Pride at MHS: A Spotlight on GSA

Get to know the school's Gay-Straight Alliance club!

Jackson Kilburn, '23

For some, athletics really aren’t their thing. Whether it be football, soccer, baseball, or maybe cheer & pom, the fitness scene just isn’t where they find themselves. So how about a club? Maybe you can do something like robotics, or partake in a language club, but some just wanna have fun and not worry about intelligence. They just want a club where they’re seen, heard and validated for who they are. Well, if that sounds like you, then maybe you’ll want to stop into GSA.

GSA, which stands for Gay-Straight Alliance, is a club that is held every other Wednesday in Ms. Cromer’s room (22-013) during Muskie time. This club’s focus is making everyone feel welcome, whether you find yourself on the LGBTQ+ spectrum or you just consider yourself an ally, this club is the right place for you.

Ms. Cromer talking with the GSA student leadership.

The club’s sponsor, Ms. Cromer, agrees “I would say that most of the work that we do at this point is having a place where kids feel comfortable, care-free, safe, and have the ability to socialize with people who share experiences with them. I grew up and went to school here in a time where the environment was not as welcoming so I find it important and want to be able to provide a safe environment for those who need it.”

This club is important to many of the students who attend every meeting, but this can be especially said for those who have been around for a few years and are now in a leadership position for the club. President, Jack Furman, has this to say.

“This club has been a safe space for me since my freshman year, and now that I’m the president I’m wanting to work with Cromer to continue to create that for students,” he said.

When asked about what the typical atmosphere is like during the meetings, one of the elected vice presidents, Isabella Loeffler, had this to say:

“While it can be chaotic sometimes, with everyone talking to each other and socializing, it’s actually pretty productive. We start off with talking about some of the important issues that are going on within the school and any other important updates, and then we move to social time so that everyone can talk. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.

From left to right: Atlas Cron, Jack Furnam, Jackson Kilburn, Isabella Loeffler

But it’s not always just semi-serious meetings during school hours, every month the club hosts an after-school hangout where students can go to Cromer’s room and have two hours to socialize and have fun. When talking to one of the club event planners, Atlas Cron, they had this to say about this month’s event.

“Our plan for this month is hosting a Halloween party, we’re gonna have snacks and drinks, and we’re encouraging everyone to bring their costumes to school so that after school they can change and we can do some kind of costume contest,” they said.

When asked about a way that we’d be able to potentially support the group further in the future, they had this to say:

Cromer discussing with students as they work on a new project

“We’d really like to do a fundraiser of some kind here in the future, ideally it’d be a bake sale but that’s probably a bit too far out of reach so we’re likely gonna settle on something like button pins or stickers”

GSA is a very interesting club, with warm and welcoming individuals. As a member of the group myself, I’d like to leave this off with a message from the sponsor, Ms. Cromer.

“The most important thing to know about this club is that it’s for everyone, and even if you’re not on the LGBT spectrum and you’re just an ally there’s still a place here for you, we all want to make the world a better place and that can start small, with a club like us.”

From left to right (top row): Brooklynn Muse, Atlas Cron, Jack Furman, Jackson Kilburn, Zoie KliendolphFrom left to right (bottom row): JJ Franklin, Alex Hesford, Isabella Loeffler