The DHS club scene is BOOMING

As the second semester rolls around for Delta High School, new clubs are forming thanks to a grant DHS has applied for along with other neighboring schools. DHS hopes with creating clubs, kids will be able to form new relationships with teachers and peers along with participating in something new.    Not only are the clubs good for socializing students and teachers, but they have the opportunity to be learning something new, and it also helps the school. Delta High School along with North Fork and other schools all applied for a grant, the Youth Connections Grant through Colorado Education Initiative. This grant gives all the schools about 50-75k per year for three years to help with clubs and other projects students want to do.    “The grant is aimed at increasing student engagement and connecting more at school,” said Derek Carlson, principal of Delta High School.    The club’s goals are to help decrease the amount of non-involved students and to connect with their teachers and peers more. The school’s extracurricular activities focus more on athletics, music, agriculture and farming, and Speech and Debate. All these clubs have high participation numbers, and the students who participate in them are more likely to be involved plus connected with the school. Under this initiative, DHS hopes to decrease the number of students who do not participate in anything.    The goal for the club leaders is to think outside the box with their clubs and they did. A couple of clubs that have formed are crafting, book, computer gaming, learning guitar, watching Marvel movies, and even a card club.    If the club didn’t have any students show up, the school puts it aside and tries again later.

Many of the teachers had wonderful ideas for clubs all benefiting the students. Not only are the club’s fun after-school activities for students to do, but they will be able to be around people who share similar interests or do something other than playing a sport or have that strain of competition.    With each new club that has been introduced, each club comes with goals and hopes for the foreseeable future. For instance, the Book club sponsor and English teacher Natalie Parkerson has high hopes for the book club.   “The only goal is to help students get access to reading novels that they want to read,” Parkerson said. “I started the book club to give students the opportunity to read. Reading is a huge passion of mine that I love sharing with others.”    E-Sports Club sponsor and tech teacher Scott Sietmann also has aspirations for the club.  “Right now just really trying to find out who’s interested [in the club], how deep their interest lies…after we figure more of that…we can go and move on from there and maybe develop some new goals,” Sitemann said.   Even though DHS has just recently created these new clubs, the principals never stop brainstorming new clubs that they can offer for the next round in March. Other club concepts that may be coming to DHS include hiking and outdoor-related clubs and even a club taught by Principal Carlson himself.    “My assistant principal and I are teaming to do a life skills club where we teach things like changing tires, jumping a battery, doing laundry, and cooking a healthy meal,” Carlson said.   Clubs are a fun way to spend your time outside of school and build friendships that could last for a lifetime. These clubs can also offer many opportunities to create memories, improve life skills, and many can offer more benefits.