After school clubs are a great way to try something new, expand upon an interest, and make memories in high school.

Especially as a freshman, choosing clubs that cater to your interests can be difficult. Here are some clubs that may appeal to you based on your your goals and interests:

The Arts: Whether your interests lie in music or visual arts, there is a club for you at WA. The Westford Academy Troubadours travel to different locations in and around Westford to perform a variety of string literature, and meet every Friday. On Tuesdays, WA Cappella meets to enrich the experience of vocalists beyond a classroom setting. For those of you interested in the band, join the Jazz band to gain a better understanding of this style of music (its meeting days are TBD).

Other art clubs strive to express creativity through various mediums, and meet on Wednesdays. The 3D printing and anime clubs also have similar goals; they meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays respectively. 

Photography, broadcasting, and, of course, journalism, are three other platforms available at WA. Meeting on Thursdays, the Photography club teaches basic camera skills, and the WABC team is responsible for producing the morning announcements. While most think of the school newspaper club as one that simply writes stories, a substantial portion of the club teaches skills such as photography, interviewing, layout and design, communication, and much more.  The Ghostwriter club meets on Tuesdays.

Language/Culture: Each foreign language has a club dedicated to it at WA. For example, the French club meets on Mondays, Latin club on Wednesdays, German on Thursdays, and Spanish club meets on Thursdays. Not only will you be able to learn some new skills with the languages, but you will also be able to immerse yourself in the culture of those who speak the language.

Joining a culture club is also a way to to further understand cultures around the world. Meeting every Wednesday, International club works to spread diversity and participates in exchange programs.  

Public speaking: Are you a leader and want your voice to be heard? Check out clubs such as the speech and debate team, which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or Model UN on Wednesdays. If you’d like to gain a better understanding of the law and court procedures, check out mock trial. If you’re interested in current events and political issues, join the Junior State of America (JSA). 

Academic Clubs: For those of you who enjoy competitions and want to expand your academic horizons, there are a handful of clubs you should consider giving a shot. DECA is centered around business and management, and meets Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Similarly, entrepreneurship club helps students launch startups through the MIT Launch Program, and meets on Wednesdays. Those of you interested in the healthcare field may want to try out HOSA, which meets on Wednesdays. 

If you’re thinking of going into the STEM field, clubs such as science or math team may be of interest to you; the science team meets on Thursdays and math on Wednesdays. In the robotics club, you’ll be able to design and build robots every Thursday. For an option slightly more laid back, join the programming club on Tuesdays. 

Community Service/Raising Awareness: Service clubs are a meaningful way to gain experience in high school. Beyond Animal Rights is a club that meets on Tuesdays and focuses on understanding animal rights issues.  Similarly, the human rights club raises awareness about human rights issues, and it meets on Tuesdays. SADD and GSA both work to create safe environments for students; SADD focuses on issues regarding destructive behaviors and has Thursday meetings, and GSA addresses the inclusivity issues every Wednesday. 

Strictly Fun: Of course, the high school experience isn’t complete without taking some time to relax and just have fun! Clubs such as dance, yoga, and try out activities such as role-playing in game club, or gaming in smash club.  

Even if you didn’t find a club listed that seemed to interest you, don’t feel discouraged- try experimenting! There are always new opportunities to be explored, and the clubs mentioned here are only a fraction of all the clubs WA hosts. For a complete list of clubs offered, please visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xSqOA5ZkcYZSPhSw9mlRghiBJKh4eYKMCZsOL7ItV90/edit.