Ranging from the National Honor Society (NHS) to Cookbook Club, West Linn High School is home to a variety of clubs with a diverse range of interests, activities, and purposes. 

Heidi Goehring, senior, is president of Key Club, providing volunteer opportunities for club members, and working closely with her community. Key Club is an international service based club for high school students. 

“It’s really fun to lead a club that I’m really passionate about, and being able to connect with people from our school is really great,” Goehring said. “I feel like our mission to volunteer is something that I think the world needs more of, and being able to really make sure that our school can be involved with that, I think it’s great.”

For clubs such as Key Club or NHS, monthly meetings help inform members about the club and upcoming events, while providing an opportunity to get to know their club leaders. 

Rhea Sukumar, vice president of NHS, values teamwork with her fellow club leaders. 

“The officers are really collaborative, and I think we do a good job talking to each other,” Sukumar said. “Also, the members are super willing to help, which is nice.”

Including Sukumar, the NHS board is made up of five officers, including the president, Lucas Sobotta, senior. In the final months of each school year, NHS leadership changes over, and the new board members begin their roles. 

“The spring is when they post applications for new leadership positions,” Sukumar said. “There’s an initial vote with all the members in NHS about the people who applied, and then there’s the written application to get your name on the ballot. and then after that, you do an interview process,” Sukumar said. 

In this interview process, applicants are asked a variety of questions, including how they, as individuals, uphold the six pillars of our school. The pillars include pride, perseverance, compassion, community, inspiration, and integrity. 

The application process involves an initial vote with all members in the club, a written application, and an interview with the NHS club advisor, Brandon Smith. 

Apart from honors societies, student unions such as Latin Student Union (LSU) and Black Student Union (BSU) make up a large portion of the school’s clubs. 

LSU president, Francisca Brevis, senior, prepared her club for Clubs Got Talent, a dance competition where clubs can compete for prize money. 

Affinity clubs such as LSU often have a commonality in their missions statements. They want to provide a space where students can feel safe and welcome.

“This year, everyone’s really close in LSU,” Brevis said. “It feels like a family.”

As president, Brevis leads the clubs’ weekly meetings, where they talk about upcoming events.

“At first I was a little nervous, having to talk in front of everyone, but it just feels like talking to my friends in a more formal setting,” Brevis said.

Last year was the first time that LSU held an election to determine club leadership. Through these elections, the club has established roles for members looking for a more involved role. These positions include event coordinators, social media managers, a secretary, and the club president. 

As the school enters a busy season for clubs, club leadership becomes increasingly important for organizing events and staying involved in the community through engagement with their club members.