By Arden White | Staff Intern
During the 2015-16 school year, there have been five new school clubs started at Plant City High School. These include: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Ladies’ Quest, Teenage Republicans, Young Democrats and Bringing Our Lives Direction.
“By establishing more clubs, more students are given the chance to participate in more extracurricular activities and take on a leadership role,” Susan Sullivan, principal at Plant City High School, said. “We encourage all students to be involved in multiple clubs and believe it is directly correlated to their academic success.”
FCA
Fellowship of Christian Athletes, commonly known as FCA, was reintroduced to PCHS during the 2015-16 school year.
“It’s one thing to just pray with our girls’ soccer team, but it is even better when we can bring all of our athletes together to have fun and worship as a whole at FCA,” Deanna Rodriguez, club member, said.
FCA is led by Ashlyn Yarbrough and Drew Knotts, co-presidents. The club provides a Christian environment where students can come together in fellowship in school.
“I think FCA is going to be a great thing to have back at Plant City High School,” Yarbrough said.
“Our goal is to get all of the teams involved in some way and hopefully that will spread the love of Jesus in an incredible way. I’m so excited to what God has in store for us and the school.”
FCA is co-sponsored by Walter Baucon and Caleb Roberts.
“Our focus is to provide another positive environment at school for the students,” Roberts said.
LADIES QUEST
Ladies Quest is a service club dedicated to sisterhood and helping the community.
“Our focus is to uplift and inspire young women,” Keira Davis, president of Ladies Quest, said. “We are going to try to get the middle school girls to do service activities with us. We also pair up with Gentlemen’s Quest and do activities with them as well.”
In Ladies Quest, the club focuses on bonding, etiquette and team building.
“My favorite part about being in the club is bonding and being a big sister to the younger girls,” Lacey Hargrove, club member, said. “Being able to establish a relationship that will last a lifetime is one of the best parts. I’m so grateful to be able to have a positive impact in their lives.”
Ladies Quest has been sponsored by Kenyatta Shaw.
“Our members can benefit from being in the club because it helps their self-esteem and allows them to be involved in a group where they feel like they belong,” Shaw said.
TARS
Teenage Republicans, also known as TARS, is a national organization focused on educating Republican teens on current politics. Arie Fry decided to extend the chapter to Plant City High School in the 2015-16 school year. TARS allows students to hear from political speakers to help further their knowledge
“I hope to grow in members and give kids the chance to meet amazing leaders and take kids across the state to learn about our government,” Arie Fry, president of the TARS PCHS Chapter, said.
TARS has been co-sponsored by Kay Ruel and Cliff Vance.
“Our goal is to make students more politically aware, so they can actively participate in politics,” Ruel said. “We hope to make students more knowledgeable and give them the opportunity to learn about the candidates’ platforms.”
The members are given the opportunity to travel across Florida while learning about current republican candidates.
“It’s just an awesome experience to be more involved in politics and getting to meet the presidential candidates was great,” Ariel Navarrete, club member, said. “I even got a selfie with Jeb Bush.”
YOUNG DEMOCRATS
Young Democrats is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party.
“My favorite thing about being in the club is feeling like I’m a part of a group and getting the chance to be more involved in politics,” Zoe Willis, club member, said.
During the 2015-16 school year, Trinity Lester decided to extend Young Democrats to Plant City High School.
“My primary goal for the club is to get students involved in the political process,” Lester said. “We provide a friendly and dynamic atmosphere for students to openly speak and share their opinions and questions, not only on politics but also on large pressing issues that affect every single one of us.”
Young Democrats is sponsored by Niki Carpenter.
“I hope to educate students more about the political system in America and help them stay informed,” Carpenter said. “As the students are becoming of voting age, they’ll be able to make informed decisions.”
Arden White is a student at Plant City High School and an intern for the Plant City Times & Observer.