Jessica Flohr Walking into the Roof Gym during Clubs Fair can be overwhelming; different club poster wrap around the walls and sign up lines stretch to the middle of the room. This year, many new clubs scattered amongst the tables, including Guard Up (a self-defense club), Dance Marathon, Improv and Theatre Games, Maker Club, and Women in STEM. In case you didn’t catch them at Clubs Fair, here’s a recap of what they’re all about: Self Defense Club: Started by Juniors Bella Flerlage, Reith Taggart, and Maddie Koo, Guard Up aims to teach self-defense techniques to its members. The idea for the club came from a conversation on the bus to a golf tournament: when the club heads began talking about “the scary situations [they’d] all been in” they realized the need for strategies to escape them. This inspired them to create a place where they could learn how to defend themselves and encourage others to do the same. Students were eager for the opportunity this club provides, as a whopping 85 people signed up at the Clubs Fair. Dance Marathon: This new club supports the children at Lurie Children’s Hospital with an eight-hour dance marathon fundraiser. Junior Avery Selz was inspired to start the Dance Marathon Club at Latin this year as she has “had family friends or relatives treated” at the hospital. Additionally, Avery has “spent a lot of time working with Ronald McDonald house near the hospital” and saw “first-hand how challenging the operations can be” on children and their families. Look out for the club’s fundraising efforts throughout the year. Improv and Theater Games: Led by junior Lindley McCutcheon and senior Olivia Patinkin, the Improv and Theatre Games club gives students a space where they can play improv and acting games outside a graded class setting. Although this isn’t a brand-new club — improv club has existed for years — it’s been newly revamped with the addition of theater games, as both Lindley and Olivia are active in Latin’s theater program. Maker Club: When junior Isha Sharma heard about the new innovation studio, she was inspired to create this club to give students the opportunity to “learn about the different tools” and “use them from competitive and creative purposes.” Since not many classes are using the new Innovation Studio quite yet, this club provides the opportunity to work with this new, unique technology. Women in STEM: Women in STEM, in affiliation with the larger nationwide organization Women in STEM, aims to create a space where female students can learn about STEM career possibilities. Focusing on discussion, mentorship with current female college students studying a STEM field, and outreach, this club works to encourage more young women to pursue futures in STEM, a field they’ve historically been pushed out of. With over 60 sign ups, the future is looking bright for female pursuits in STEM at Latin.]]>