By Kayla Auguste
Senior

Cardinal Gibbons students flocked to the gym to learn more about the school’s clubs on Wednesday, August 31. At this year’s annual Club Day, there were more than 30 clubs enticing students to get involved. 

There are three main types of clubs: Activity, Service, and Honors. Activity clubs are the clubs where students get to spend time doing the hobbies they are passionate about. Students who want to give back to the community can join a Service club. Qualifying students can join the Honors clubs, where they are recognized for their achievements in the classroom. Clubs provide “an opportunity to expand your own repertoire of experience and give back and expand your own leadership skills,” said Kathleen Blyth, school counselor and academic advisor.

Blyth sees many benefits to joining a school club. One of the benefits is getting to know students who have similar interests. Expanding a student’s network of friends is an additional benefit. Joining a club that is career-oriented provides insight into what a student’s future path may be. 

Clubs can make a positive impact on students who are looking to go to college or join the workforce. “We want to see the development of leadership skills and these are recognized by the colleges,” said Blyth. “If you’ve been a leader in high school, you’re more likely to be a leader on the college campus as well, and that’s something they value.” 

Colleges want to know if students can manage their commitments to academics and extracurricular activities. Senior Jenna Haupert knows this well. Haupert has been a part of nine clubs in her junior and senior years. She was able to connect with many other students in the clubs she was involved in. “When we do events in our clubs, we get to meet different kinds of people that you wouldn’t meet in class. Like in my biology club, we get to do trivia nights and get to play games with other kids.” Also, she was able to get closer with the school community through one of her clubs. “In Photography Club, I would go to school events and take pictures of football games. Through my honor societies, we are able to give back to our community doing different community service projects.”

Students who are interested in joining a club can visit the Organizations & Clubs page on the Cardinal Gibbons website.