One of the greatest things about attending Leesville Road High School is the wide variety of clubs students can join. Everyone has heard of Leesville’s more prestigious clubs, like National Honors Society, but not all clubs are about prestige and community service. Here’s a look at three of Leesville’s lesser known (but just as cool) student clubs.
Pokémon Club
Pokémon, which literally means “pocket monster” in Japanese, is a franchise that has been around since the mid-90s. It is known not only for the popular trading cards, but for the Anime TV series and Nintendo games that are still being produced today.
At Leesville, the Pokémon club, run by John Aliaga-Espinoza, president and freshman, takes place almost every Friday during SMART Lunch. “Our members battle each other, trade with each other, and even give advice to each other,” said Aliaga-Espinoza via e-mail.
When members meet, the class splits up into two sections: those who feel like playing their Pokemon video games and those who feel like whipping out their trading cards. This dynamic is important in regards to the purpose of the club, which is to give members the opportunity to learn new gaming techniques and bond over Pokémon in the process. All in all, the Pokémon Club is extremely laid back. Anyone interested in joining is welcome to stop by Ms. Blount’s room (146) Fridays during lunch.
Pizza Book Club
The Pizza Club, co-facilitated by Ms. Knightstep and Ms. Dragone, is a close-knit club that places its focus on books. Every month, members are given a reading assignment suitable for all grade level readers. The club aims to expose members to a wide variety of book genres throughout the year.
“Our club is designed to cultivate a love of reading,” said Ms. Knightstep via e-mail. “We give ratings (thumbs-up or thumbs-down) and explain our ratings, we read sections aloud, we talk about things in the books that specifically stand out, and we also share a lot of laughs.”
They meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the library to discuss the book, much like a typical book club. If that weren’t appealing enough, pizza is provided at each meeting! Students who love to read (and love to eat pizza) are strongly encouraged to join. New members are always welcome.
Photography Club
For students interested in learning photography skills, or who already have a love for cameras, the Photography Club might be the club for them. Administered by Ms. Amerson, the Photography club meets the fourth Thursday of each month during SMART Lunch A. During meetings, they bond over a love of photography and plan special club outings. For example, the group planned to meet at Umstead Park one weekend to hike and take pictures of their adventure. The Photography Club has even had guest speakers who give examples of their own work in photography. It’s a unique club that goes beyond the walls of Leesville and encourages the exploration of the world through a camera lens. “Anyone with an interest in photography is welcome,” said Ms. Amerson.
