With the start of the new school year has come a variety of different clubs; some of which include The MSA Club, The Young Republicans Club, WeCode, and many more.

Clubs are usually welcoming and try to accumulate as many members as possible to help broaden their club.

However, lately there have been rumors surrounding “exclusive clubs” along with the idea that certain people aren’t welcome into specific clubs if they don’t meet the description, or don’t “fit in”.

There are a few clubs that are specifically meant for people who are a part of a certain group – such clubs solely for girls, or groups of people with similar views-  they can even include different faiths or beliefs.

Junior Chris Bortolon is the president of the Young Republicans Club and their meetings include discussions about their activism of politics. Anyone is allowed to join to listen in on these discussions and take part of their club.

The MSA – or Muslim Student Association Club was started again after three years by President Shyaan Khan (senior) and Vice President Tara Saghir (junior).

Fellow Muslims gather together every Friday for prayer that is typically held in a mosque. This prayer is now held in Mr. Kindley’s room, room 523.

Prior to the prayer, someone is called to deliver a sermon or a speech on any general topic. These are typically regarding the Islamic insight on everyday ideas or concepts.

Although the MSA Club is an association for Muslims, Shyaan is open to letting anyone join or listen in on sermons before prayer begins, and they can even stay during the time of prayer.

“I think it is great for non- Muslims to come in because it’s nice seeing them show interest in learning more about Islam; it would be ideal for them to come in when we have knowledgeable guest speakers so they can receive insight,” Shyaan said. “They can also stay to see the prayer as long as they’re not distracting.”

Guest speakers for the MSA Club include teachers from the local mosque however a permission slip signed by your parents is required to attend these.

Like Shyaan, I strongly agree that it would be beneficial for others to come to MSA meetings to learn more about Islam. Clubs should be open for the entire student body to come and learn about whether it be regarding different religions or different ideas in general.

A couple weeks ago, a guest speaker and former MV student named Shoaib Jawaid came to address topics of Muslim identity and how we can incorporate different ideals into our everyday lives.

While attending this meeting, not only was it a peaceful way for me to spend my lunch with my fellow peers, it was an important part of understanding the religion as a whole.

People who don’t know much about Islam could listen in on these inviting sermons and gain knowledge about topics pertaining to their own lives.

School clubs are designed for students to interact with their classmates, meet new people, gain experience and possibly find a passion to pursue in their lives. So what is the purpose of exclusion from clubs solely because you are not a legitimate part of them?

Some clubs have been created for a specified gender to attend, like the WeCode Club. WeCode is a club that was made specifically for girls to join and become a part of exclusively, however a club like this that involves coding and technology usually has a primary interest to males.

Anshula Singh is the president of WeCode and aims to create a fun and friendly environment while exposing women to different aspects of technology.

“Our main goal is to expose people (specifically girls) about the wonders of actually being able to make stuff on the computer,” Anshula said. “Lots of studies have shown that in 5-10 years from now, coding will become as common a language as Spanish, French or Japanese for schools to teach.”

AP Java is a class offered here that tailors towards people and their interest for coding. However, Anshula has recognized that not all people may have extra space for an entire coding class.

She has many things planned for the year besides learning the basics of coding such as working on projects, and going on field trips to major technological companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google.

“We also kind of want to eliminate the nerd stereotype, and make it a kind of club where people are comfortable to come in and just be at the same level as most other people and come for the value of learning,” Anshula said.

This club was designed to broaden the female role of coding and other technological aspects, however there are more male members than female members, and they’re currently looking for more females.

WeCode was created to expose women to coding, however men are invited because they share the same interest and would benefit from the club.

Students who attend clubs that they aren’t quite a qualified “member” for should definitely be welcome under any circumstance. This is an essential way for students to observe and learn about new subjects, beliefs, and religions.

   Next time you come across a club that you may be unsure of attending, stop by and drop in just to acknowledge the club and their activities; you never know what you may gain from your experience.