When a new school year rolls around, there are many things to look forward to throughout the year—including sports events, shows, and dances presented by Charter’s clubs! These clubs bring students together, show awareness to their community, and also simply allow them to look far to doing something interactive after school. With Charter’s diverse range of student organizations, here are some club’s to consider for next year, along with advice from their Senior Club Presidents:

   Drama Club: Troupe 6153’s President Emma Schenker will be graduating this year and attending UF for college. In college Schenker hopes to major in physics, tackling a subject outside of her theatrical experience. Emma has been able to connect with everyone very well in the drama club’s productions, saying, “I got to work with such a kind, close group of people and we put on performances that I think we all felt really proud of.” Many past drama club members have expressed that drama has also taught them many things about the world and Emma even says, “It’s taught me a lot about analyzing and connecting to human emotions, as well as public speaking, and cooperating with others. It even taught me about myself and led me to feel much more confidence.” At the end of the day, the best advice that Schenker could give to future members is, “Go for it! So many people join drama thinking they’ll stay one or two years for their art credit, and then discover it’s something they actually love!” 

   SGA (Student Government Association): Many students join Student Government for the purpose of coming up with their school’s events and to learn more leadership skills. Kymora Stewart, the President for the 2022-2023 school year, is attending Nova Southeastern University and majoring in Biology for her next four years. This club is one big community, therefore experiencing successes and failures together. Kymora even says, “My experience in SGA was a unique one since I started on Zoom my first year of doing SGA and even though it was an interesting start to my journey in SGA, it’s something that I’ll never take back and made me a better leader, in my opinion.” SGA encourages students to try new things and adventure outside their comfort zones. One thing that will stick with Stewart in her future years is that, “Change is a good thing. Sometimes change can be scary but you need to be able to look at it in a positive way and push through it; the best way you can.” 

   SNHS (Science National Honor Society): SNHS is a club that has been around for several years at Pines Charter and all around the country. Luz Fontana is the SNHS President, who will also be attending Duke University for the 2023-24 school year. She says that these past 4 years she has been a part of this club (and the 2 years she has been president) has allowed her to change the way she sees herself and the world around her. She even says, “It has shown me how important it is to maintain your passion for what you do because it will shine through in your efforts. SNHS has demonstrated just how much can be accomplished when people who have a variety of interests within the science realm collaborate and learn from each other.” 

   BSU (Black Student Union): BSU is an inclusive student-organization containing many students that offers their experiences and opinions to be expressed. The current president is Christelle Berry who will attend FIU for college. She says, “My experience in the club was very rewarding. Being president during my senior year gave me an opportunity to find leadership skills and use them to the best of my ability!” BSU organizes many in-and-outside of school activities that allows students to build on many different skills. Her best advice is “Try because you never know the results that will come from doing something!” 

   Key Club:  Key club is an international organization known for helping services on local and global levels. This year’s president is Trinity Tang who has been involved in the club since her freshman year. She will be attending UF in the fall, while majoring in political science. Trinity mentions, “My goal is to not only become a lawyer, but to devote myself to everything I do and be satisfied with the life I lead.” Tang started as a class director and worked her way up to her eventual presidency, but she was never afraid to show who she was. As for the club itself, students have completed projects; including the creation of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for local shelters in need and homemade dog toys from old fabric in which they donated them to The Humane Society. The best advice from Trinity for any incoming members is, “Attend as many events as you can! The key club only works with member participation—the more the merrier! DCMS is so much fun with more people, and getting all your friends to join the club makes every meeting like a hang out!”

   NEHS (National English Honor Society): NEHS is a club that allows students to look into their future and see how they are able to connect their mind using literature. The nationally-recognized organization is constantly growing and has been put into the hands of many great students this past school year. The Editor-In-Chief for the CHAT Newspaper Rebecca Lim has also served as NEHS’s president. She has been a committed leader to her club and will carry on her legacy at Brown University in the fall. Although she is indecisive on what her major will be, she thinks, “I definitely see myself doing something humanities/literature related, and would ultimately like to end up with a job where I can help people, whatever that looks like.” From her time as Treasurer in her junior year, Rebecca recalls, “I gained a lot of experience helping with our large events and served with a great board.” As for the club itself, PPCHS’s annual Recite Night and Poetry Slam allows many students to improve on their presentation skills and, of course their writing abilities. Rebecca shares that this club was a team effort and allowed her to take more control of skills such as responsibility, delegation, and appreciation. Although she will be missed by many, the best advice Rebecca can give is “I’d first say to follow us on Instagram, @pinescharterNEHS, so you can know when the 2023-24 board opens applications. Also, even if you don’t become a member, I’d encourage everyone to come to our annual events once again: Recite Night and Poetry Slam!”

   Although these and many other club presidents will be missed, they allowed for many new and old members to see how much they are capable of. These clubs will grow tremendous amounts just from the hard work their leaders have achieved in previous years.