This year, Gilmour has 45 clubs and organizations for students. From Catholic Ambassadors United to Serve and Educate (CAUSE) Club to International Club to Amateur Radio Club, there are more choices now than ever before.
Mr. Raymond Screnci (‘86), Mathematics Department Chair and Instructor, has moderated the clubs and organizations for the past seven to eight years, holding the title of Coordinator of Clubs. As a focus group member, he was in charge of revising the requirements for clubs and organizations to be considered legitimate. Over the years, Gilmour’s clubs and organizations have not always been as successful as they are today.
Why Join Clubs and Organizations?
Clubs and organizations enhance students’ education at Gilmour by allowing them to find a productive way to actively participate in activities outside of the classroom with other students who share a common interest.
Service is a major component of many clubs and organizations at Gilmour; they are a major contribution to the school’s service-oriented community. Mr. Screnci said, “If Gilmour did not have clubs and organizations, students would not have outlets to reach out to the greater community. It would be holding them back.”
Students are able to learn more about each club and organization at the club fairs every fall and spring. The club fairs provide clubs and organizations the opportunity to showcase themselves to all the students at Gilmour Academy. At these events, the students are free to walk around and see what clubs interest them. Students in grades 9-12 used Advisory time to attend the most recent Club Fair on September 13.
Does Gilmour Have Too Many Clubs and Organizations?
With almost 50 clubs and organizations, some people feel that Gilmour has too many clubs and organizations. Mr. Screnci supports this idea. Some clubs do not meet on a regular basis, nor do they take an active role in the community. He believes that clubs lacking this type of organization should dedicate time to improving upon these weaknesses.
However, Mr. Screnci understands that Gilmour also has relatively small class sizes which plays a major part in the deficit of some clubs. Students’ lives can be spread too thin to be able to support quality academics, sports and be involved in at least two or three clubs.
Highlights About Gilmour’s Newest Club
Lancers for Liberty is a new club established at the beginning of the 2018 school year by Gabe Gainar (‘19), Connor Gerspacher (‘19), and Luke Shepherd (‘19). The club’s mission statement is “to promote open ended conversation regarding national and global current events in order to help Gilmour Students better comprehend difficult political and social matters.”
Gainar commented that the three seniors decided to establish Lancers for Liberty because they feel that there is a lot of political tension between students and they want to provide a platform for students to share their beliefs without turning a simple conversation into a screaming match.
Being that over 50 students signed up to be members of Lancers for Liberty at the club fair, Gainar wants the community to know that the club “encourages people of all political beliefs to share their opinions” at meetings on Wednesdays after school in CB14.
New Changes for the 2019/2020 School Year
Beginning in the fall of 2019, Gilmour Academy will be adjusting their schedule to introduce a 90 minute activity period for all students. During the activity period, students will eat lunch and participate in other activities including attending club meetings.
Mr. Screnci said “there will be multiple days that clubs will meet in order to try to avoid conflicts with other clubs’ meetings. For example, Diversity Forum and Black Student Alliance will most likely not meet on the same day due to the typical overlap of members between the two clubs.”
