NEIRAD
Club Guide: A Look at DHS's Extracurricular Activities
The start of school brings a new year with new challenges. Yet, even with the impending homework and essays it is important that students not lose themselves in their textbooks. This year Neirad wants to help students plan their year with a guide to the array of clubs that offer great opportunities to participate in the many facets of student life at DHS.
By Christy Lattimer - 10/08
NEIRAD enilno edition | printer friendly
Art Club
When:
Mondays after school
Where:
F105
Faculty Advisor:
Ms. Katie Stuart
What It's About:
DHS’s art club is open to students interested in visual arts. During meetings, members work on projects and help each other come up with ideas for art projects. This year the art club will focus on helping juniors and seniors prepare portfolios for college. Members will also help prepare for DHS’s second annual art festival in the spring. Perhaps the most exciting event the art club works towards is the art festival. In the spring, young artists poise their art work on pedestals and get to miss some of their classes, that day, to work booths scattered in the courtyard. Whether it be painting on a friend’s face or demonstrating the art of the ceramic wheel all students involved simply have fun.
Learn More:
Read about DHS's best artists
Building with Books
When:
Wednesdays from 6-7 pm
Where:
Community Council Room
Faculty Advisor:
Mr. Keith Keeler
What It's About:
Building with Books is a national organization that works with high schools in Connecticut and New York to increase community service both at home and abroad. Members of the club strive to perform monthly service to their communities while learning about international issues. The club also raises money that goes towards building schools and providing an education to children across the world. Every February, two students are chosen to travel for two weeks to a Third World country to help build a school with other high school students involved in the club. The experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity in which students not only improve the lives of impoverished children, but improve their own lives by learning about the culture and lifestyle of the people of a Third World country.
Learn More:
Building with Books' trip to Africa
Buddy System
When:
Thursdays from 2:30-3:30
Where:
B203
Faculty Advisors:
Ms. Jessica Ginsburg, Ms Judy Mappa and Ms. Stephanie Nelson
What It's About:
Buddy System is a club that brings Darien High School students together with children in Darien’s public school system who have special needs. Members of the club meet after school on Thursdays to hang out, play games, eat snacks and make crafts with the special needs students. Other students should be wary of possible flying tennis balls in the hallways—playing catch is a favorite game among some of the club members. Not only do all students involved have a ton of fun, but Darien High School students have the opportunity to make amazing friendships with the special needs children.
‘The special ed kids really look forward to each week and just seeing the smiles on their faces as they come excitedly into the room so happy to be able to hang out with kids their own age can make my day,” senior Buddy Sreya Radhakrishna said.
Community Council
When:
Every other Wednesday at 7:15 am
Where:
Community Council Room
Faculty Advisors:
Mr. Chris Buckley and Mr. Jeromy Nelson
What It's About:
Although students must be elected by class members to be the official members of the DHS’s community council, all students are welcome to sit in on the council’s meetings. Community Council works to bring the DHS student body together through various school-sponsored activities. Some of these activities include homecoming, the junior-senior basketball game, and the ice cream social at the end of the year. At the end of every year, all students have the opportunity to run for an official council position.
Learn More:
Community Coucil President Amy Marchesi's goals for this year (go to page 2)
Dance Team
When:
Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30
Where:
The Aux Caf
Faculty Advisors:
Ms. Jenna D'Agostino and Ms. Lynn Brown
What It's About:
DHS’s newly formed dance team is open to all students who love to dance. After school members push aside the lunch tables in aux café, hook up a CD player, and work on dance routines. The team works on learning multiple dances and practices performing them together. Members also work on creating different choreography since the dance team creates its own original numbers. Although members of the team are all already very talented, those who are interested in joining don’t need any past dance experience. All you need is a lot of energy. “Expect to have fun,” senior member Caitlin Fiorito says, “because we always do.” The team mostly focuses on hip-hop, however, they are open to learning all different types of dances and new moves.
Learn More:
The Dance Team on page 3
Darien Animal Welfare Group (DAWG)
When:
Monthly after school
Where:
B210
Faculty Advisor:
Ms. Stacey Wilkins
What It's About:
For those of you who talk to your pets in a new sort of gibberish centered around the word “wuv” this most likely is the club for you. DAWG was formed last spring to improve the lives of animals in our community. The group has held multiple fundraisers and pet-food drives to donate to animal shelters in Connecticut. Bags of kibble were nearly toppled one on top of the other last year through donations. The club also sponsors bake sales (this time with human food) to raise money for their furry friends. When members are not actively working against animal cruelty guest speakers, such as veterinarians, come to meetings. To hear more about DAWG visit Neirad Enlino. Each month Neirad Enlino sponsors an animal waiting for a home. Their new home could be yours. Field trips to area animal shelters are also in the works.
