New club encourages students to build relationships, branch out

Giving students places to be and people to see, a new club is trying its hardest to get students involved in school activities and friendship.

“Raiders Connect is an organization where students can make friends, discover new interests and participate in service and bonding activities,” vice president Ariel Mavis said.

The club’s goal is to encourage Raiders to join other students and find brand new passions to pursue.

“Zoe Johnston had the idea a few months ago because she wanted the students at our school to have a place to go if they didn’t know where to go,” Mavis said. “She founded the club as a support system for anyone who needed one.”

Their meetings consist of team building activities, discussions on different organizations at the school and the planning of group outings and service projects.

“We are working on volunteering at the Christian Care Center,” Johnston said. “We are also having kickball in the gym this Friday.

The club is a melting-pot of all types of students to join and become friends.

“It sort of acts as a crossroads for the different groups in our school,” Mavis said. “Generally, our school’s clubs and organizations stay fairly separate, but Raiders Connect encourages diversity. We have members from ROTC, Band, Choir, Theater, Sapphires, STUCO, etc. and we all complement each other’s personalities in interesting ways.”

Some members even host parties and get-togethers at their houses for the club.

“We always focus on having fun and that has always been our main goal,” Johnston said. “But we have discussions that can be serious and everyone becomes a close family.”

People can join simply by showing up to meetings. Meetings are every Friday in Mr. Shipp’s room from 4:30-5:30, unless stated otherwise. The sponsors for the club are Mr. Shipp, Mr. Bailey, Mrs. Boone and Mrs. Wiederhold.

“We are looking for people who are interested in meeting new people,” Mavis said. “There are no real requirements other than being respectful and being willing to have a good time.”