After the excitement of club rush, clubs around campus have seen growth in membership.
There are many clubs at Woodside that aim to offer an impact on our surrounding community. Among these are the Octagon and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) clubs. Octagon club is a student volunteer club, where members have the opportunity to gain volunteer hours and school credit. The club is led by co-presidents and seniors Sophiya Karer and Sophia Pestoni.
“We go over the upcoming volunteer events,” Karer said. “Whichever volunteer events that people are interested [in] or can attend, they sign up and they [can] go volunteer [there].”
There are many opportunities for students to volunteer at Octagon club, and often they involved surrounding middle schools in the district.
“[The events are] mostly at different schools,” Karer said. “Usually Henry Ford and North Star.”
The club also allows volunteers to develop important skills.
“It’s also a great opportunity if you want to have a future career with kids,” Pestoni said. “It’s a great way to interact with [younger kids].”
Even if aspiring members aren’t looking forward to working with kids, there are other opportunities presented by the club.
“We do trash patrol every week,” Karer said. “There are events on [Woodside’s] campus, and there [are] some at most of the [surrounding] parks.”
Octagon club isn’t the only club that impacts our community. Other clubs, such as AAPI club, make a change in ways other than volunteering.
“We teach [students] about Asian people and culture,” sophomore and AAPI club treasurer Leia Tu said. “We spread awareness.”
Beyond just spreading culture, AAPI club develops a community.
“We also create a space for Asian culture at Woodside,” Tu said. “[Woodside] has a relatively small Asian community compared to other high schools in the area.”
