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Photo by Ava Biederman

Art club has become a place where students can unplug and take a break from the stress of school and life. Art club is a calming place for students and it allows them to express themselves and their creativity.  This environment has led to an increase in members.

The club is open and full of supplies. It is a space where students can do what they want. There is not a set activity and the members can use any of the supplies whenever they want. 

“This is an open space for kids to create and if they want to learn how to do anything, Mrs. Nisi and I can help show them,” club advisor Peter Koltun said. 

Having an abundance of supplies is an attractive feature that draws students to join and many students favor that aspect of the club.

“I really like painting and I wanted more time to paint with open supplies so this helps,” junior Ella Malecek said. 

The art club has been around for a long time and has always been a popular club, however over the past few years, there has been an increase in members. A trend among students is joining in big groups and telling their friends about the club so they can join as well. 

“Last year there were a few people that wanted to be here, and they were like ‘you should join and you should join’ and their friends would join them,” Koltun said. 

Although the main trend is joining with their friends, it has not always been like that in the past. In fact, a good amount of people in the art club worked independently and did not socialize.

Koltun said there have been years where in the past there was a rise in members and “it has been just some random people that seem to come and at the same time” and do things independently. 

A big aspect with the gain in members is the promoting being done, especially by the members and club advisors. The advisors of the club promote it by telling their students about the club and taking part in other school-wide activities. 

Club advisor Carey Nisi said that she shares information about the club with her class and that there is a sign at the Activities Fair every year. 

The promoting they have been doing has had a positive impact when it comes to the amount of people who joined the club even though most of the students learn about the club through friends. There are other ways students have heard of the club as well. 

“I found it by looking on the schools website at clubs that were available before the school year started last year,” sophomore Hanna Lauer said. 

Art club is a great place to let students creativity flow and take some time out of their day for themselves or spend time with their friends. It is an escape that is necessary for some students. 

“Art club is relaxing, peaceful, fun and calming. It helps me relax and gives me time to work on my art,” Lauer said. 

Even though the club has a lot of pros, there is one downside that has a big impact on the amount of students who join the club. 

“If students did not have to pay the activities fee, I think the club would be out of control,” Nisi said. 

Overall, art club is a great way for students to take a break from life and use their creativity. It is not only that, but also a great way to socialize and get to know other students in the school. It is a completely different experience for everyone as well as the fact that  they can make whatever they want and do whatever they want. 

“Art club is really what the student wants it to be. Whether it is hanging out and having fun or experimenting. It is student-led,” Nisi said.