The Brave News

by Eric Torres, Editor-In-Chief

St. John Bosco High School hosts its first Club Carnival in two years after a long drought caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, students had the opportunity to participate in clubs around the campus and get more involved with the school. 

Twenty-nine clubs, representing many different students’ interests, filled the quad with each club having a table designed with posters and other decorations. From Tribe Robotics to the International Club, students had a wide variety of options. Hundreds of students, of all grade levels, signed up to participate in clubs with many students joining multiple clubs. 

At St. John Bosco, every student has the opportunity to start or join a club that piques their interests. If a student finds that there is no club for them, all they need to do is find a teacher to moderate and they can start their own club. Although clubs are student-ran, staff members are still active members of the club process. 

“Teachers wanted to get more involved with clubs, and we went from 16 to almost 30 clubs. So it doesn’t just stop with the students, the staff wants the student’s to be more involved,” said Diego de la Cerda, Club Coordinator for the Senior Board.

On campus, clubs are important for many different reasons. First, students can take ownership over the club’s operations. Although there is a teacher moderator, students have to take the initiative to keep the clubs running. In addition, having clubs allows for students to be more involved on campus, especially because clubs naturally surround students with other peers who hold similar interests.

“I think clubs and activities are a huge part of student life. It is a great way to grow as a person and a great way for students to make friends,” said Activities Director Ms. Mayra Fernandez.

It appeared that clubs had sparked more interest than usual, as tables for most of the clubs were crowded with students. After such a harsh year and a half, the club carnival provided a beautiful reminder of what campus life was like before the pandemic. Possibly, a return to school for the first time since early 2020 sparked the Brave student body to be more interested in joining clubs.

“After 18 months of being inside and not being engaging with other students, it’s exciting to be with each other. It’s joyful. It brings an energy,” said Mr. Edward Torre, a moderator of Bosco’s Filipino Club, which had at least 50 student sign-ups this year.

Ultimately, clubs represent what St. John Bosco is all about, capturing the brotherhood that makes our school unlike any other.

“Having clubs means that we can achieve our mission here at St. John Bosco, which is to bring joy to the young, whether it be through academics, sports, culture or clubs,” said Mr. Torre.

With most of the student body being new to Bosco’s campus, this event gave them a great opportunity to meet new peers and really expand their horizons to figure out who they are and how to make the most of their Bosco experiences.