Learn More:
What's Up with DAWG
Debate Team
When:
Thursdays from 5:30-6:45 pm
Where:
G205
Faculty Advisor:
Ms. Ann Sather
What It's About:
DHS has a highly competitive debate team that competes in regional and state-level formal debates each month. Though every teenager argues with their parents, debate team members learn how to effectively argue their opinion on controversial topics in a sophisticated manner. Debate competitions last all day one Saturday each month. Though giving up an entire Saturday may seem dreadful to some there is the possibility of winning a shiny trophy as they compete in interscholastic and regional contests. The team is open to all students who are interested in the art of argumentation.
Learn More:
The Debate Team's accomplishments (go to page 10)
Free Thinkers Club
When:
Wednesdays
Where:
English Learning Connections Room
Faculty Advisor:
Mr. Alex Speiser
What It's About:
Free Thinkers club is a club designed to stimulate intellectualism. Founded by graduating senior Nick Phillips last fall, the focus of the group is to discuss just about any issue that is raised at the meetings whether it means current events locally, nationally or internationally, or philosophical debates. The club is welcome to all students who would like to voice their own opinions or simply listen to what others have to say. Member, senior Mike Baresich says, “I haven’t come across a person who hasn’t left a meeting saying that they feel smarter.”
Learn More:
How it got started (go to page 3)
Gay-Straight Alliance
When:
Thursdays after school
Where:
B313
Faculty Advisors:
Ms. Susan Mason and Mr. Doug Paulsen
What It's About:
The Gay Straight Alliance provides
a student forum for enacting the social, civic and ethical expectations of
the Darien High School Mission Statement. The goals of the Gay Straight Alliance
are:
1. To create a safe and accepting environment
for students to learn, free of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
2. To educate the school community
about the hurtful effects of homophobia, prejudice, and the misconceptions
about gender identity and sexual orientation.
3. To help students accept, understand,
and respect the differences within members of our school community.
4. To help LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Questioning) students become comfortable with their own identities
and how they express themselves.
The Gay Straight Alliance discusses current issues of concern related to making DHS a safe and inclusive environment for its gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and straight allies. Club activities include viewing, reading and discussing various resources that inform club members about homophobia and raise strategies for addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination of sexual minorities. We also plan activities such as field trips (True Colors conference), guest speakers, fundraisers (Valentine’s Sale), meetings with fellow Gay Straight Alliances, and other awareness-raising events (Day of Silence, World AIDS Day).
Learn More:
Take a look inside the club (go to page 1)
DHS Quidditch
Meetings:
Tournaments and games
What It's About:
This newly formed club was inspired by the ever-so popular book series, “Harry Potter.” The fascinating sport of Quidditch has started up in schools across the country and has finally made its way to DHS. The sport consists of students on broomsticks. The athletes then, abiding by the official Quidditch rules, attempt to catch the “golden snitch” which will be one of DHS’s extremely fast “trackies.” Anyone is welcome to join any of the open quidditch teams or start a whole new team, and choose positions as seekers, chasers, keepers or beaters.
Learn More:
Read about the different Quidditch positions
Ski and Snowboard Club
When:
The day before each ski trip
Faculty Advisor:
Mr. Chris Buckley
What It's About:
The Ski and Snowboard Club is a winter group at DHS that gets together to go on four ski trips every year. The club is open to anyone who has the basic abilities to ski or snowboard. Members go on trips that consist of a full day of skiing or boarding with your friends to “have fun and shred hard” as club member senior Alex Gault says.
Theatre 308
When:
Mondays after school
Where:
The Little Theatre
Faculty Advisor:
Ms. Nancy Herman
What It's About:
For those who are interested in acting, Theatre 308 is in charge of producing two major plays each year. Generally one production is a drama in the fall and the second is a musical in the spring. Last year, Theatre 308 did a modern take on the Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the fall and “The Music Man” in the spring. The Theatre 308 club, however, isn’t just open to DHS’s talented actors and singers. The group also consists of students who are interested in participating stage or tech crew, or those who are interested in directing their own play for Theatre 308’s student productions towards the end of the year. Members of Theatre 308 who audition for the major plays are required to commit time to rehearsing, especially when it comes close to opening night. However, this extra time has always paid off; year after year, Theatre 308 continues to reveal the incredible talent for acting amongst the student body.
Learn More:
Read a review on Theatre 308's most recent production The Music Man
Yearbook
When:
Mondays after school
Where:
B212
Faculty Advisors:
Mr. Steve Leete and Ms. Patti Brooks
What It's About:
At the end of every year, students look forward to receiving Darianus, DHS’s yearbook. Though the end of the year now seems so woefully far away, members of yearbook work all year to create the most revered of DHS keepsakes. At the beginning of the year, members work on planning themes and brainstorming new ideas and elements of design. They then work on organizing all of the photos taken, writing captions, building pages, and putting in senior shout outs. The Yearbook Club is open to all students, even those who play sports can participate during their free seasons.
