It has already been about two months since the end of first semester and if one of your goals for this new semester was to get more involved at school, keep reading! We know that with the plethora of extracurricular activities our school has to offer, the task of finding one to join may seem overwhelming; we’ve compiled a list of the different clubs currently running at our school. Each club is unique in its own way, adding to the diverse culture here at Rogers, so you’re sure to find a club that fits for you!

Chess Club:

• When: Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Where: Mr. Kidd’s Room (C-222)
• What: “RHS Chess Club is a fun club where you can play the great game of chess with a great group of students! You can learn better and improve your skills, try fun chess variants, or just play with your friends and improve your cognition. If you don’t know how to play, we will teach you day-of!” -Jeter Arellano, Chess Club Founder/Coordinator

Speech and Debate:

• When: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Where: Mr. Witek’s Room (C-205)
• What: Contrary to popular belief, the debate team at Rogers actually consists of so many more activities than just arguing about political issues against another person. To begin, there is more than one type of debate that you can choose to do, such as Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Policy. There are also individual events called speaking events that you can participate in without actually having to argue against anyone at all! The Speech and Debate Team is a great place where you can grow your public speaking skills, learn how to research effectively, and even stay up to date on current events.

Rambassadors:

• When: Once a month on Monday at 2:30 p.m.
• Where: Mrs. Cosme’s Room (C-155)
• What: “Rambassadors is a service club that is focused on serving Rogers. We do lots of fun events like helping around the school at concerts, plays and other events. Rambassadors provides a unique opportunity for community service, for it focuses on our school community rather than the bigger community outside of Rogers. We have fun meetings once a month where we hang out, have snacks and learn about the events for that month.”   -Bailee Burns, Club Member

FCCLA:

• When: Mondays at 2:30 p.m.
• Where: Ms. Fisher’s Room (171- Tech Building)
• What: “FCCLA stands for Future, Career and Community Leaders of America. FCCLA is a club focused on creating excellent citizens and building life skills focused on career goals. The RHS FCCLA focuses on building life skills through chapter projects and competitive events.”  -Jasmine Teofilo, Club President

Key Club:

• When: Every other Wednesday from 2:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
• Where: Library
• What: Key Club is the largest and oldest student-led community service organization in the world. Through this club, students can not only earn community service hours, but also develop leadership qualities as they serve as positions on club, division, district, and even international levels. The Rogers club offers many unique service opportunities that you can participate in and allows you to meet other great student-leaders in the process!

Journalism:

• When: Every Thursday from 2:30 p.m. -3:30 p.m.
• Where: Journalism Lab (C-222A)
• What: The Journalism Club is in charge of the production of the school online newspaper, the RHS Commoner. It is a place where students get to have their personal opinions published, provide insight on the things happening in our school, and even write about some of the current events in our world. Not only is the RHS Commoner a place for passionate writers, but it also welcomes photographers, videographers, graphic designers, webmasters, etc- no matter what your talent, this club has a place for you! Come see where your talents can be implemented!

Renaissance Club:

• When: Wednesdays at 7:15 a.m.
• Where: Ms. Langston’s Room 
• What: “The Renaissance Club is made up of RHS students that aspire to be leaders in our school community. The club teaches many valuable things such as character development, outreach tactics, and general education on the foundations of good leadership. If you are looking for a way to better equip yourself to humbly serve the students of our school and surround yourself with a community of other servant-leaders, swing by the leadership room!” -Grace Williams

National Honor Society:

• When: Every other Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
• Where: Ms. Hallberg’s Room (C-212)
• What: National Honor Society is a nationwide organization, created to recognize not only high school students’ demonstration of outstanding achievement, but also in service, leadership, and character. These are the four pillars that uphold the key values of the organization. If you are a scholarly student looking for a way to increase our impact in society and participate in events such as Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, campus clean-ups, or writing thank you cards to teachers for their hard work, this may be the club for you!

Asian Culture Club

• When: Every other Monday at 2:30 p.m.
• Where: Mrs. Skirko’s room (C-229)
• What: “Asian Culture Club is a place where we celebrate the diversity, customs, and traditions of Asia. During the meetings, we have a short lesson on a part of Asian culture, up to the request of the members, play games, and eat food. Feel free to come by and check it out!” -Russell Brosnon, Club Officer

GSA:

• When: Every other Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. -3:30 p.m.
• Where: Mrs. Hallberg’s room (212)
• What: “GSA stands for Gay-Straight Alliance, but we are a club for everyone. We focus on the social just issues for the LGBTQ community, but don’t shy away from other issues as well. Once again, anyone is welcome so don’t be afraid to stop by! -Kaila Edwards, Club President

Club Spotlight Interview:

One of the newest additions to the variety of clubs that our school has to offer is the RHS Chess Club. Through their somewhat relevant commercials on Ram TV, the club has already gained much exposure. But for those of you who would like a more in-depth view of the club, here is an interview with the founder of the Club, Jeter Arellano.

RHS Commoner: What made you want to start the Chess Club?

Arellano: I liked the game of chess! But lowkey I wanted to pad my college application…I know, bad intentions, but I’m trying to get over it!

RHS Commoner: Who would you recommend to join this club?

Arellano: I recommend everyone to join! We will teach you how to play chess!

RHS Commoner: What are some of the benefits that come from playing chess?

Arellano: There have been many studies that have shown that it improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

RHS Commoner: What’s your favorite part of the club?

Arellano: I love the members and chess!

RHS Commoner: In what ways do you envision this club to grow in the future?

Arellano: I envision more tournaments, more learning, more edification, and more fun!