Every year as new students filter into RBHS, not only does the population of students increase, but also the amount of clubs. They range from academic, to athletic, clubs at RBHS are as diverse as its student body.

“I feel like they give people a way to make new friends,” senior Grace Gabel said. “And [they help you] meet people who have the same interest as you.”

Gabel is a member of National Honors Society, Young Democrats and French Honors Society  and a founder of her own club — longboarding club. Gabel is only one of the many students at RBHS who took the initiative to start their own club. Catering to roughly 15 people, their main focus includes longboarding, discussion of the activity, and philanthropy by beginning to pick up trash around Columbia.

Junior Bridgette Crawford started Circus Club. This year she founded it to give students a place where students can experiment with elements of circus entertainment like juggling and unicycling.

 “Clubs are definitely a very important aspect of Rock Bridge,” Crawford said. “They kind of let us share our interests with our peers, and kind of branch out to students who might not be very involved at Rock Bridge but are still interested in the things available to them.”

And as students graduate and clubs fade out, there lies new clubs waiting to take their place. Both Circus club and Longboarding club are  new to RBHS this year. They fill; the void of clubs such as Nerds Anonymous and Ultimate Frisbee, that left last year as both the school and student body progress. Activities Director David Bones said approximately four to come and go every year.

“It provides student[s] with leadership opportunities. … [It] helps them to develop those skills that they might need later on down the road,” Bones said. “A lot of the clubs at Rock Bridge do a great deal of community service, Rock Bridge Reaches Out, Student Council, Tri Theta, all of which are large clubs with many students involved that are doing good for the community.”

 By George Sarafianos