Student Ideas Take Center Stage at the PHS Club Fair

A club where no one has to celebrate a birthday alone. A place to explore French film, whether you speak French or not. A student-led effort to build understanding around illnesses you can’t always see. And opportunities to explore everything from business and banned books to paleontology and pickleball.

With approximately 55 clubs at Pleasantville High School, this year’s Club Fair showcased not only the range of ways students can get involved, but also the ideas they are bringing forward themselves.

Student agency continues to be a priority at PHS, with students encouraged to turn their interests into opportunities to learn, lead and connect with others. This year, the school is also standardizing Schoology as a central place for club organization and communication, making it easier for students to find opportunities that interest them and for the school to support their efforts.

Among this year’s new offerings are several clubs centered on kindness, inclusion and empathy.

Sophomore Vivienne created the Birthday Club as a simple way to help students connect and make sure birthdays don’t go unnoticed. At the end of each month, the club will celebrate all students with birthdays that month.

“We want everyone to feel included,” said sophomore Mackenzie, Vivienne’s friend and a member of the club. “Everyone should have someone to celebrate their birthday with.”

That same spirit is behind Inside Out, a new club created by Cayla and Corinne, two students who live with “hidden” chronic illnesses. Their goal is to build empathy and understanding around the idea that someone may be dealing with challenges that aren’t visible to others. They hope to raise money for organizations that bring attention to hidden illnesses and eventually share their message with younger students at Bedford Road School, helping to develop empathy and understanding early on.

Other new clubs grew directly from students’ academic interests.

Zoe and Bea created a French Film Club where students can watch and discuss French films with English subtitles. Participation can count toward hours for the National French Honor Society, but the club is open to everyone, not just students studying French. Bea is particularly looking forward to sharing Les Enfants du Paradis, one of her favorites.

Sophomore Tommy’s enthusiasm for Earth science inspired another new club. He wanted a place where students who share his interest could continue conversations beyond the classroom and delve into related subjects, including paleontology.

Students interested in business and entrepreneurship can join PHS’s new DECA chapter. The international organization prepares high school and college students for careers in areas including marketing, finance, hospitality and management. PHS students are just getting started, with hopes of eventually participating in competitions and connecting with DECA chapters at other schools. Even getting the club off the ground provided an early lesson in some of the skills DECA develops: organization, marketing and perseverance.

For juniors Jamie and Makayla Harris, inspiration came during a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. A visit to the banned books section at Powell’s Books caught their attention when they recognized titles they had already read, including Becoming by Michelle Obama and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

“We were shocked that some of these books that we’ve read were banned in some states,” Jamie said.

The sisters created the Banned Books Club to learn more and bring attention to the issue. “We want to raise awareness about this issue and hope to raise money for organizations that bring attention to this,” Makayla said.

And sometimes a club begins simply because students want to bring people together around something fun. Maya created the Pickleball Club with plans to play indoors during activity periods. She hopes it will attract a large group of students looking to get moving, particularly during the winter months, while providing another way for students to connect.

Whether the idea is celebrating a birthday, watching a film, exploring a favorite subject, raising awareness or picking up a paddle, the clubs share something important: they started with students seeing an opportunity and deciding to create it.

With approximately 55 choices and more new ideas taking shape, the PHS Club Fair was as much a showcase of student initiative as it was an invitation to get involved.