By Azariah Smith ’23, Sophia Brunetti ’23, and Raelynn Harris ’25
On Tuesday, October 18th, and Thursday, October 20th, clubs rolled out at Derby High School. Clubs were chosen by students through a website customized by guidance counselor Kimberly Petrafesa.
Clubs started in the 2020-2021 school year, to be continued again with the 2022-2023 school year. When asked “what made you start the clubs up,” Petrafesa said, “Both students and teachers gave feedback that they would like to have something during the day that was more accessible to students to help them grow outside of areas other than academics.”
Derby High school has a wide variety of 25 clubs this year. Some of these clubs include basketball, weight-lifting, board games, best buddies, and a variety of others that students have been able to participate in for the first semester.
We asked teachers about the motivation behind their club, followed by a few other questions. James Piazza, instructor of the ‘Stonks’ club gave us his reasoning as to why his club was formed: “Last year, I had a handful of students who were discussing stocks with me in class. We spoke to the importance of saving/investing as well as having the proper information to do so. They asked if I could start a club, and Stonks was born. This is information I wish I knew more about at their age, especially before going to college/buying a home and car, and once I started earning my own money. We are hoping to empower students with information from beginners to more experienced traders.”
A student from the Stonks club, Savannah Harrold ‘25 said, “I was interested in the stock market,” and “learning about stocks.” Stonks club is one of many that allow students to pursue non-academic interests in a casual, comfortable environment.
Clubs meet every Thursday during advisory periods. Students can change their clubs for the second semester so they can experience more variety. They can also change their club within the first week of the club.
Overall the club rollout went smoothly. DHS students seem to be satisfied with the start of clubs, and though assemblies have prevented clubs from meeting more than a few times since October, students look forward to club days in general!
The Raider Press 