Celebration, support, collaboration, comradery. These are the words to describe each club at Masters (CAM); whether old or new, big or small. While seemingly insignificant to many, the discussions, the drills, and of course the jam sessions provided by CAM play critical roles in the individual growth of students, and in every group, the passion and dedication of each member shines through. As I’ve immersed myself in each of the clubs featured in my previous articles, I have come to understand the true significance of clubs in schools, and the importance of each of these groups and their presence on campus to the life of a high-schooler at Masters–and that is to provide outlets for leadership, creativity and education.

In a school primarily dependent on Harkness and discussion, students are constantly exposed to the conflict and progress of our ever-changing world. CAM, as an organization, actively strives to continue these dialogues through its various activism clubs; Next Generation Politics, for example, takes this mission one step further by sending two articles prior to each club meeting, each expressing a different stance on the topic to be discussed. This allows members to develop educated opinions on current events, and teaches them to empathize with the differing perspectives of the people around them.

GALs president Nora Fellas, in addition, stresses the importance of “[taking] the issues that are going on in our world on a larger scale, and connect[ing] them to our lives as high schoolers.” By engaging in the to these types of discussions, students can develop deeper understandings of their classmates, while learning extensively about the issues plaguing today’s world.

According to researcher George Land, developing children and teenagers are most prone to creativity loss between the ages of five and fifteen. In other words, unless we constantly immerse ourselves in creativity and divergent thought, our creativity levels will deteriorate. CAM assists in reversing this concerning epidemic by providing creative outlets such as Photo Interest Club, Salty Dogs, Dohters, Outspoken and more. Members of these clubs, when asked about the aspect of the club they value the most, almost consistently mentioned the psychological impact of creative outlets. “I love Outspoken because it’s a place where as writers, you can be incredibly honest,” Stephen Boe said.

    “It’s a loving atmosphere where the girls feel open to share things,” Miranda Luiz said, referring to her experience in Dohters. Not only do these supportive and creative environments encourage students to try new things, but according to various studies, this exposure to creativity prepares students for graduation by helping to foster strong innovative thinking skills.

Lastly, the CAM organization aims to enhance the communication and leadership skills taught through Harkness, allowing students to step outside their comfort zones and take risks. “Anything I can do that pushes me and stimulates me is what I came to Masters to do,” sophomore Jonas Kolker said.

Henry Williams, co-president of CAM, added that in his opinion, clubs such as Model United Nations and the Debate Team create the perfect setting for students to begin experimenting with leadership skills. This theme is also prevalent in the roundtables facilitated by discussion based clubs, and also in the groups that expand to larger communities, such as Touring Talent and EFFECT, all of which provide opportunities for students to fulfill the Masters mission statement of being a power for good in the world.

It’s safe to say that I, after four years at Masters, am a ‘CAM junkie’. I have always enjoyed running around the club fair–even in the days when I was too young to sign up–and being amazed at all that Masters has to offer. And, in the process of writing Close-up on CAM, I have discovered even more opportunities for me to express myself, learn more about my peers, and exercise my ability to listen to others.

My initial purpose for creating this page was to spread awareness about the happenings of club meetings, and to encourage people to become more involved in the aspects of Masters that truly speak to them and their interests–and that still stands.

With that said, my final words are these: Masters has established a lot of unique opportunities for self-expression and self-discovery that are accessible to all. Don’t leave this place without exploring and experimenting with all it has to offer.

Annie out.