Tightly Knit

By Reilly Scobey Assignment Editor

Every Monday afternoon cheerful sounds can be heard from room 246. From 2:30-4:30 young artist’s gather to create and socialize with fellow artists. Among them is senior Olivia McCary. McCary is an avid meeting attender and tries to get there as quickly as possible as to not to miss out on the delicious goodies Mrs. Michelle McCune, sponsor of National Art Honor Society (NAHS) has set out.

Walking into the room, McCary sees her group of friends she usually sits with and begins to make her way over to them. On her way, she picks up some snacks for her table and pulls out her sketchbook ready to create. During the meetings, McCary enjoys open studio time, preps for the Fine Arts Festival, and laughs and jokes with her friends. For McCary, NAHS has given her an opportunity to form connections with people she would have never thought she would have.

“Being in [a] club allows you to get to know people you never [would] have thought had similar interests to you,” McCary said. “[Overall], It’s just a great way to connect with the community around you”.

McCary isn’t the only one passionate about the arts, senior Abigail Money found her calling through our school’s theatre troupe, The Spotlight Players. Money has always been passionate about theatre, even a part of it in middle school, but nothing could have prepared her for the joy of being able to pick up something she once loved.

“Being a part of theatre makes me really happy,” Money said. “It gives me something to look forward to and gives me a purpose. Once I got back into it, it was like I never left.”

While pursuing her passion was Money’s main reason for joining theatre, along the way she has formed some deep relationships with everyone in the cast and crew.

“[Theatre] has been such an amazing part of my life,” Money said. “I don’t regret it and I want to continue it. The relationships I have formed are honestly some of the best I’ve ever formed, some of the best people I have ever met are in theatre and I don’t think I ever felt that in the sports community.”

Money isn’t the only one who has felt the immense feeling of joy being surrounded by your community brings, McCary too enjoys starting her school week surrounded by her friends and passion.

“[NAHS] is time I can take [for myself] every Monday to just sit down and focus on my drawings and talk with my friends [who] are interested in art,” McCary said. “It’s a really cool experience to be surrounded by people who [care] about the same things you do.”

While many clubs offer students the opportunity to explore their artistic passions, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) allows students who are passionate about healthcare an opportunity to bond with those who too want to pursue a career in healthcare. Being a part of HOSA has been a tremendously helped junior Avery Kolkmeier decide her career path after highschool and make connections with her peers she never would have thought were possible.

“[HOSA] gives me lots of opportunities to [experience] different career paths and understand different ways people can come together as a community to support others, not just in a ‘medical way’,” Kolkmeir said. “Being able to make connections which can help me find support when deciding what I want to do has been really impactful.”

Being a part of a club means spending a lot of time with others, but when the people you are spending time with also share your passion, you tend to form a very tight-knit bond. This reigns true for Money who would go as far to call theatre her family.

“[With] the amount of time you spend with people on set, It’s truly magical to [be able to] build that relationship and still look forward to it,” Money said. “It makes [production] easier when everybody is working together, gets along and looks out for each other.”