(Part 1 of 2)

School clubs have so much to offer to students. Some serve their community, others expand our knowledge and skills, while some are just created to have fun. No school year is complete without extracurriculars, especially when our school has such a wide variety of them. 

Perhaps you missed Club Rush or were too busy running a booth to check out every exciting extracurricular Mt. SAC Early College Academy (MECA) has to offer. Whatever the reason, we have a very exciting lineup this year of clubs both new and old, and hopefully, you find one that makes your week a little more fun!

Cat Club

Calling all cat lovers and supporters of the downright adorable! There’s a brand new club meowing for your attention. Meeting every last Thursday of the month in Pedroarias’s room during lunch, this club aims to both educate its members and assist the community.

“So while you’re in the meetings, y’know we do Cat of the Month,” describes club president and senior Gracie Padilla, “You get to learn about a new cat. And then we do our DIY project. Outside meetings, we’ll probably go to volunteer and also have meetups at a cat cafe in Central Tokyo”

In a future meeting, they plan to make cat toys both for the cats they love and for the cats that need some love. For the latter, they plan to donate their creations to shelters, making the world a better and cuter place one step at a time. You can follow the club through their Instagram.

Change Club

For people who want to be more politically active in their community, this club aims to guide students and inform them of upcoming events. It’s especially useful to seniors who will soon be eligible to vote. 

They meet once a month on a Wednesday in Mr. Nichols’s classroom. The meetings act as summaries of upcoming plans, but more often than not, sudden events come up. For this reason, they’ve made an Instagram group chat to notify members of these. 

“We do tend to have a ‘left-leaning’ (quote-unquote) kind of political affiliation,” explains club president and senior Damian Cevalos, “Some of the most recent things we did is actually a protest against a company that did a lot of pollution in the Avocado Heights so that one was an environmental protest. There are overtly political things about each action, but again, I try to make that clear. If anyone disagrees with that, they do not need to participate. It’s just an opportunity to have some fun.”

To join the club, you can contact the president by email. 

Comics and Illustration

For artists of every medium, the Comic and Illustration Club aims to further develop the skills of aspiring artists. Members meet every Thursday at lunch with Ms. Hoffman in Room 2 for tips and advice about different aspects of art. 

“We have lessons and quotes planned,” explains club president and talented senior artist, Cai Leung, “And we project those and a bunch of information that we found on the certain topic. And we change topics every week”

Anyone, no matter their skill level, is welcome to attend, expand their knowledge, and add a little extra color to their day.

Conspiracy Club?

It’s unknown as to whether or not this club actually exists. However, an empty table was set up for them during Club Rush and they are listed in the club roster. For these reasons, it will be added to this article. Little is known about the club. They meet at no stated time or place, and the board refuses to announce themselves. 

However, a club member who wishes to remain anonymous was able to provide some information. “I received an anonymous email saying we shall meet…maybe… sometime, someplace,” they report, “I’m really excited for it, and I kinda wanna discuss a bunch of conspiracies. But at the same time, this entire thing is a conspiracy.”

To join the club, contact a known member of the club or email their alias directly. If you dare!

Craft Club

Any arts and crafts hobbyist will enjoy this club. They meet every Tuesday lunch in art teacher Mr. Barriga’s room. Each meeting showcases a new craft which the club executive board goes around and teaches to members one on one. The rest of the club duration is spent creating it.

“Our main purpose is to teach people how to do different crafts, and they get to pick their craft,” explains president and senior Julia Hernandez, “And the other is to give people space to do crafts. So if they know a craft, they can do that.”

Debate Club

Because Speech and Debate doesn’t actually have debate, senior Anabel Martinez and her executive board have taken it upon themselves to fill that gap with their new club. It allows students regardless of skill to develop their debating skills and express their opinions in a safe environment. 

“In Debate Club we will pick a topic to debate each month,” says Anabel, “There will be around a 15-minute debate between two sides on the topic of the club’s choice. We will have 3 alternating student judges who will vote on the winners of the debate. The winners will be those who had a better argument and overall take on the subject. The winners of the debate will receive a prize!”

They meet every 2nd Thursday of the month in Ms. Berrong’s room. Their topic for the November month is “Should Earth be able to colonize other planets?”, and as the year progresses they plan to discuss more current issues.

DND Club

Adventure takes place in the imagination, and the Dungeons and Dragons Club strives to bring your imagination to life in the form of epic escapades and quests. During meetings, members create characters to fight battles, develop relationships, and explore the excitement of fantasy tabletop roleplay. To accommodate busy schedules, they meet on different days depending on the campaign (game group) that members decide to join. And there’s a group for any type of player from bright-eyed newbie, to chaotic casual, to serious warrior. Email club president and senior Liana Mayo to join the adventure.

