Shayna Sharma and Sydney Norrie | June 25th, 2021
Despite online restrictions, many extracurriculars were still able to run many exciting events and activities for its members. Whether those events included weekly meetings, exciting competitions, or social media initiatives, these clubs were able to use the online setting to reach students and find a sense of community that cannot come from just the classroom. If you are interested in learning about some of the clubs at The Woodlands, the events they ran this year, and their highly anticipated plans for the future, keep reading!
Eco Club
Eco Club is a place for students who are passionate about the environment to work together to create real change. Throughout a typical school year, members of Eco Club organize fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and other engaging activities for the Woodlands student body with the hopes of educating others on environmental issues and helping the Earth. Eco Club also maintains an active social media presence, and regularly promotes conversation on the latest environmental initiatives through their Instagram page to help people be the best global citizens they can be. Overall, Eco Club members focus on reducing environmental impacts as much as possible, while having lots of fun along the way! Anyone passionate about the environment is welcome to join this enthusiastic group of students dedicated to making a positive impact.
Although this year has looked a little different for Eco Club with virtual meetings, members have been just as committed to raising awareness on environmental issues. They had the opportunity to reach a wider audience this year through their Instagram account, @ec.woods. One of Eco Club’s biggest initiatives was their weekly posts on various environmental issues. Not only did the posts educate students on relevant issues, but they provided effective ways for individuals to help fix them, like spending a low waste Valentine’s Day and reducing the environmental impact of online shopping. Eco Club also collaborated with Art Club for the Art x Eco Club contest held this year, where students were challenged to create eco-themed art. The contest was a fun way to encourage students to spend some time outside, exercise their creativity, and deepen their appreciation for nature. There were many beautiful entries submitted, and the winning submissions can be admired on the Eco Club and Art Club Instagram pages.
Despite the unique circumstances, Eco Club’s passion for the meaningful work they do is as strong as ever, and continues to grow. While this year may have presented some challenges, the club has certainly made the best of it, and there were many enjoyable experiences and memories made. For Rebecca Street, one of Eco Club’s co-presidents, the club’s persistent spirit has been one of the biggest highlights. “My favourite part has definitely been the energy and enthusiasm that the club members bring to every meeting,” she shares. “Whenever we’d start brainstorming campaign ideas, everyone would start bouncing ideas off each other and it was awesome how we were all so excited and ready to do the next awesome thing. Everyone was super friendly and getting to connect with other passionate people meant so much to me.”
No matter what next year brings, Eco Club is committed to continuing to raise awareness for pressing environmental issues in fun and informative ways. Every year the club comes up with amazing new events, and next year will be no exception. They are hoping to run some more hands-on events, such as tree-planting and community cleanups, but in-person events are dependent on pandemic regulations. “With the pandemic, we don’t know for sure what next year’s situation will look like, but we have a great team for the upcoming school year and new faces are always welcome,” says Eco Club. “We’re looking forward to another awesome year, and we’re excited to see what comes next!”
Model United Nations
Model United Nations (or Model UN for short) is an activity that simulates the real United Nations. Students learn about international relations, come up with solutions, and then debate with other students at conferences. Model UN has a very broad range of committee options ranging from geopolitics to pop culture! According to Crystal Zhang, co-president of Model UN at The Woodlands, Model UN is “DECA but for people that read the news too much, or theatre kids that are politically involved.” Model UN is free for anyone in grades 9-12 to join, whether you are experienced or just beginning your MUN journey.
Every week, Model UN hosts meetings that include lessons, activities, and even practice conferences. Co Vice-President Sophie Zhang says “we've been running lots of fun and educational things for our delegates this year, but be prepared for even more next year as well as once we move back in person.” In addition to weekly meetings, Model UN has run multiple exciting events this year. In the fall, they held their own conference titled “Fractured: 2030” creating a situation where Canada was on the brink of being invaded by China.
Aarian Bhakoo, co-president of the club, tells us how proud he is of the community that has been created in Model UN at The Woodlands: “There’s a true passion for speaking, learning, the whole works. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve fostered up to this point, and I’m hopeful that our circle can grow even larger as we continue to expand.”.
One of the Model UN Club's newly designed merchandise and promotion logos.
