Everybody knows that new clubs are the best places to go for free breakfast. This is common knowledge among those Ridge students who are already in so many clubs that they can’t afford to join another, as well as those who simply excel in free-loading.

One club in particular has offered something so enticing along with its promise of breakfast that an entire box of munchkins (reportedly containing jelly, glazed, chocolate glazed, and powdered munchkins) could not serve the entire room. This past Wednesday, dozens of students walked out of room 701 with growling stomachs — but that’s okay. The fifty-plus students who walked out of room 701 didn’t come for the breakfast. They came for the Computer Science Club (“CompSci,” for short).

When seniors Srinivas Mandyam ‘16 and Karen Shen ‘16 sought to start the club, it was with a desire to cultivate a community for the love of all things computer science-related. Mr. Galesi, who teaches Ridge’s new AP Computer Science course, serves as the club’s advisor. He’s been described by many as “pretty chill.”

The club’s main premise is pretty chill, too. Most weeks, members will benefit from presentations on a computer science topic, such as a programming language or algorithms. The CompSci Club provides an environment in which to learn — and play. Co-founder and Co-President Karen Shen ‘16 expresses excitement over the “fun projects” that await; members will create games, design apps, and more as her club develops.

For those with a more competitive streak, the CompSci Club officers have been looking into participating in a prestigious national competition: the American Computer Science League.

“One of the things that really surprised me,” Mandyam shares, “was that so many of our members weren’t even taking AP Computer Science, which is really encouraging, because being curious about unfamiliar and foreign topics is essential to navigating your way through exotic programs and for discovering new, crazy solutions.”

If the great demand for enrollment in Ridge’s new course or the outpouring of bodies from room 701 isn’t indication enough of the prominent STEM interest within the student body, what is? Computer science is one of the fastest-growing fields in science and in the job market. Maya Gupta ‘17, a club captain, thinks that “the club is a great chance for kids to learn more about computer science and participate in different projects that help enhance their programming knowledge, because computer science is the future.” Students would do well to stop by one Wednesday morning, even if just to check it out. And remember, during the fall season, Dunkin Donuts sells its best seasonal flavors. You know what that means: free pumpkin munchkins for breakfast.