By Tamsin Hurlbut

   “BOOM BOOM BOOM!” sounds the gavel at the Speech and Debate tournament, “beeeeep” goes the robot built by the FIRST Robotics team, “Checkmate” says a student in Chess Club :there are many diverse clubs going on at TPA where students can delve deeper into their interests and hobbies. 

Competition Clubs

   One of TPA’s most prestigious clubs is Speech and Debate. Open to both middle and high school, students debate current political issues, perform comprehensive, informative speeches and act out dramatic interpretations. This year,Dani Delgado, will lead the speech department and the team is currently looking for a debate and middle school coach. Speech and debate is a great way for students to enhance public speaking skills, develop lifelong friendships and make plenty of memories. 

   Another high-achieving competitive team is VEX and FIRST Robotics. The teams focus on constructing robots, coding and competing at tournaments. They are looking for more female members, so if you are interested in pursuing STEM, robotics is for you.. The middle school VEX Robotics team is also searching for a coach. Contact club coordinator Mme Doran if you or someone you know is interested in this position. 

   If you enjoy learning about math, join Math Society. Math Society is a club where students learn and discuss math concepts, play games and participate in local STEM competitions against other schools. Also, through Math Society, TPA sophomores, juniors and seniors can join the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society. To be eligible for Mu Alpha Theta, students must tutor three times each semester and attend at least half of the club meetings. The club has interesting events coming up, such as a visit from Dr. Wallington’s Ph.D. advisor, Dr. John Jones, a professor at ASU. Be sure to contact club sponsor Dr. Wallington if you are interested in joining.

Language Clubs

   Another category of clubs concentrates on languages.. These include Classics c French,German,and Spanish clubs. To immerse students in the language’s culture, the clubs host many activities such as watching movies in their respective languages, engaging in cultural activities, eating their country’s food and participating in competitions. Middle school and high school students are welcome.

Social Justice Clubs

   Social justice clubs on campus include Rainbow Alliance and Herstory. Rainbow Alliance is a club where members ofthe LGBTQIA+ community and allies engage in fun activities and games, queer history talks and important conversations. Recently, the club presented about the Stonewall riots. Herstory is another social justice club that focuses on advocacy, education, and storytelling around feminist issues. The club recently organized a series of presentations on abortion law and policy and feminist criminal justice issues. 

New Clubs

   This school year, TPA’s Chess Club was revived. Baking Club, created last year, will also begin to have meetings. There are also new table-top game clubs , including the Dungeons and Dragons club. 

   If you are interested in any of these clubs, look them up on the TPA website and get involved.