Club Rush hit John Marshall High School on September 19, allowing Barristers to connect and share opportunities with each other. Club Rush is an event where Barristers can join clubs with other students of similar interests, allowing them to connect either academically or for fun. Club Rush this year was packed and crowded. Students of all grades scrambled to the event to discover the many clubs.. The atmosphere was great; it was a nice warm and partly cloudy day and students were eager to sign up to clubs. The atmosphere was a major refresher from the heatwave that canceled Club Rush’s earlier date and left California in one hundred degree weather for a couple weeks.
Club Rush gave students a chance to discover clubs with common interests that provided new opportunities. An opportunity to join a fun and engaging community where they can pursue their specific academic interests. I connected with two clubs: Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) Student Committee Club and the Mock Trial Club. The clubs provide a community for Barristers to pursue their interests in public speaking, advocacy, and law.
The president of the John Marshall PTSA Student Committee Club, 12th grader Gia Kelly, said the goal is to give students at Marshall a voice and introduce them to the PTSA, where Barristers can act as representatives to help Marshall as a whole. The club is partnered with the Marshall’s PTSA. The PTSA is dedicated to promoting the welfare of students and schools, fighting for adequate funds for education so that schools, like John Marshall can continue to thrive. When asked what the club is about, Gia Kelly responds with “The club is focused on giving students voices when it comes to changes they’d like to see in their schools.” In other words, the club promotes the advocacy, representation, and community building of students. In the club itself, The Marshall PTSA Student Committee plans for community-building events, educational presentations, and a meet with Marshall’s own PTSA monthly, where members can have a say in funding to enhance John Marshall’s many programs. Members of the club gain public speaking advocacy and leadership skills that can look great on college applications too. The PTSA Student Committee will appeal to dedicated students who want to benefit the Marshall community and have visions on what an adequate Marshall community will look like. The last question I asked the founders was, “Can any student join your club?” Gia Kelly responded enthusiastically with “Yes!” and students can bring their friends along too. If you are interested in joining, message the club on Instagram @jmhsptsastudentcommittee, PTSA Student Committee meets on Fridays at lunch in Ms. Rhee’s room 505. Students can show support for the PTSA Student Committee by attending or following @jmhsptsastudentcommittee.
The president of the Mock Trial Club, 11th grader Briar Kirk hopes to introduce people to law with Mock Trial, where students can foster a community for debate and acting. Barristers will build on many skills including, speaking, teamwork, and analytical skills. Students in the club are introduced into the aspects of law, court proceedings, and mini trials to put the new ideas to use, eventually moving onto bigger cases where students can pick a side by becoming an attorney or playing one of the witnesses to argue if a defendant is guilty or not. Students will have to read witness statements and analyze evidence to form arguments. The Mock Trial Club will appeal most to those who want to take a foot into the career of law, want to learn debate, or have fun, generally all students can join. I asked Briar Kirk what students get out of her club, in which she responded with “Students who join can expect to get some good practice at debating and/or acting, a solid club to add to your resume, and a year of fun learning.” For those interested in debate and law, while looking great on college applications. Interested students can join on the Remind app @jmhsmockt and message the club on Instagram @jmhs_mock_trial. Mock Trial meets every Tuesday at lunch in Mr. Brock’s room 727. Updates will be posted on the remind and Instagram account. Students can show support for the Mock trial Club by attending or following @jmhs_mock_trial.
September’s Club Rush provided students with the new opportunities for joining like-minded communities with a plethora of benefits. According to the student leaders, both the PTSA Student Committee and Mock Trial Club are great clubs with clear ambitious goals for students to start building skills that they’ll take with them throughout their careers.