Next year, the Model UN executives hope that a lot more in-person conferences will be attended once it is safe to do so. “Showing up to events like this in the flesh and sitting in a conference room or auditorium and actually raising your placard is such a different experience from listening idly in a Discord, Zoom, or Teams call,” says Simon Wu, Executive of Logistics. “It’s an experience that we want to bring to as many students as possible in the coming year.” Model UN students hope that next year The Woodlands can run another in-school conference, hopefully even bigger and better than this year. In addition, there are plans in the works for a Junior Introductory Conference for middle school students so that they can understand more about MUN and participate in a variety of fun activities. Adam Ben Lassoued, executive of events, is very excited about being able to attend physical conferences once again. “This in my opinion is the best part of MUN because you can learn so much from others and from your own mistakes and work to improve while having a lot of fun,” Adam explains. “We have taken the input of the members and found ways to improve the club for next year which I am excited to present to old and new MUN members.”
The Woodlands Model UN is a welcoming place for anyone who is interested in giving MUN a shot. There are so many ways to get involved, whether it is fictional worlds, historical simulations, or international debates, there is something for everyone. Simon Wu describes it best when he says, “You don’t need to be the greatest public speaker or an expert in complicated geopolitical affairs to have a wonderful time at a Model UN event - don’t be afraid to give it a try!”
Drama Club:
Drama Club is a safe space for anyone interested in theatre. It’s a great place to learn about yourself, connect with others, and have some fun! Drama Club holds weekly meetings allowing members to enjoy fun drama activities and de-stress after a long school week. They also run several entertaining events throughout the year for anyone who’s interested to come and get involved. Weekly meetings take place on Thursday after school, and everyone is welcome.
Each week at Drama Club meetings, a new theme is introduced relating to the week’s events, allowing members to creatively engage themselves in unique ways. While weekly meetings have definitely been a different experience for club members, the virtual environment does offer some benefits; namely, it is easier to run meetings the entire year, and there is more opportunity to cater to people’s comfort zones with respect to participation and cameras being on. In addition to weekly meetings, Drama Club hosts Open Stages at the end of each month. These exciting performances by Drama Club members include singing songs, reading poems, monologue performances, and more! Overall, Drama Club activities have continued to live up to their reputation of being fun and engaging, and members have had great experiences. Being able to connect with others in a virtual environment, seeing new faces come to Drama, and having the opportunity to relieve stress during times of difficulty have been highlights of Drama Club for many students this past year.
The Drama executive team has worked very hard this year in order to organize and run a number of exciting events for Woodlands students. One of Drama Club’s first major events this year was Festivus, a holiday event featuring lots of amazing performances by drama club students, holiday-related drama games, and a live viewing party of “The Prom!” on Netflix. Another fun event Drama Club ran this year was Murder Mystery, a two-week event consisting of 4 live murder mystery days. Drama executives got together to create a script and murder mystery character packages for actors who signed up to perform. The end goal was for everyone to guess who the murderer was, which was revealed in an exciting release video on the Drama Club Instagram account, @dramawoodlands. Lastly, Drama Club recently hosted their first-ever virtual Rammy’s, an end-of-the-year celebration during which Drama Club members who have been attending meetings since September receive awards. Attendees were encouraged to come dressed in their most formal attire for a fun afternoon of awards, amazing performances, and a send off to graduating Grade 12’s. There was also a red carpet event before the show for students to show off their stylish outfits!
Drama Club has certainly risen to the challenge of running virtually this year, and executives have big plans for next year as well, with the hopes that in-person meetings will be permitted. From using the new studio theatre to participating in the NTS festival, there is lots more for members to look forward to.
"We're really proud of all the work our exec have put in to drama club, and all of our many events this year!" says Annika Venkatesh, the Drama Club President for the upcoming 2021/2022 school year. "It's been amazing getting new people involved in drama this year, and we've got a wonderful Drama Council for next year. A lot of schools were forced to shut down their drama events, and it's been due to the work put in by the exec and Mr Lalonde, as well as all of the energy and commitment shown by our drama club members, that we got to run drama club and our events at all."
If you’re interested in drama, or are just looking for a way to meet other passionate students and have some fun, you should definitely get involved with Drama Club next year.
Art Club:
Art Club is an open-to-all club for anyone who is interested in being creative and making something awesome with their peers. At Art Club, the workshops and activities are not just for very artistic students, but for those that just want to spend some time creating something. Mariam Tazkarji, president of The Woodlands Art Club, says that “Art Club represents any student that is interested in making something new and trying new things.” If you are a Woodlands student, feel free to come out to any of the many workshops and events that Art Club runs to see what it is all about and have some fun creating!
Sketches from this year's "Draw with Me" session, a popular event hosted by the Art Club.
