SMHS Clubs

Hopping, Diving, Ducking = Funfun~

2010-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Balls fly left and right. People scramble to avoid them, hopping, diving, jumping, ducking, evading balls through any means. Welcome to the Dodgeball Club, which takes place every Thursday at lunch in the Small Gym.

The club was started five years ago by Max Lebo and the current presidents are Colin Schwartz and Peter Lebo. There are no formal competitions for the club. The objective is simple: to have a place to play and enjoy dodgeball.

The club currently has about fifty to a hundred people participating in the games. The members are split into two teams and approximately ten balls are used. With people being eliminated left and right, games can last anywhere from a few minutes to the whole lunch period.

Cheating has become a problem in the club. People who are eliminated do not leave the court as they are supposed to. Also, some people are confrontational about calls. President Peter Lebo commented, “If you’re willing to play by the rules, come check it out.”

The club is not currently welcoming new members because of the overwhelming number of people already participating, but people interested can still come, check it out and consider joining at a later time. In the end, all that really matters is enjoying yourself. After all, as Peter said, “Dodgeball is just a great sport.”

Cum Hia, Su Pah Club!

2010-01-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

Want to learn Mandarin or Cantonese? Enjoy celebrating Chinese holidays? Fascinated by Chinese culture? If so, then come to the Chinese club to do all that and more.

Led by Presidents Shirley Jiang and Selina Shen, the club meets on Wednesdays in room A205.

Club activities vary between lessons for Mandarin and Cantonese, watching movies demonstrating Chinese culture, and celebrating Chinese festivals. Some movies that the members have watched include Kung Fu Panda and Mulan. Food was brought in to celebrate the Moon Festival and plans are being made for Chinese New Year.

"It's a club for people to hang out and experience Chinese culture while doing so," commented Selina. Shirley added, "It's open to anyone, not just for Chinese."

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

2009-12-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

Club members work on a prompt given by club president Vicky Stein.

Members discuss what they have written for the prompt.

More discussions! :D

'Undemonizing' Writing

2009-12-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

The term “writing” often brings to mind the terrors of English class. However, the Writer’s Block, a creative writing club, is anything but terrifying.

Writer’s Block is a fairly new club and is led by founder and president Vicky Stein, a senior. She explained, “I wanted creative outlets to write stuff for fun.”

The club usually starts with free writes with a random prompt, which are later discussed. Books that members read recently are also discussed. Sometimes, there are other projects. For example, in Haiku Project, members took turns writing an alternation of haikus and couplets of seven syllables, creating a story-poem in the end.

Anyone interested in writing is welcome to the club meets on Thursdays in room A222. Even if you aren’t an avid writer, as long as you want to have fun, you're welcome. Most members are “less hardcore writers” and the club is a “goofy fun place” commented Vicky.

To see the work of Writer’s Block’s members, visit www.wordsworthreading.blogspot.com.

Destined Path of the Math Team

2009-11-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Bearcats!

The Math Team schedule for the 2009-2010 school year is now up!

Just click here: Math Team Schedule 2009-2010

And... The Debates Are On!

2009-11-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

The Medical Club, deep in the midst of a discussion, look surprised at having their picture taken.

The debaters line up for a group photo.

Health Debates Are So In

2009-11-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

No matter what century, health always has been and always will be a pertinent issue in human societies. The Medical Club, found in room 221 on Tuesdays at lunch, was created to discuss this subject.

The ultimate goal of the Medical Club is to organize a school-wide fundraiser called Pennies for Patients, which raises money for different medical causes. For example, last year, approximately $1000 was raised to help buy a cancer screening machine.

In the fundraiser last year, different tutorials competed against each other for the most pennies. Non-penny money was counted against the tutorial score. The winning tutorial earned an ice cream party. This school year, something similar will be organized in the spring semester.

The cause for the 2010 Pennies for Patients fundraiser has not yet been determined.

In the meantime, the Medical Club is “for students to have a forum to talk about various medical topics,” explained club president Shirley Jiang.

Any students (or even staff!) interested in discussing current health and medical matters and/or helping to organize Pennies for Patients are welcome to room 221 on Tuesdays at lunch!

The Student-Run Volunteer Center in Action!

2009-11-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

The members of the Student-Run Volunteer Center settle themselves in Ms. Micheletti's room on Tuesday, November 17th.

President Lesley Mok addresses the other members of the club.

New opportunities to volunteer are announced and organized. Current club and volunteer activities are discussed.

Reaching Out To Save Birthdays

2009-11-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

“A world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays.” That is the motto of the American Cancer Society (ACS). An extension of the Society exists on the San Mateo High campus in the form of the American Cancer Society Club, led by Presidents Lila Cantor and Megan Villanueva, both seniors.

Just as its mother foundation does, the club promotes increased cancer awareness and provides volunteer opportunities.

In October, the members volunteered at and participated in the Making Strides For Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco.

“Seeing my grandfather die of cancer really shook me. That’s why I want to help spread the information about cancer and increase awareness of it,” commented junior Angela Dai, a member of the ACS Club.

