With over 30 clubs on campus, Encinal students have many opportunities to get involved in. From clubs promoting popular board games to ones creating space for minority students…
Chess Club
“Chess club is pretty straightforward—we play chess. It’s meant to be a place for all people of all grades and experiences. We have people ranging from Mr. Lee, who is in the top 300 in the U.S., to Hudson Taylor,” Chess Club President Jonah Abrami said.
The chess club has had a lot of exciting moments over the past years. It has won the Island Board, a chess competition between the Encinal High and Alameda High School chess clubs, for the past two years. Despite his best efforts, Abrami does not expect that the competition will be held again this year. “This year they chickened out; they won’t respond to my texts. We count that as a win.”
The chess club expects to continue growing. “There will be a chess club next year and for years to come. I have sought to establish it as a long-lasting club,” said Abrami. “When I first came to Encinal, there was no chess club. I think that’s one of the biggest impacts I’ve had on this school, and I hope it has a legacy that will stay on past my stay at Encinal.”
Regardless of experience, the Chess Club encourages all to come by for the remainder of this year and for the years to come. The only requirement is that you’re excited to learn and be a part of the Chess Club community.
Gender and Sexuality Association
The Gender and Sexuality Association, better known as the GSA, is a club that seeks to form safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students on campus. “A lot of our meetings are built around community and collaboration,” said club president Emilia Arneson. “We seek to build community and connect with other people.”
The GSA has participated in many outreach activities this year. On April 20th, the club took part in the Paden Pride Palooza at Paden Elementary School. The Pride Palooza featured fun pride-focused activities and I did face painting. There was cotton candy; it was like a fun carnival that we got to help with.” The GSA has also hosted a celebration for National Coming Out Day and collaborated with the School-Based Health Center to host tables at health fairs.
To Arneson, the most rewarding part of running the GSA is knowing the impact that the club makes in the lives of students and families. “I’ve had parents come up to our tables at events and thank us for being a safe space for their students on campus. It’s great to know the impact that we have had on students and families.”
The GSA has a lot on the horizon for next year. “We want to do more collaborative events both in and out of school next year,” said Arneson. “We’re looking for any student to join, but especially incoming freshmen who may not have had access to a club like this before.”
Black Student Union
Club co-president Nina Leach describes the Black Student Union (BSU) as a “safe space for collaboration and affinity for black students at Encinal.” The club meets frequently and hosts several events throughout the year. To Leach, “the most rewarding part of being in the BSU is seeing different black perspectives and seeing how different black students move through the world.”
Leach, in collaboration with other BSU members, has planned many events so far this year and has even more on the horizon. Some of the BSU’s upcoming events include involvement in the multicultural fashion show and a field day in collaboration with Alameda High School’s BSU. “In the fashion show, we’ll have music, and both students and teachers will strut their stuff down the runway,” Leach described. “At the picnic, we will have food, a DJ, and games where Encinal and Alameda High students will be competing.”
The BSU has an upcoming vote to elect next year’s president. Leach is confident the club will continue to grow and host even more fun activities next year. All students who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and participate in fun activities are encouraged to join next year.
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society, often referred to as NHS, is a club that seeks to promote character, scholarship, service, and leadership through their meetings every other week, campus events, and college visits. “Our goal is to give students the opportunities and resources to further their academic pursuits,” said NHS president Catherine Price.
In the first semester, NHS hosted a college visit to UC Davis. This semester, they hosted a field trip to Stanford University, as well as several college and networking-focused meetings, and a career panel. “We have done a lot,” said NHS president Catherine Price. “The Stanford trip was great. We got to explore campus and help people discover higher education opportunities.”
Price says that getting to work with the officer team and learning to do administrative work has been a great experience. She has also enjoyed planning events to be able to help out other students. “We recently had a career panel where over 60 people came. It was really cool. We had five different speakers who were all professionals in the technology, medical, and engineering fields.”
NHS has a minimum requirement of a 3.5 GPA to join. Price recommends that any student who meets this requirement and is “interested in furthering their academic pursuits or learning more about college and career options” join the club next fall.
