As the 2024-2025 school year is now in full effect, the multitude of clubs offered by Forest Hills High School have officially begun. Ranging from creative outlets to academic learning opportunities, all are individually unique. Not only are these clubs beneficial to one’s mental health, but they are an asset for college applications. Joining a club can truly enhance the high school experience. 

Diverse Offerings

With a total of over 50 clubs available for all grades, there’s surely to be a club for everyone. Digital Media Club, Crafternoon Club, or Crochet Club could foster the qualities of a creative outlet for students after a long school day.

“The purpose of the club is to give students a safe space to be creative and have some time to write,” emphasizes Jasleen Rodriquez, the president of Poetry Club, also known as Poet’s Corner.

For those who wish to put their academic minds and hardworking skills to use, even after their classes have ended, clubs such as Pre-Med or Save the Children may be more suitable. Ms. Franke, the advisor of Save the Children Club, explains that,  “It’s not just about raising money, it’s also about raising awareness — we write to politicians — we raise awareness about issues and try to shoot for some change in different parts of the world.”

Interested in learning about new cultures, and possibly languages, without having to commit to a class? Filipino Club or Caribbean Culture Club exists. “The big goal is to promote the culture… The students told me that they wanted to focus more on trying to connect more and more with the culture through language, like learning a little bit about the Filipino language, and learning more about the traditional dances and holidays,” says Ms. Flores, Advisor for the Filipino Club.

Exclusively, there is one club only for upperclassmen, and two official, registered classes listed on the school’s website. “We the People is an AP Government course. They compete in a national competition that evaluates the success and failings of the Constitution,” speaks Ms. Kelly, Coordinator of Student Affairs and Advisor of We the People. “The kids are pretty much helping the premise that Congress should rewrite the Constitution.”

Seniors can join We the People and help contribute to the FHHS yearbook, The Forester. Both juniors and seniors can be inducted into the National Honor Society. Ms. Kelly adds that “National Honor Society is an international organization.” The club requires specific requirements, such as maintaining a high GPA of 3.5 or higher on the 4.0 scale, and could be competitive to join.

The Forester, on the other hand, is purely for seniors since the yearbook itself only features 12th graders. As the school has such a large population, it would be more appropriate for the committee to consist of seniors to make their own yearbook.

Spread the Word

Students participated in FHHS’ Annual Club Fair two months ago on October 22 in Gym B. This annual event allows leaders to showcase their clubs, meet the “brains” behind each one, and learn more about what each has to offer. 

Club posters and flyers flourish in the corridors of FHHS. When roaming the halls of the school, you’ll be able to find many fliers and posters promoting clubs. All of the information on the flier can also be found on the school’s website. Most, if not all, clubs have an Instagram account available for all. With only a quick search, Instagram will show all accounts related to what was searched. The Instagram accounts contain updates and information about meetings to keep followers and students informed.

However, one of the easiest, and possibly fastest, ways to discover clubs would be through word-of-mouth. Keep your eyes and ears open in the halls if you’re interested in any clubs, because you might just be able to spot or hear something that piques your interest.   

Making an Impact

Groups such as Key Club, FIMRC Club or Green Team, are more often than not engaged in community service. Mr. So, Advisor of the FIMRC Club, states, “FIMRC’s goal is to provide better access to healthcare in third-world countries around the world. As one of the largest high schools in New York, we want to engage as many students as possible in this mission.”

Similarly, Ms. Franke mentioned that “with Save the Children, this is just a chapter of it. It’s a much bigger organization…. It’s something that matters in the real world. It’s not just exclusive to the school.”

The clubs offer many volunteering opportunities and are aimed to help make a difference in our society, whether that be helping around the school or the community. These clubs can also help build leadership skills and get individuals more involved both within and outside school, by connecting with others.

Not to mention, being in these clubs, especially We the People and National Honor Society, would look great for college applications and offer many more great opportunities in the future. 

Have Some Fun, Join Some Clubs

Don’t feel pressured to join a club, take your time to find something you feel you can commit to, but prioritize your school work, too. Don’t join a club you know can interfere with your schedule and prevent you from successfully making it through the school year. As much as clubs could relieve your stress, there’ll, unfortunately, always be some sort of responsibility waiting for you to complete. 

As the school year progresses, most clubs have begun to meet. If you’re interested in joining any, you can check the school’s website to find a club you may find interest in. From there, you can find the meeting day and time, room number, and the google classroom code if you want to commit to the club. “You don’t need to have any sort of prior knowledge, or prior background, going into this. It’s very fun to do and allows you to meet new people,” says Ms. Marmar, Advisor for our school’s Green Team.