulman wants students to continue their passions in and out of the club.“We’re looking for as many people from many diverse social groups. Ideally, it can serve as a resource for Tam students who want to meet new people and do fun things,” she said.
Another new club this year is the Fundraiser of the Month Club, which is run by sophomores Sheridan and Hailey Miller. This club aims to have a fundraiser every month benefiting a different local organization every time. “Giving back to the community is the greatest part about this club,” Sheridan Miller said. “By joining, students will be able to improve the community while having fun at the same time.”
Sophomore Julia Asay started the Asian Cultures Club with sophomore Adrienne Lee, and is intended to help students experience Asian culture. “There will be food and movies and it will be a fun, interactive experience,” Asay said. “We started this club because we both have an interest in learning about Asian cultures. We hope that bringing together like-minded people will help educate us and our community.”