Club members handed out free stuff from S.T.U.D.D. headbands to candy to bracelets, while a person ran around in a pizza costume.  All in all, Club Rush went smoothly once again. The effort seemed to have paid off for the club members who had meticulously painted their colorful posters and signs to attract the wandering eye.

Junior Tyler Walker, captain of robotics tech team, is taking the steps to make this year as successful as possible. “I’ll make sure that all robotics club members have a chance to share their opinions and come up with some kind of compromise when it comes to activities,” she said.

Last year robotics sent their First Tech Challenge team to participate at First World Championships to compete against other robots from other countries. With spots filling up quickly this year, Walker and other members are excited to bring on the new year with teamwork and center their attentions to making First World Championships once again.  

Club Rush offers students a chance to become more integrated in their school and community and build lifetime long memories. “I would say that being a part of the robotics team has helped me discover what I really enjoy doing. To me, being in robotics means that I can share a common interest with a group of people and create something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Walker said.

Astronomy Club was another impassioned group found at Thursday’s Club Rush. While the club has been around for a while, it began picking up steam two years ago.

The club’s faculty advisor, Kati Hubley, shared that she’s been interested in outer space since she was a kid and her father did projects for NASA. “You can feel like you’re having a bad day and then you think about how small we are to the great big space out there and just go… ‘wow’. There’s so much more to know and it just puts things in perspective.”

She shared that the club takes pride in its success in teaching others about the universe. Not only do they teach about the constellations, but they go out as a group and experience it, too. Astronomy Club’s “Star Parties” are get-togethers where the band of space-lovers meet in the dark of night and observe all they can. “It’s a ton of fun! And at the same time it’s really educational,” Hubley added.

Tigard students may take it for granted that they are given a time to be introduced to clubs each year; however, not all schools support a strong club system. “I’ve never had a club rush at the schools I’ve been to before. I thought it was a really good way for kids to connect with the school and join some clubs,”  Assistant Principal Andrew Kearl said. Kearl has worked at four other schools in the Pacific Northwest.

Junior Abby Mullins attended club rush as a student participant. She finds it important for new students to connect with others. “I think it’s important because it gets kids involved with the school. They get to be a part of something and new students get to connect with others,” Mullins said.