As the annual club fair rolled upon us on Sept. 15, the age-old tradition of welcoming new clubs as well as joining the good old classics came with it, and to honor the clubs, this is a historical review of the best clubs at Franklin throughout its existence as a high school. Despite the tone of the article’s title, there is no actual dark history of the clubs and club fair at Franklin. Maybe with one exception.
As usual during the club fair, the entire back lawn of the campus is flooded with both new and old students looking for a club to join. Whether it’s the Young Socialists, Backgammon Club, or even the Hacky Sack club, there never seems to be a shortage of creative and unique gatherings of people wanting to share their interests with the rest of the students. Although these new additions come as no surprise to the returning student body, there are still some famous, or should I say infamous, clubs at Franklin that are definitely worth checking out.
The most peculiar and interesting topic to bring up is the fact that, yes, Franklin did have an Illuminati club at some point in its history. However, it was less of a club and more of a scheduled time for people to eat together. In the late ‘50s, the Illuminati Club was a student-led organization with the familiar name of the society that has been in the shadows of American history for a long time. And for the activities that were done in the club, there were not any odd ritualistic or devious things listed: just dinners, games and conversations, and the members were not part of the 13 zoroastrian bloodlines that make up the secret leaders of the world. Just Franklin families.
Another club that has been a Franklin classic since the ‘60s would be the famous Red Cross Club. Although this isn’t an exclusively Franklin student body club, it’s still very popular here, as many students want to be a part of an organization that helps the student body and addresses issues within the student body that relate to health and safety. The original name of the club was the “Junior Red Cross,” and initially seemed to do different things than the club does now, like community outreach, organizing charity events and researching things to better our school society.
To offer a perspective of the club fair from the SUN community, ASPIRE coordinator Brikaya William shared her views on the benefits of clubs. William has been with SUN for around a year and a half, and is a big part of the club community at Franklin. She is in charge of helping kids find their clubs and tutoring for school. “SUN was introduced to Franklin in 2012, and was created to be our [faculty] resource hub,” she says. “My personal favorite [club] has been the Polo Club, that is [however] no longer present. It was an actual club for Polo, with students owning their own horses, and going to certain farms,” William states.
The affinity clubs are always available for students looking to join inclusive environments, with all of them being great student-led areas to talk and hang out with other students. “BSU (Black Student Union), Asian American [Club], Pacific Islander [Club], Latino American [Club], all these clubs are very important to our school as a whole, as they provide in-depth groups that might not be given just throughout class,” William states. As a former student at Franklin herself, William is an excellent source for anyone looking to better their student lives here at school. As always, the affinity groups here at Franklin are also very popular, for good reason. If you are considering joining an affinity group, joining one club meeting would never hurt. Their purpose is to include all people looking to be a part of something with others like them like a family.
Some new and interesting clubs this year consist of: Poker and Philosophy Club, Young Astronomers, Young Democratic Socialists of America, Hacky Sack Club, Swim Club, Science Nationality Society, Storm Squad, FHS Sneaker Club and many more.
The Trivia Club is always a reliable club if you aren’t sure what interests you. Being present almost every year, the Trivia Club is mostly student-led. It is a great place to go with your friends or meet new people that are enjoying the same competition-like spirit that appears every session, and most importantly, don’t forget to put away the phones, or else multiple accusations of cheating will inevitably get through. However, even though there is a healthy amount of competition, the Trivia Club is much like every other club. Its purpose is to include and create a space for anyone to enjoy and share with other classmates, as well as be part of a group that is interested in mutual topics.
The main focus that William wanted to share is that the SUN community and the clubs they represent are focused purely on creating a safe space for everyone to have a group they can be a part of, and have a sense of belonging.
Anyone can start their own club given they have a deep interest in the topic they are presenting to SUN. With over 60 clubs this year to choose from, there really is no shortage, however SUN and the student body are always happy to see new and creative ideas. For next year’s club fair, make sure to stop by the SUN room!
