THE ENVIRONMENT CLUB

The Environmental Club, new this year is led by juniors Molly Newell, Phoebe Ray, and Noah Kamps and advised by science teacher Katherine Pointer.

It’s mission is to bring awareness to ways we can help protect the environment. Noah shares the group’s plans for their debut year.

What are you planning for this year?

Because this is a new club, we’re still working out how we want [to run it]. As of right now, our main focus is to try and inform students about environmental issues, and make small, but meaningful changes to campus [as well as] to try and make it more eco-friendly.

For example, we have had beach clean-ups on Fridays, and we made posters to hang up around campus to spread awareness.

Why did you form this club?

Part of the reason we wanted to start this club [is] because [being aware of the environment] is such a prevalent issue right now and [we] felt like [it was] something missing [at school].

THE SOCK CLUB

The SOCK club, led by faculty advisor Ashley Tidey and co-presidents Phoebe Stein and Catie Fristoe, is a Laguna institution focused on giving back to the homeless community of Santa Barbara. Catie sat down to describe the club’s plans for the year.

What are you planning for this year?

We started off the year with a remote bake sale to raise money because we were not able to go to Alameda Park to hand out clothes and have meaningful conversations with those experiencing homelessness because of Covid-19.

We also recently organized our annual Warm Things Drive which is always one of our best projects over the course of the year!

Why did you want to be in this club?

I started out as a member of this club during my freshman year, a

nd really loved the connections that I was able to make with members of my community who I had never met before.

I love hearing park visitor’s stories and brainstorming new ways to help and get students involved in our projects.

What are some ways you are raising money and goods?

We always have lots of bake sales to raise money and count on our Warm Things Drive to bring in lots of clothes, blankets, and sleeping bags.

How are you planning things this year with the pandemic?

We are trying our best to keep events like the Warm Things Drive in place even with Covid, but we are taking extra precautions and writing out really detailed plans for when we go to the park and when we collect clothes to make sure that everything is very safe.

THE RUNNING FOR CHARITY CLUB

In its second year, the Running for Charity club is on a mission to connect the community through running.

Led and founded by junior Hanna Masri, with the support of health and physical education teacher Andra Wilson as faculty advisor, here are some of the club’s plans for the year.

What are you planning for this year?

This year, because we have more members than last year and have gained traction as a group, we are planning to have a virtual race in the spring to raise money for charitable causes around Santa Barbara.

A virtual race is where the group who has created the race sends out ‘favors,’ things like a running bib or a T-shirt, that the runners can wear or use on their run.

They log their run and then send it to us. We then take all of the results, organize them, mail out medals, trophies, and prizes to the winners.

We donate all the proceeds from the entry fees to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.

Why did you form this club?

I wanted to find a way to do something I love— running while connecting the community and helping those in need.

In starting the club, I hoped to bring together a group of people who could find a way to enjoy running as I have.

What are some ways you are raising money or goods?

We have had a holiday bake sale, inspired by the Arts Club, where club members baked goods, and I packaged them in holiday-themed packaging.

Along with this, we are contacting possible sponsors who could help in funding the race or donate prizes.

THE ARTS CLUB

In their debut year, the Arts Club, formed and led by junior Claire Tolles, connects artists across the school. Claire got a chance to talk about the club, what she and the club have done and the club’s plans for the year.

What are you planning for this year?

We’ve started our first annual animation project, a group “mega” project by the name of COLLABS, and this year it’s an animated movie.

We’re also working with music instructor Rob Moreno to put some creative portraits in the music room to inspire his students.

And, we’re planning to create our own digital-website version of the school’s Portfolio Literary Arts Magazine to showcase student talent and advertise the club for commission.

Why did you form this club?

I formed this club because I felt sort of isolated as an artist, even though I knew lots of other kids who liked different mediums of art.

I decided that if I got all those students together, their collective ingenuity and passion could be harnessed into creating something awesome.

What are some ways you are raising money or goods?

We haven’t done very much fundraising, aside from our remote bake sale in October.

Several [club members]  — including me  — made baked treats which I then packaged and helped deliver to different parents, students, and teacher’s houses.

The money we raised for that will eventually go toward the music room project.