For students, extracurriculars are both a means of blowing off steam after school and a resume booster. DHS offers a plethora of different clubs fit to the needs of each student no matter their passion. Through last year and the beginning of this school year, three new clubs have been created that are going through the process of recruiting more members. On Thursday, September 17, at the Club Expo, DHS students will be able to learn about each new club and decide whether or not they wish to join.

The Robotics Team, which was created by seniors Alex Nichols and Austin Mello last year under the supervision of Science Teacher Samuel Brodsky, has sought to bulk up its membership and exemplify the talents of DHS. Alex Nichols said, “Dartmouth High had the most diverse team at the competition.”

Where a technical brain may be an added bonus, programming is not a requirement to join. Students of all mindsets can find a place on the team. “You can fundraise, help design, there’s a lot you can do,” said Nichols.

In the beginning of the school year, each team is given a goal by the First Tech Challenge, an organization promoting science and technology to kids. Each team is then expected to compete by January in a regional competition. Since the team had been introduced earlier last year, the required probationary period to certify it as a DHS club has been met. As a result, the Robotics Team will make a first official appearance at the Club Expo.

A space of creativity and independence was founded at the end of school last year by sophomores Palmer Biddle and Quentin Giesta in the form of the Poetry Club. English teacher Marek Kulig has taken the role of adviser during meetings. However, just because he will be overseeing the club, doesn’t mean that he conducts orders through each meeting. “I don’t want to impose on you guys doing the groundwork,” said Mr. Kulig.

As this is the first year that the club is being presented, it is still under a probationary period of routine meetings every Thursday while trying to grow its members.

Both literary and new-age forms of poetry are created and admired. Any student can become involved. As Mr. Kulig said, “If you like the lyrics of a song, then the club would be good for you.”

Poetry Club wishes to take the DHS Literary Magazine under its wing, and it may also help out with this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition. As of right now, they may have a booth at the Club Expo.

One new club is on its way to forming a focus on the topic of social justice. Senior (and co-editor-in chief of the Spectrum) Lucy Schwartz has set forth to create DHS’s first ever Gender Politics Forum. Schwartz was inspired by a pre-college course, “Gender, Sexism, and Schooling,” that she took at Barnard College. “I already knew how much DHS students were lacking in knowledge of feminism, and this class inspired me to help spread awareness of a very important issue,” said Schwartz.

Forum members will discuss topics pertaining to gender inequality and how sexism is played throughout our society, and it’s open to students of all genders. History Teachers Jamie O’Neil and Andrew Apperson are the faculty advisers of the club and will help jumpstart the meetings for the upcoming school year. While Schwartz will not be at the Club Expo, the Gender Politics Forum will have its own booth available for any interested students.

In the more physical sense of extracurriculars, Mr. Apperson has set out in creating DHS’s first Ultimate Frisbee team. Mr. Apperson, who played Ultimate Frisbee during and after college and was captain of his college team, wishes to see it practiced at DHS. “I really want it to get started in the fall, though with the planning that’s involved, it might happen in the spring,” said Mr. Apperson.

In contrast to the established DHS sports, Ultimate Frisbee would be seen more as a club in the sense that there will be no tryouts in order to join. If you take an interest in the activity, then you are viewed as a participant. “I want an ‘open to everyone’ atmosphere. Where every kid is included,” said Mr. Apperson.

The club meetings would involve learning about Ultimate Frisbee, such as learning how to throw forehand, cutting, and having an open scrimmage. DHS would be the only school to have an Ultimate Frisbee team in the area, however, so competitions against other schools would be in the future. Just as in any club, Ultimate Frisbee would be under a one-year probationary period to see how successful it is with the student body. As of now, Mr. Apperson sees that there will be a booth for Ultimate Frisbee at the Club Expo.

As the new year begins, it’s a time to get involved in the old and new clubs that DHS offers. There is the ability to connect with others who hold the same values and passions with yourself, and there is the ability to find out what you’re exceptional at. In each club, whether it is Poetry Club, Robotics, Gender Politics, or Ultimate Frisbee, there is a place where each student is accepted and looked at as an equal. The Club Expo is just the start of new memories that have yet to come.