As a result of the rigorous academic curriculum, the importance of school based extracurricular activities that add to the community are unparalleled at any other school in Charleston Country. One of the first community events that incoming freshmen at Academic Magnet experience is the Club Fair. 

One of the main pillars of the Academic Magnet Community is the numerous clubs the school has to offer. As long as students have a teacher leader, they can create almost any club they would like. I personally co-founded an entrepreneurship club, called Business and Biscuits. We hold biweekly meetings to discuss the operations of global companies and engage with guest speakers of local businesses on the start-up and maintenance of corporations. 

In honor of the new 2023-2024 school year, I am recognizing some of the coolest new school clubs that you may not know a lot about (or the club leaders that actually emailed me back). 

Introducing AMHS Speech and Debate Club:

The first club I am recognizing is the Speech and Debate club (thank you Randy for responding so quickly)! The faculty advisor is Mr. Cosgrove and the student leaders are Cy Benich and Randy Villariza. The goal of the Speech and Debate club is to be able to have fun and relaxed debates (sometimes heated, but in a fun and engaging way) about random topics ranging from serious or political topics, to “jokey” topics. 

They aim to become active in the school community by helping fellow students improve in their ability in speech/debate and argumentation skills, as these skills can be very useful for the rest of your life (such as when writing your college essay, or when you need to write an argumentative essay).

Students should want to join the Speech and Debate Club because our debates will be fun and laid back, and there will also be debates that are serious and can get heated (non-violently) for those who prefer those types of debates. Randy says they always make sure to keep every member of the club fully involved in all club activities and meetings, and also they will have club parties some days, and service hour opportunities. Randy believes that being an active member of the Speech and Debate club can look great on any college resume.

For more information @amhsspe to 81010 to join Speech and Debate Club’s Remind thread so you can get updates on meeting times and other activities. Their instagram account is @amhs_speech.debate

The club’s next meeting is next week on Tuesday (October 10th).

Introducing Academic Magnet Library Advisory Council:

The second club I am recognizing is the Academic Magnet Library Advisory Council! The club’s faculty advisor is Dr. Russell and the Student Leader is Camille Ross. They are planning to meet every other Tuesday during lunch, but be aware, they said it may change. Academic Magnet Library Advisory Council’s purpose is to increase utilization of the library and help make it more useful to students and staff. The club’s ideas for community service initiatives include book drives and volunteering at YallFest but they may have other options as well,  (YALLFest is a public two-day annual young adult book festival in Charleston, South Carolina that is the largest of its kind in the South). 

If you are interested in joining this Contact: roseli2996@ccsdschools.com

Introducing AMHS ENGin Club:

The third club I am recognizing is the ENGin Club! The club’s faculty advisor is Ms. Akery and the Student Leaders are Chase Broadway, Jennie Pelic, and Isa Jickling.

ENGin is an organization that pairs English speakers with Ukrainian students for weekly zoom meetings to help them improve English. Volunteers get matched with a student of similar interests and they can form long lasting international friendships through the program. The club is here to help people get involved with this wonderful program, and also increase international connections and cultural awareness at our school.

So far, the club is currently working on getting people signed up and started with the program, but they hope in the future to participate in school events like the international dinner and some fun fundraisers. 

Students should join this fantastic club because it is a really meaningful way to help people and make new friends, while also getting consistent service hours from it. It is also flexible to your needs and schedule so it is an opportunity anyone can take part in. 

The AMHS ENGin Club’s next meeting should be on Monday, October 16. 

Introducing AMHS Cookie Club:

The fourth club I am recognizing is the Cookie Club! The club’s faculty advisor is Dr. Hay and the Student Leaders are Leah Bagg, Caitlin Farr, and Maggie Brock. The club will bake and sell cookies in the AMHS breezeway during lunch once a month and donate the proceeds to a charity called “A Spring of Hope.” This charity is a foundation that helps schools and communities in rural South Africa improve their sanitation and get more clean water. 

Students should join the Cookie Club because it’s a super fun and easy way to get community service hours while also helping to make a difference in someone’s life!

Follow Cookie Club instagram at @amhscookieclub.

Introducing AMHS Charleston City Rowing Club:

The last club I am recognizing in this issue is the Charleston City Rowing Club! The club’s faculty advisor is Ms. Phillips and the Student Leaders are Robert Heidenreich, Maggie Brock, Hailey Taylor, and Matilynn Vermette.

As the only rowing team in Charleston, their goal is to allow students in the area to train for and compete in regattas and allow for the spread of another sport that isn’t as widely known here in the States. The club is a tight-knit group who work hard to make a name for themselves in the sport.

The team has been around for over a decade. They were originally a team here at Magnet that phased out to become a team that was available for all student-athletes in Charleston.

Why join? Rowing is true-and-true a team sport. Unless you are rowing a single, you are always in a boat with another person and the success of the boat is dependent on everyone’s participation, so the team mindset is strong and every rower has a deep respect for each other. Rowing is also a good sport for people who feel they don’t have great hand-eye coordination, so in a world where most sports require such a skill, it can be a great option for people who struggle with it (I am now considering whether I should be joining). 

Follow the Charleston City Rowing Club on Instagram @ccrc.rowing