Academic Barriers

Clubs strive to bridge gap between communities, build appreciation for diversity

Paige Miller ‘24 News Editor

Fostering a variety of unique academic clubs, Staples allows students to connect with communities outside of their usual reach. Participation in these clubs can hone communication skills, promote creative thinking and diversify relationships between peers.

American Sign Language

Started last year by co-presidents Tessa Cassell ’24 and Talia Moskowitz ’24, the American Sign Language (ASL) club is designed to teach basic ASL through video and picture lessons. In addition to educating students on basic signing skills, the club spreads awareness and knowledge of the deaf community. Casell and Moskowitz are eager to share the significant impact of learning ASL with their peers.

“Everyone should have some understanding of sign language skills,” Cassell said. “The ASL club not only teaches sign language but encourages partnership and communication skills through its inclusive and fun environment.”

Educate the Elementary

Educate the Elementary is a club promoting positive diversity teachings for elementary school students. Every month, members will choose books to read and record based on that national month’s topic, such as Women’s History Month, Pride month and more. Then the recordings are sent via flipgrid to Westport elementary schools. President Anya Nair ’24 started the club in 2020, as she felt diverse education for younger ages had been lacking in past years.

“Educate the Elementary is a great way to make an impact in our community as well as make an impact for K-fifth graders,” Nair said. “It gives the younger generation a more accurate world view.”

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code (GWC) creates a community for females and non binary people to learn and engage with coding and computer science. The club utilizes various programming languages to code specialized projects, participate in coding-related volunteer opportunities and compete in coding competitions such as FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), Hackathon and more. Co-presidents Sharmila Green and Rhea Choudhury share a passion for fostering an inclusive community for others who share an interest in coding and computer science programs.

“We try to cultivate a supportive community to get more girls involved,” Green said. “Anyone can join—experience or knowledge doesn’t matter, as long as you want to learn to code and help diversify the tech industry.”

Scan this code for an informational video about GWC: