Green Club yesterday, play rehearsal today and a football game tomorrow. Everyone knows these activities, even if they don’t personally participate. However, this is only a portion of the clubs, teams and activities offered at Groves, and that percentage is surprisingly small.
At a school as big as Groves, it stands to reason that there are teachers you will never meet, classes you will never take and activities that you will never even hear of. Students missing out on clubs and teams means they miss out on different skills, fun experiences or even just a chance to appreciate the wide range of talents and experiences of our student body. From clubs like the Groves Asian Student Association and Girls in STEAM, to teams like DECA and Forensic, Groves boasts a wide array of activities that can and should be explored.
The Groves Asian Student Association is one of Groves’ newest clubs, founded by Senior ASA Co-President, Sanuthi Wickramasinghe, in her Sophomore year. The club aims to provide a communal space for Asian students at Groves to engage in and educate about Asian cultures.
“We kind of just talk about the struggles of Asian people. We do a ton of fun activities, too,” Wickramasinghe said. “We did stuff for Diwali last year. We recently just had a meeting where we introduced a club and we talked about the Moon Festival in China.”
The ASA requires no commitment and the club helps students promote diversity and expand their knowledge about other cultures.
“It’s not just for Asian people, anyone is welcome to come. And you can meet a lot of new friends… especially if you’re an Asian student at Groves and you feel really alone,” Wickramasinghe said.
In contrast, over 40 falcons participate in one of Groves’ oldest activities: the Groves Forensic Team. The Forensic Team is an audition-based activity where members participate in individual public speaking events.
“For a competition, we get up really early in the morning on Saturday and we go to a random high school in Michigan, and we meet there and then we all go to our different competitions throughout the day,” Isabella Vasquez, Junior Forensic Captain, says. At competitions, members compete in many different categories to win points for themselves and for their school, but many people don’t even know about the team.
“I think a lot of people think it’s like forensic science, or they just lump it in with DECA, and Model UN and stuff,” Vasquez says. “But, I get to learn a lot about politics, and what’s going on in the world and how to speak in front of people. And, in Forensic as a whole, it’s so much fun because you get to meet a lot of new people.”
DECA, like Forensic, is a team activity with many different facets for people to engage with. It is a business and marketing-focused team that competes in role-plays, making specific business plans on the spot.
“I’m given a situation of what would happen in a career in the category that I picked to compete in,” Groves DECA Member Chloe Morrucci said. “I read and I analyze this paragraph and it usually has a question or some problems and some points they want me to mention, relating to a greater category.”
Even though Morrucci is the only Groves team member who advanced to compete at the international level, over 60 people competed on the Groves DECA team at the regional level, with 30 making it to states. Morrucci explains that all of these Groves students are able to expand their competency for school and real life with skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and impromptu action.
“It doesn’t only have to do with business. It’s everything else. Applicable to all areas,” Morucci says.
Founded in 2021, Groves Girls in STEAM is another newer club at Groves. As the name implies, Girls in STEAM is an open club that creates a space for girls to learn and engage with science, technology, engineering, art and math fields.
“I think that it really helps girls get involved. A lot of people start in Girls and STEAM and then are more confident to join the robotics team,” Club Vice President Saanvi Lasser says. “It is at a time where girls in the school can get together, learn about coding, robots and general STEM activities.”
While the club’s attendance varies, Groves Girls in STEAM does activities from robot building (Lasser’s favorite) to field trips to meet and work with Women in Engineering groups at the University of Michigan.
“Anybody is welcome,” Lasser says. “We just encourage it to be for girls so that they have an entrance pointed to a male-dominated field.”
Even in this small portion of Groves’ available activities, there are activities for anyone and every interest. It is important that we acknowledge and explore all of the opportunities that we have at Groves. Activities provide students with a range of skills and learning that can’t always be gained in the classroom. Clubs and teams supply social engagement and, while it shouldn’t be the main motivation, it doesn’t hurt to have activities and interests to add to your college applications. As a whole community, we must appreciate all the diverse programs and skills that students and their peers engage in.
So, get involved! Clubs are usually open to anyone at any time, so you can drop by Girls in STEAM every other Wednesday, or the Asian Student Association on Thursdays. Teams and sports require more specific points of entry and work, but there are always people who will help you get where you need to be. If you want to join DECA, talk to Mrs. Hayner or Mr. Pushes, and for the Forensic Team, Contact Mr. Rutherford or Mrs. Scurti.
Reach out to your advisors or counselors. They can introduce you to all the activities around Groves and help you join an activity, or direct you to someone who can. There is so much Groves has to offer for any interests you have and, as Morrucci says, it’s not too late to get involved.