This year, Art Club has hosted many events. However, one of their most consistent and attended events is called “Draw With Me”. “Draw With Me” is a virtual meet where members can join one or two Art Club executives while they create a character. It creates a space for students to draw with their classmates despite the virtual constraints. “It motivates someone to do more, create something or draw things that they haven't drawn before,” Mariam explains. Even though Art Club is currently being run through platforms such as Discord and Google Meet, there is still so much passion and enthusiasm for art coming through in the members. Meggie Yang, the Art Club program coordinator, explains that her favorite part of being an Art Club executive this year has been guiding students with their art. “It's really empowering because I'm finally being able to take a leadership position with art and share all the things that I've learned.”
Mariam explains she loves being part of the vibrant Art Club community. “It's just really nice to have fun with people who are from different grades and with different interests, but to all come together and help each other out and learn with each other. It's really fun for me.”
In the future, Art Club is hoping to lead many fun events that were not able to happen in a virtual format. While there are some ways to present student artwork virtually, Art Club is looking forward to displaying their creations in the hallways, classrooms, and TV in the school’s front foyer. Other future event ideas include in-person crafting and painting events, sales of different products such as homemade greeting cards, or even the possibility of a collaborative canvas creation. Another idea the executives have is the potential for Art Club members to interact and help out in the Grade 9 art classrooms and support the students in discovering new things. Mariam sees the future of Art Club as “a place where students can gather physically and support and mentor each other in their art endeavors.”
Overall, Art Club is a very inclusive place for absolutely anyone to find a community, regardless of their artistic talent. With fun and motivating virtual workshops to a possible future of trying new art mediums and creating with new friends, Art Club is a great place to meet new people and unleash your creativity. Meggie expresses that to be in Art Club, “you don't have to be great at art or want to be an artist in the future. If you're curious or you have a spark to do something, just come to Art Club to try it out.”.
Robotics
Team 4308 (also known among students as Absolute Robotics) is The Woodlands’ very own FIRST Robotics Canada team. Each year, Team 4308 works together to design, build, and program a robot to compete in FIRST robotics competitions. The team is composed of both engineering and administration sub-teams, offering members the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills and explore their interests. Robotics is a fun, inclusive, and hands-on environment where anyone in Grade 9-12 is welcome!
This year looked completely different for Team 4308. It was a challenge for the team to adapt to the new virtual environment, as robotics typically involves a lot of hands-on activities, but the team rose to the task. Although the team couldn’t run in-person lessons or activities this year, sub-team leads brought similar learning opportunities to members at home during the off-season by running virtual lessons focused on aspects of robotics that don’t require access to physical tools and materials. These lessons were intended to prepare the team for an eventual in-person return, and act as a substitute for the year of experience members have lost. During the competitive season, Team 4308 competed in FIRST’s Innovation Challenge and Game Design Challenge. These online challenges were far from the team’s usual goal of designing, building, and programming a 120Ib robot, but they provided members with an opportunity to go through the design process and develop some high quality final products. The team submitted a motion tracking fitness game for the Innovation Challenge, which was highly successful in competition, making Team 4308 a Semi-Finalist in that category!
For Nikhil, one of the Robotics team captains, competition was a definite highlight of the year, despite the limitations of online challenges. “My favorite part of the year was during our competition season, from January to April,” Nikhil shares. “After some initial planning, the team became really busy getting work done. This year, our work was completed in smaller task groups instead of the classic sub-teams that we usually have, and the energy and chaos of having all these groups working together towards a common goal really took me back to previous in-person build seasons.”
As challenging as the virtual environment has been, there have been some other positives for the team this year as well. “One of the best things that happened this year was our introduction of a task allocation system, so that anyone on the team who wanted work could find it,” says Nikhil. “This really helped more people get involved, and even though we only introduced it this year to better organize our virtual activities, I think the system will have an impact on how the team operates in the future.” In addition to the new organization system, Robotics members have also had access to some unique learning opportunities. In the fall, the team had a speaker event with Jack Ye, a Robotics Engineer and Woodlands alumnus, which was an enriching experience made possible by online meetings.
Fortunately, it looks like future robotics members may be able to anticipate a return to normal next year! While plans for next year are still uncertain, Nikhil is cautiously optimistic that robotics will be able to run in a somewhat normal fashion by next winter, provided that FIRST and PDSB guidelines allow. If clubs are allowed to run in-person activities in the fall, robotics will likely run hands-on lessons, as well as (potentially) a mock build season. The hope is that members will be able to participate in a normal build season next winter, which would involve a couple of months of prototyping, designing, building, wiring, programming, testing, and practicing with a new 120 Ib robot. This would be followed by official FRC events – competitions where multiple robots compete on the field to complete tasks and win matches. “With a lot more hands-on activities, things will definitely look quite different next year,” says Nikhil. “I’d encourage anyone who’s at all interested to give in-person robotics a shot once we’re back – virtual is great, but it’s no match for the real thing!”
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