With over 50 clubs and activities, every Mercy student has an opportunity to get involved at school and express their passion for different causes through club meeting days.
Friday September 15, 2023, was the first of the four in-school club meeting days this school year. Student-led clubs, such as French Club and Animal Rights Club meet for an hour where members participate in various activities, from arts and crafts to singing and dancing.
On Friday, the French Club leaders started their meeting with their members participating in French JustDance. Then they transitioned into a more educational part of the meeting, where members learned about French dancers and artists, such as Édith Piaf, while eating delicious French food, such as croissants with jam.
“I have been in French Club for two years and think it is very fun,” said Junior French Club member Lila Polakowski. “I think the dances are fun, so you should transfer into French Club.”
Members of French Club are mostly students, who have taken or are currently taking French as their language class during the school year. They are passionate about learning more about French history and culture and enjoy singing and dancing to French songs while also furthering their French-speaking abilities.
“I joined French Club because I take French and a lot of my friends are in it, ” said Polakowski. “I also like speaking French, I think it is cool.”
The leaders of French Club plan to continue to engage their members with fun activities, while also allowing them to experience different parts of French culture. They want to create an enjoyable environment where students who are passionate about French can learn more about the history of the French language through interesting activities.
“French club is about experiencing new parts of French culture that aren’t typically covered in class,” said French Club leader senior Katelyn Cronan. “This year our goal is to give our members a hands on experience, helping them engage in the French culture and have a deeper understanding of the language itself.”
French Club is one of 14 in-school clubs at Mercy that work to create a fun and educational environment during club meeting days.
Another club that strives to bring passions to life, through educational experiences and informational discussions, on club meeting days is the Animal Rights Club at Mercy.
Over in the lobby, the Animal Rights Club conducted a meeting where students watched a documentary while coloring pictures of various animals.
“Animal rights was so much fun. I loved coloring and I learned a lot from the documentary”, comments junior, Viktoria Nikollbibaj.
Although the Animals Rights Club had a more laid back meeting, their impact on student involvement in animal rights related issues should not be understated. According to club leader Audrey Guyot, the club has big plans, hoping to continue educating the Mercy population on the dangers of animal tested products and the benefits of leading a vegan lifestyle.
“As someone who joined animal rights my freshman year, in learning about makeup, I now use all animal cruelty free and vegan makeup products.” says Audrey Guyot.