Entrepreneurship at Ridge is robust this year. Inspired, determined students have bolstered Ridge High School’s array of club offerings in the 2014-2015 school year, expanding the ways students can tap into their creativity, explore their interests, and showcase their talents. It is time to delve into some of the highlights of this year’s lineup, with details on the newly created International Dance Club, Nursing Club, Growth, Independence, Friends Together (G.I.F.T.), and Ridge Modern A Cappella Club.
Cultural expression was always the motivation behind the International Dance Club; club creator Asha Krishnan ’17’s original vision of a Bollywood-centric dance group evolved its multinational component after she found out the Bollywood idea had already been claimed. This turned out to be a happy mistake for the new club; Krishnan embraced even further the diversity of Ridge dancers, and opened the floor up to choreographers from any style of international dance.
Krishnan expresses her excitement at the club’s immediate popularity: “A lot of people were really eager and that totally blew my mind! I am beyond excited to kick off the club with so much support.”
Open to newbies and gifted dancers alike, the International Dance Club will surely spice things up in the Ridge dance world, with its chosen styles taught and choreographed by experienced club members themselves. French teacher Mme. Gozlan, who has international roots herself, advises the group. The end goal for the dancers is to take part in a dance showcase, displaying their newfound skills and bringing the excitement of cultural exposure to Ridge.
Krishnan says of the endeavor, “That’ll certainly be an adventure but with my great team of choreographers, I think we are ready for the task.”
Sharing the International Dance Club’s exploratory nature, the newly-founded Nursing Club seeks to provide an engaging and educational atmosphere for anyone open to the profession of nursing. For anyone confused on what nursing actually entails, it is the practice of caring for and supporting individuals’ health.
Evelyn Bigini ’16, the mind behind the club, emphasizes the multifaceted nature of nursing; a degree can take nurses anywhere, including outside of the hospital. For this reason, she says the meetings will focus not only on firsthand presentations and discussions led by nurses, but on the various types of careers nurses can pursue.
“There really is something for everyone,” says Bigini. While other career-specific clubs exist, such as the Future Doctors of America and Future Business Leaders of America, the Nursing Club is unique in that it looks directly to Ridge’s own faculty as mentors: the school nurses advise the club. Their guidance is a useful resource that lends credibility to the club. The Nursing Club is for anyone who knows that they want to go into nursing as a career, or for those who seek to explore career options and find their niche.
Next is the Growth, Independence, Friends Together (G.I.F.T.) club, dedicated to socialization with special needs students. Emma Altonji ’16 was asked to lead the club by Ms. Schlosser, an educator in the special needs program at Ridge. G.I.F.T.’s goal is outlined in its title: special needs students will enjoy themselves while developing social independence and maturity, and all students regardless of special needs status will form bonds and have fun in a supportive environment. Club members will pair off with special needs students and they will engage in activities together. The club, which was technically founded last year in order to organize the club and elect officers, will begin to carry out official activities this year.
Altonji explains that tentative plans include “going to the Great Swamp, bowling, and hopefully at the end of the year [having] a really big, fun canoeing day trip. We’re hoping to just get the kids involved and that it will be an awesome year.” At the end of the day, everyone will leave the club having formed meaningful bonds and friendships.
To get a sense of the freshly founded Modern A Cappella Club, think of a Pitch Perfect-style singing group, with students humming and harmonizing, bopping and beat-boxing without instruments as they perform their rendition of a popular song together.
Savitha Krishnan ’16 explains that her primary aim in creating the Modern A Cappella Club was for its members “to have fun arranging and singing A Cappella renditions of radio hits and other popular music.” Different from the A Cappella Choir, which performs traditional choral numbers, the Modern A Cappella group will perform current music in the style seen in popular college A Cappella groups. Students in this group will even get to try their hands at arranging their own music, which means extracting from, as well as adding to, different voice parts in a song and combining them to create an interesting whole.
English teacher Ms. Presuto will advise the club, using her own musical background to help guide the singers. Owen McKenna ’17 voices his excitement for the opportunity “to combine modern songs with the blending, harmonious style that a choir can offer.” A unique aspect of the group is that anyone can join in this musical experience— boys, girls, untrained singers, trained singers…
Krishnan says the only requirement is “a voice and a passion for music!” There may be a show at the end of the year where they will perform their repertoire. This is the place where music-lovers can convene to create and perform their own music.
Whether or not one of these new clubs piqued your interest, you can surely find a home in any of Ridge’s numerous clubs. If you can’t find a club that suits your passions, consider taking a page from these club starters’ books and creating one yourself. Most of the club founders I interviewed expressed an initial apprehension that their club would not generate interest, but found themselves greeted with great support from their fellow Ridge students. People are interested in pursuing their interests as extracurricular activities, and this school year looks bright thanks to all the clubs, old and new, utilizing Ridge’s plentiful talent and enthusiasm.