One of the best parts about coming back to Groton has been attending the clubs again. Club meetings can be some of the most fun times that I have on campus, and make the community even closer than it already is.
Groton has many, many clubs. While I can’t say that I’ve been to all of them, I’ve sampled a good number of them, and still attend a couple each week; clubs are a great way to finish off a day before sitting down to study.
First, there’s Geography Club. I started going to Geo Club last fall, and have attended as many meetings as I could. I could say that the goal is to (as a prior Zebra Tales writers said) “learn the effect of surroundings on society and how communities all over the globe develop,” but that wouldn’t capture the whole picture; while there is definitely an aspect of scholarship, a large part of the purpose is just a fun hour. The two club heads keep a relaxed, joking atmosphere while presenting a (semi-functional) slideshow about the country of the week, followed by a Kahoot at the end of the hour, the winner of which is allowed to choose the topic for the following week. A key piece as well is the email. Utterly horrid puns commonly feature, including "(Co)Mon a(nd) co (to Geo Club)," and "MOR(e) O(f you should) CO(me to geo club)." Geo Club is just an entertaining way to spend a Monday evening.
Philosophy Club is another weekly club, though this one usually runs Sunday afternoons. The topic is pretty self explanatory, but don’t envision Athenian senators. Think a bunch of tired, and yet enthusiastic teenagers coming together to think about thinking. In most of our meetings, we'll start with a broad subject and over the course of the hour try to break it down into its pieces. Some interesting recent topics have included ancient philosophy now, ethics of AI, and where thoughts come from. Throw in a dash of determinism and some donuts every now and then, and you’ve got a Sunday tradition on your hands.
There are dozens of clubs at Groton. These two are super relaxed, just show up and have fun; others like this are boardgame, crossword, and FATH (fun math, aptly named) clubs. There are some with more structure and competition: I do rocket club, but we also have a strong debate team, model UN, two fully autonomous and functioning student publications (
The Circle Voice and The Grotonian), and there are more. Some are more academic: Classics, Math, History, some are artistic: Groton Arts or Maqupellas, some are miscellaneous: Groton Hax, Linguistics Club, Bell Ringing. As well, if a gap exists in a subject someone is interested in, there’s always at least a few new clubs each year that students decide to start. Clubs at Groton are really just another way to manifest your interests in an extracurricular way, no matter what they might be.