West offers many unique clubs based on the interests and hobbies of students. Students who enjoy watching movies have the opportunity to join the Movie Club. Because there are so many different genres and categories of movies to choose from, the club uses a democratic process for their monthly pick.
“To select which movie we watch each month, we start by deciding on a theme for the movie. We then release a form on the Movie Club Google Classroom where people can input movie recommendations relating to that theme. After that, we choose three movies from those submissions and have a meeting where people can vote from those three options. Then we have a movie to watch,” Movie Club leader Harper Hoxie said.
When Movie Club was started last year, English teacher Kelly Rintala was the advisor. However, this year, Tom Sheppard, a history teacher, has taken over the role.
“I think the club is a great way to have fun and connect students that might not normally know each other. We’re an inclusive group, and we all enjoy the process of picking the movies and then meeting up to watch the film,” Sheppard said.
Jed Laurent is a freshman and joined the Movie Club because he enjoys watching movies, especially drama, with his friends.
“I think [participating in clubs like this] gets you talking and making new friends and keeps you involved,” Laurent said.
Being a part of environments like the Movie Club allows members to carve out time in their busy schedule to relax and do what they love while also having the chance to make new friends and form new relationships.
“I think that clubs like Movie Club can allow individuals to build a community by sharing a similar interest. It’s a lot of fun to get everyone together to simply watch a movie with their friends. It also provides an opportunity to branch out and watch something that one may not have thought to watch before,” Hoxie said.
