The academic school year has started up again. With this, many clubs and organizations have also begun to start their engines as well.
Academic UIL is one of the major parts of the CHHS campus. Many students have planned their semesters and courses around it. UIL is led by English teachers Brent Jones and Tracie Sullivan. Both have positive outlooks on this year’s future.
“I’m fairly confident [in our students],” Jones said. “We feel like we could get more kids to regionals and hopefully even more past that.”
Mrs. Sullivan also shares the positivity Jones has.
“Our student interest is definitely up this year, primarily because Mr. Jones worked hard at the end of last year to garner interest from the freshmen,” Sullivan said. “Plus the student body could see the excitement in our UIL students as they worked their way to regionals and state last year.”
But that is not all that these teachers had to offer. They also explained their methods for keeping students accountable.
“We make sure each student participates in practice activities,” Jones said. “Our goals are still the same, and we hope to keep it that way.”
Sullivan also shared her methods for keeping students active and focused.
“We have a variety of practice materials and tests that allow students to break down the contest into chunks,” Sullivan said. “We also find that team members use a little peer pressure to encourage practice.”
Central Heights also has clubs that are growing rapidly. A good example of this would be S.T.E.M. club, led by the high school’s chemistry teacher Mrs. Kimberly Mays. As S.T.E.M. grows, more and more students get involved in order to keep the club sustained.
“I’m very grateful for all of the students that have joined,” Mays said. “They are positive influences on each other, and push each other to be more creative. They are willing to participate in many activities and always do so with a smile on their face. The opportunities that S.T.E.M. provides them and their appreciation makes the club worth having.”
Mays has high expectations for this year’s club. She claims that her expectations and standards have been rapidly growing over the years.
“I expect more students to join this year, as the word is out how awesome the S.T.E.M. Club is,” Mays stated. “I hope to have our 3D printer up and running and have students designing projects of their own. We also plan to attend and excel in engineering competitions throughout the year. Hopefully, we will be able to attend our first robotics competition as well.”
While all the clubs at Central Heights are appreciated and cherished, the main one is Student Council, or STUCO. Student Council is the largest organization at Central Heights, as many students want to be involved in the school’s decision making.
Student Council has many leaders, but the main one would be Dr. Michaelle Coker. Coker takes great pride in the idea for the program to benefit the students the most.
“The whole reasoning behind student council is to provide a place for all students to go and grow as an individual,” Coker said.
Coker states that the students are the ones who mainly direct the club, not the school staff.
“Our officers set the goals and their vision for the year,” Coker stated. “Each year the vision changes based on the officers and their strengths and weaknesses.”
Dr. Coker gives a sneak peek on her expectations and goals of the academic school year, which are very high.
“Our goal or expectation this year is to be an Outstanding and Sweepstakes Club recognized at the State level for the 6th YEAR IN A ROW,” Coker stated. “We also want to make sure everyone feels included and welcomed in the student council.”
So there you have it! The school year is starting up, and so are the clubs here at Central Heights High School.