New members are always welcome to the meetings on Thursdays every week in room B205.

Math Team AMC Practice Pictures

2009-11-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

Every Monday after school, some members of the Math Team attend AMC practices led by junior, Arun Asundi.

We Are #-e^πi!

2009-11-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a world where math enthusiasts dwell. Here, all revel in the excitement of solving a math problem and of testing themselves against others.

Led by Captains Tiffany Ho, a junior, and Anthony Zhu, a senior, the Math Team competes in various competitions throughout the year in both team and individual competitions, which take place either during tutorial or after school All held in Ms. Cintas's room, A162.

The two major leagues that the Team competes in are the California League and the Calculus League. In both cases, people compete individually and then the top six scores are compiled to make a team score. When asked about her expectations for this year, teacher adviser Ms. Cintas commented "We're off to a really good start with a perfect score, 36/36, on our first California League competition, so I'm hoping for a great year!"

In addition to those two leagues, the Team also participates in the Team Scramble, the Ciphering Trials, the 4 x 4 Competitions, and the American Mathematics Contest 10/12 (AMC).

This year, special emphasis is being placed on the AMC 10/12, which is the first round of a national high school math competition used to determine the six members of the United States Math Team that will compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad. Just passing the AMC is an impressive feat. With this in mind, practices are held every Monday after school in room A162 to prepare for this competition. Led by Math Team member Arun Asundi, a junior, the practices cover types of problems found on the AMC as well as strategies for taking the competition. Captain Tiffany Ho explained, "Last year, 3 people qualified for the AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination), the next level of competition after the AMC. With our new addition of afterschool practices, we're hoping to at least double that to have 6 people qualify for the AIME this year."

Anyone interested is welcome to join the Math Team at any time simply by asking one of the members or Ms. Cintas to help you sign up. No matter what math level you are in, as long as you enjoy math, you will be enthusiastically welcomed to the Math Team.

The Club That Just Keeps On Giving

2009-10-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

On November 1st, the Student-Run Volunteer Center will provide the opportunity to join one of the San Francisco Food Bank's weekly volunteer events to sort and package food. This is an opportunity for any student to give back to the community through volunteer work. 7 to 10 spots have been reserved for any interested students, but if more sign up, their participation is greatly welcomed.

Although, one might ask, what is the Student-Run Volunteer Center?

It is a club started last year by Lesley Mok, a sophomore and one of the current Presidents, along with her friends. Lesley has stated that the club is "kind of a work in progress" and they are always looking for new ideas. Just last year, the club was involved in several projects, including Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse. This involved packing shoeboxes full of gifts for children around the world who weren't as lucky to receive presents for the winter holidays.

The club meets every other week on Wednesday in Ms. Micheletti's room. They try to organize volunteer events twice a month. Among the long term projects they are considering is the Water Project, in which money is raised to build wells in third world contries.

Part of the experience of the club is being able to go out as a group and help people. "Unlike Interact, it's more centered around projects in the Bay Area," explained President Lesley Mok. "I want to make people more aware of community service." In addition, she feels that the club will help "make people more worldly and compassionate when they enter college."

Anyone interested in giving back to the community is encouraged to come to the meeting on Wednesday, October 16th, in Ms. Micheletti's room, A142.

Muggles Beware!

2009-10-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Every Monday at lunch come knocking on the door of Room B202 of Professor Nels Johnson; wander into a world where Muggles freely mingle with wizards and witches. Welcome to The-Club-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, led by Ministers of Magic Kelsey Gschwend and Elisabeth Housman, both seniors.

One can come to discuss deep soul-delving questions such as "Did Dumbledore really die?" There will even be Quidditch games modified for Muggles organized by Alyssa Royce, a Muggle member of the club. The brooms and balls from the original magical game will be featured, along with an occasional suprise Dementor.

"You don't have to be a huge Harry Potter Fan," says Kelsey Gschwend. "Just show up and see what happens." Elisabeth Housman added, "What people want to do, we do."

Green Team Update!

2009-10-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Quick update from the environmental friendy Green Team!

Recycle pickups are every Monday during tutorial for every classroom. Bottles and cans are sorted every Wednesday. Help out the Green Team in it's work to a greener future! Recycle, recycle, recycle~!

List of All Clubs

2009-09-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hey~

So, first update: a list of all the clubs in SMHS, their President(s), advisor, meeting room, and meeting time.
San Mateo High School Club List 08-09 as of 9/29/09

Thanks,
Monochromatic

Welcome to the Home of Orange and Black Clubs

2009-09-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hail fair visitors, o viewers of our humble blog!

Welcome to our blog. We will be chronicling the histories and foreseen futures of the clubs of San Mateo High, home of the proud Bearcats. What joy will the future bring? What farces still lay unforeseen?

~~That was just for fun.~~ So, we hope you enjoy our chronicles. Comment away! Don't hold back! Flames are unnecessary and will be ignored. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Sincerely,
Monochrome13
Sean Maeda
Axelangie