Come One, come all, to the club corner

by Leighton Serrano, Reporter

School News

Having a hard-time adjusting to the new school year, or struggling to find your own place of belonging at Kamiak? Questioning how to put your ASB card to use all while experiencing something new and exciting? Want to show off some knight spirit? Have free time afterschool, or want to make new friends while connecting over hobbies? 

No problem! 

Kamiak has over 65 clubs that meet Monday through Friday: from weekly or monthly meetings, from robotics to drama. There’s something here for everyone. Featured below are five of the clubs debuting this 2024-2025 school year.

Starting off strong, Care Craft’s Club is run by sophomore Katie Chandrabalan (‘27) and advised by Josh Wisnubroto. They meet in room 372 every first and fourth Tuesday of the month. Chandrabalan’s club will be donating hand-made crafts (crochet, making bracelets, decorating cards, etc.)  to put a smile on patients' faces. This club is great for students who like to keep their hands busy while discussing medical-related topics. When asked if there was anything Chandrabalan wanted to disclose, she responded, “You do NOT have to be crafty to join my club!” Chandrabalan’s main goal is to make an even more positive change in our already wonderful Mukilteo. She is also very thankful to Wisnubroto for being onboard with the club and holding the fort down, especially since he’s a first-year teacher. When pressed with the question of the commitments, Chandrabalan quoted that it’s a very “low key club” with no commitments. She also said, “Let’s say you and your friend were hanging out and had free time, come. It would be super fun!”

 Ever wanted to see what it would be like to be a business owner? The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), run by juniors Jaron Harkness (‘26) and Dylan Kim (‘26), meet every first and third Wednesday of the month. FBLA is guided by Jessica Gardner in room 351. FBLA’s whole passion is “to establish businesses for club members and to learn how to run a business and learn different paths of entrepreneurship in high school […]”. Knights, want to participate in competitions? Do state and nation-wide conferences light a spark? FBLA holds multiple opportunities to meet other FBLA members at other high schools (conferences), with competitions including topics of your choosing, web design, public speaking, etc. To participate and compete in the competitions, students need to either take a written test, present an oral project, or act out a scene, depending on the subject. However, this is only needed for the competitions, not the whole club. FBLA also provides lots of tips in both business and entrepreneurship fields, along with “getting a jump-start on college,” according to Harkness. Those interested in science, technology, engineering, art, math (STEAM) and medicine are invited and encouraged to check out FBLA as well.

Slime is supposed to mimic a stress-ball and help with tense muscles. On the first and last Thursday of the month, in room 242, Slime Club is providing all Kamiak students with the opportunity to get hands sticky and hearts full. Come and connect with new people and leave with students’ social and mental batteries recharged! Have fun and relax at the next meeting, Knights! 

Another new club at Kamiak is the Ocean Club. Kamiak is close to our beautiful Mukilteo Beach, where the stunning Salish Sea lives. They meet every other Thursday in room E125. If the mood strikes, peek in for a ‘wave’! 

Making a resurrection is the Kamiak Technology Student Association (TSA) that meets every Monday in room 142. Are STEM, robotics, and all different types of competitions interesting to you? If so, give this club a look. 

Curious how all these trailblazers even went about starting their own club or got inspired? Never fear, Chandrabalan and Harkness have some advice. Chandrabalan started to “go for it. Be willing to put in the work and jump all in. It takes a lot of time because administrators are busy and they don’t always have time to answer your questions or sign your form [...]. It will not always be perfect [...] but it’s always worth it to express yourself through a club.” Last but not least, Harkness spoke about finding what motivates or lights a spark in her and working hard for it. 

“Clubs are one of the things that make school more appealing and break the regular 7:20 am  to 2:00 pm routine,” Val Dockter (‘28), a current freshman who loves clubs, said. While students may not have full control on the classes they take, they can control what they spend their leisure time on, and do what they can to captivate and stimulate their passions.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.