Students Take Over the Green in Club Rush Frenzy

This story was written in collaboration with the new freshman Journalism class. Additional authors are Oliver Bain, Alli Brottem, Ilaria Cline, Colin Lee, Delilah Bellis Rivera, Farah Ghajar, Nelson Gutierrez, Samantha Carrasco Zuniga, Santiago Quesada Tevis, and Hana Suzuki.

Over a thousand students gathered on the Green during lunch this Thursday to check out M-A’s new clubs. This year’s Club Rush featured over 110 clubs, ranging from the community-building Music Service Club, the culture-focused Black Student Union, to the well-loved Robotics Club. With lines of booths decorated with calligraphy, bright colors, and bowls of sweet treats, clubs put in lots of effort to recruit new members this school year. 

“This year was definitely a big jump from last year. We ended up having to stretch the area from the stage to the Green, and it almost reached the library,” junior and Clubs Coordinator Millo Skhiri said. “It’s my first time as an official Clubs Coordinator, and it was definitely worth it and really fun.”

“There’s a pretty vibrant energy around the Green right now. There were a lot of clubs and so many people showed up. There’s a lot of positive energy and it went really well,” junior Josie Weiss said. 

Here’s a look at 15 of M-A’s clubs.

Due to the lack of an official M-A chess team, juniors Shawnak Shivakumar and Axel Pilette created the Chess Community. “We host school-wide tournaments and go to the state championship. We bring people who have never played chess before to the tournaments,” Shivakumar said. “There, they win cash prizes, trophies, and put it in their college application. We’re going to have a kickoff tournament in roughly two weeks.” The club meets on Fridays in D-20.

One of the more community-involved clubs is the Music Service Club. “We go to the Veterans Hospital and other hospitals that house the elderly, and we give them performances completely free of charge. We’re bringing music and love to our local communities,” junior and co-President Gustav Singel said. They will meet on Thursdays in the band room.

The Jewish Student Union (JSU) has been active for many years, offering a welcoming space for both Jewish and non-Jewish students. “Last year, we focused a lot on Jewish holidays, traditions, cultural experiences and what it means to be Jewish in Menlo Park, at M-A, and in our M-A community, and just finding a place to belong,” said senior and club President Lainey Egnal. They meet on Wednesdays in C-11.

Men’s Mental Health Awareness Club founders Casey Watkins and Bobby Redmond were inspired to create their club after the loss of their friend, senior Dylan Scirpo. “That affected our lives and kind of turned everything upside down. We know how hard it is to deal with mental health issues, so we want to bring awareness to it and let everybody know that they’re not alone. We love you guys and gals,” Watkins said. You can find the Men’s Mental Health Awareness Club in C-11 on Tuesdays.

The Latinos Unidos de M-A (LUMA)  Club is passionate about Latino culture, sharing traditional foods and celebrating important events in their community. Senior and club President Leslie Mandujano said that she joined the club because she found pride and happiness in sharing her culture. “To be able to bring snacks and make new recipes and see how people like it makes me happy,” Mandujano said. LUMA will meet on Wednesdays in F-18.

The Pacific Islander Club focuses on building unity within their community. Club Advisor Ana Finau said the club is very welcoming and supportive. “We want to bring more awareness not only to our present physical presence here on campus but also our cultural presence in general,” Finau said. The Pacific Islander Club meets in D-4 on Thursdays.

The Deaf Culture Club, founded by senior Faith Schubin, highlights the deaf community. Schubin talked about how important it is to discuss common misconceptions and bring the deaf and hearing communities together. “I feel there’s a big gap between the deaf world and the hearing world. So this is a small step in trying to mend that and connect those people,” she said. They meet in G-8 on Thursdays. 

The Key Club is an international service organization that values leadership and inclusivity through events like fundraisers and food drives. Senior and Secretary Isabella Kha shared how the club goes beyond just service. “I think the main thing we’re trying to promote is community. We’re trying to get incoming freshmen to connect with different friends,” she said. They meet in D-22 on Thursdays.

The Black Student Union (BSU) is a lively and passionate club that celebrates Black culture and supports the Black community by hosting fundraisers, meet and greets, and more. “BSU is so good because we not only make a space for Black people and Black voices, but we welcome everybody to come out, come through, support, and we have fun together,” senior and club President Tatiola Sobomehin* said. They meet in B-21 on Thursdays.

The Leo Club is a service club that provides busy students opportunities to get community service hours on weekends. “We volunteer at services like Ecumenical Hunger or the Veterans’ Hospital. We’re basically a club to go and get service hours so you don’t have to volunteer by yourself,” junior and club co-President Shelby Ryder said. Ryder encouraged anyone who “wants to be more involved in the community by volunteering” to join the Leo Club, which meets on Thursdays in the Service Learning Center.

The Robotics Club competes in competitions throughout the year, where they show off handmade machines. “We accept all students, even if they don’t have prior experience with robotics,” senior and club member Mira Tian said. They meet on Wednesdays after school and Saturdays in S-6.

The Surfriders Club visits local beaches to surf and pick up trash once a month. “We talk about environmental issues going on in our community and the world,” senior and co-President Kate Liechty said. You can find the Surfriders Club on Tuesdays in C-2.

The Students to Seniors Club visits the Rosner house, a senior home for patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease on minimum days. “Our club focuses on connecting and bringing more awareness to the Rosner house because a lot of them don’t have much family interaction. It’s a great opportunity,” senior and co-President Addy McCombs said. They meet on Wednesdays in G-2. 

BuildOn is a decades-old global nonprofit dedicated to providing service. Each year, the club goes on a week-long service trip to a developing country to help build a school. “This is a great opportunity to get involved and to have a direct impact on people of other cultures,” senior and Vice President Lucas Selvik said. BuildOn will meet on Wednesdays in P-5.

M-A’s STEM Fair Club is dedicated to reviving the school science fair. “Most middle schools and elementary schools require STEM fairs. But at high school, it dies off, which is a shame because you get necessary coursework in order to pull off more interesting projects,” senior and club President Katelyn Chao said. The STEM Fair Club will meet on Thursdays in F-13.

On club rush as a whole, “I like to see everyone together in one place and see how diverse our community is,” freshman Grayson River del Mundo said.

Find a full list of clubs here.

*Sobomehin is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle