What is the Chemistry Club at Jerome All About?
By Mustafa Jafri
November 2021
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The goal of the Chemistry Club is to provide opportunities for engaging in chemistry outside of class. Students receive the opportunity to participate in activities such as experiments and labs. The club started in 2019, but they took a break last year due to COVID-19. Even though it is a chemistry club, students don’t need any kind of prerequisite; if a student is interested in chemistry, he/she can join. In a school-offered class, the focus is on the technicality of chemistry but the club aims to combine the fundamental aspects with the hands-on, experimental aspect.
“We get to blow things up and set things on fire! There aren’t many clubs that do that,” stated Ms. Pochodylo, the advisor of the club, when asked about what sets the Chemistry Club apart from others. Among the privileges of the club is participating in experiments. Some may question the safety of the club, but Pochodylo assures that students are in safe hands at club meetings.
“We blew the lids off of film canisters at the last meeting, and you never know what explosive fun we might decide to have. That being said, safety is my number one priority as advisor, so we will always do demonstrations and experiments that are safe, and will follow all safety guidelines.”
Students experiment at the chemistry club. Credit: Ananya Kamalakannan
Chemistry Club meets once a month, typically on Tuesdays at 3 pm, led by Ms. Pochodylo. The club officers are Jeevan Nadella, Bhawya Gupta, Meghana Sugumar and Ashika Batchu. There are approximately 25 members, who come from all different grade levels and chemistry backgrounds.
Competitions are a great opportunity to build exposure and credibility in different fields. If chemistry is something that interests a student as a career opportunity, taking Chemistry Club would be a great way to strengthen a college application. Every spring, students compete in a competition called the Chemistry Olympiad, the official dates this year have yet to be determined. The Olympiad is held by the American Chemical Society and it is a national competition which is first administered locally. The test goes over a wide range of topics, including lab skills. Considering the fact that experiments and labs are done in Chemistry Club, attending meetings would be a great way to prepare.
Furthermore, Pochodylo, who was a chemistry major in college, explains how Chemistry Club can help prepare students for chemistry situations in a post-secondary setting. “As a chemistry major in college, I spent a lot of time doing chemistry demos for other undergraduates and members of the community, so this is a great club to prepare for that, and to build your chemistry demonstration knowledge.” Pochodylo also mentioned that one of the goals of the club is to reach out to members of the Jerome community and show them what chemistry is all about. “We are hoping to do some chemistry outreach demos to show non-club members, at Jerome or in the community, how great chemistry is.” she added when asked about the ways the club can help students in the future. Receiving the necessary experience from Chemistry Club can go a long way in getting more people involved in the community. Potentially, people who were not previously interested in chemistry may discover a passion for it, thanks to the efforts of reaching out in the community.
Some of the Chemistry Club's activities look like this. Credit: Ananya Kamalakannan
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