Film Club

MECA’s Film Club exercises acting in front of the camera. During meetings, they create original and creative short films. From the screenwriting to the acting to the editing, everything is created by the members.

 President of the club and senior Vanessa Ramos explains, “We wanted to make this club, not like a class, but a fun area where people could feel free to make mistakes, learn about film.” 

Currently, they plan to finalize their ideas for their submission for the Directing Change film contest. Their meetings are on every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at lunch in room 9. 

Frisbee Club

Frisbee Club or Ultimate Frisbee Club acts as one of our few clubs aiming to add more sports to Mt. SAC ECA. Ultimate frisbee is a team discus sport where players must catch a frisbee in their “end zone” to score points. Join this club, members learn how to play and develop their skills at lunch every Wednesday.

“Right now we’re just kind of, at lunch, playing, trying to build up members and just participation in general,” explains club president, Jackson Barret, “And then later on, we will probably try to do some games outside of school” In the future, they plan to potentially join a tournament with their teams.

They meet outside of Ms. Yao’s room.

Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA)

With a message of education and equality, the GSA works to create a safe space for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. During meetings, they choose a topic to present- something many don’t know about, something of recent significance, and/or some tips or recommendations concerning all aspects of the spectrum. Their most prominent actions around the school are their decoration of the school on Coming Out Day and their merch and flag giveaways during Club Rush and Fall Fest. All the money the club raises goes straight to supporting charities like the Trevor Project. Meetings are every 2nd and 4th Thursday at lunch in Ms. Berrong’s room.

Helping Hand House

Every first and third Wednesday of the month, students meet in Ms. Guevara’s room for this service club. What makes this club different from the rest is its focus on the homeless community of West Covina and helping them live better lives through fundraisers and other events.

Advisor Ms. Guevara explains, “Last year we did do hygiene kits. So we got items together like soap, conditioner, shampoo, towels, combs, and deodorant. And we put it in a bag and then sent it over to an organization that helps distribute them to homeless individuals.”

In the future, they also plan to make winter kits, working with Ms. Gutierez who works at the Foster and Homeless Youth Center in West Covina High School. 

“I think the club’s goal is just to give back to the community and those who need help and need resources,” Ms. Guevara continues, “Because I know that sometimes things happen, and it’s good to know that someone is there with you and for you.”

Interact Club

This service club meets every 1st Tuesday at lunch in room 17. Finding volunteering opportunities can be challenging when you don’t know where to look, so the club provides students with a number of options to choose from. Interact Club works directly with the local Rotary Club and switches between participating in their events and planning some of their own, with help from their members.

Most recently, they sold pink ribbons to students for Breast Cancer Awareness Week. Last year, all proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. They’re always welcome for new members, so stop by a meeting if you’re interested in earning volunteer hours and getting involved in your community.

Investors Club

Money can be overwhelming. There seems to be so many ways to make and grow your savings, but where would you even start? Lucky for you, this club makes investing far easier. Investors Club teaches you all about it because it’s never too early to invest. The club is run by sophomore, Tara Phapornchai who wrote multiple Journalism articles about money management in her freshman year.

She describes the club as, “More of like an educational club, teaching people about all the different types of investments. Teaching people all the investments so that they can make their own decision on what to invest in, depending on their financial state.”

In the future, they plan to compete against each other to make as much profit as they can. They meet every 1st and 3rd Monday in Mr. Nichol’s room.

Jewelry Club

Meeting on Thursdays in Ms. Guevara’s room during lunch, the Jewelry Club is here to add a little sparkle to the students of MECA.

During meetings, they introduce a specific type of jewelry project and teach the members how to make it step-by-step. The rest of the meeting is spent working on the current piece, past pieces, and personal projects.

“It seems like a fun club,” expresses freshman and member of the club Alicia Flores, “Yeah, I’m excited to make jewelry.”

The club welcomes everyone, regardless of skill, experience, or dedication, as long as they’re willing to have a little fun and create something new.

Junior State of America (JSA)

The JSA (not to be confused with GSA) or Junior State of America is a club dedicated to discussing people’s opinions whether they’re casual or political in a respectful manner. They have no affiliation with any political organization and encourage others to build their own opinions based on credible information. During meetings, they have “thought talks” on a variety of topics as well as debates. In the future, they plan to have guest speakers and even go to an online conference to debate with other JSA clubs. Meetings are on every 1st and 3rd Tuesday at lunch in Ms. Wilcox’s History room.

(For more information on joining these clubs, you can check out the Club Directory.)