Students flooded hallways and mall areas in excitement as Olympic Heights hosted its annual Club Rush on Friday, Sept. 1 during lunch where more than 40 clubs showcased their organizations’ students and recruit new leaders and members for the 2023-24 school year. 

Each club has a faculty sponsor and is managed by elected student leaders who want to make our community a better place and represent the diversified interests of our student population. During Club Rush, these student-led groups entice students to approach their tables, allowing club leaders to convey their distinct missions and initiatives, as well as articulate how every student can actively participate to make their voices heard. Because each club represents diverse interests, it provides students with opportunities for inclusion, personal growth, skill acquisition and the chance to forge lifelong connections and friendships. Clubs showcased included national organizations such as Best Buddies, Key Club, Dance Marathon and DECA as well as grassroots local organizations like Cards for Kindness, Black Student Union, and the Feminist Club, to name a few.

Best Buddies is an all inclusive club that is an “international nonprofit organization that Olympic Heights has established a chapter for at our school,” shares Best Buddies President Bayla Hirsch. Best Buddies creates memorable moments throughout the school year for students in the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) program.  IDD students are paired with a peer buddy. These peer buddies become trusted personal friends for all Best Buddies members and create special bonds with their buddy. Special events are held throughout the year to help foster this trusting relationship. Buddy Bash is one of the club’s signature events and is dedicated to ensuring each and every “Buddy” feels friendship, inclusion and has a great time. Another great event are the monthly lunch parties. Peer buddies and all members are invited to spend their lunch hour with their buddy while enjoying a few sweet treats and  fun games such as basketball, frisbee, and many other interactive activities that help the buddies and students create memorable moments. “The Best Buddies program and events have such a positive impact at Olympic Heights to raise awareness for inclusion and celebrate friendships,” adds Hirsch. 

Another international community organization at Club Rush featured is Key Club. This student-led high school club chapter is part of a larger organization called Kiwanis. Its mission is “To give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than to the material values of life.” Key Club’s primary focus is on making a distinctive and positive impact on the community. The OH Key Club chapter meets every other Monday and at each meeting the members perform some kind of service project. Key Club Vice President and OH Junior Annika Eden recalls that her “favorite service project last year was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed local homeless people.” Throughout the year, there are projects completed during meetings, on-campus, and in the community to provide students with opportunities to give back to the community. For each project, students receive appropriate service hours and can earn a special Key Club graduation cord. Several club members each year attend Key Club’s D-CON (district convention), an annual four-day leadership conference in Daytona Beach, Florida, where chapters across the state meet to share service ideas and recognize outstanding chapters. 

Cards for Kindness, led by OH junior Brooke Telchin, was established to create handwritten cards to share special messages for those who need to be uplifted. For example,“Cards have been made for children in hospitals who needed a little extra motivation, support and encouragement. The cards simply express that someone’s thinking of them during their challenging time,” shares club President Brooke Telchin. She also mentions that the OH club was established during COVID to engage students with the community during difficult times and to spread happiness. Each card created by students earns half a service hour, so for every two cards created members earn a full service hour. This club meets once a month on the first Thursday of the month. 

Have you ever wondered what the Dance Marathon club is? Dance Marathon is a program of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The Olympic Heights Dance Marathon club chapter fundraises throughout the year to “supports all children with pediatric illnesses,” shares Dance Marathon Board Member Sloane Collins, who serves on the club’s sponsorship committee. The OH chapter often partners with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to fund life-saving treatments and family services. This pediatric specialty hospital serves children in South Florida and is one of the best in the U.S. Dance Marathon offers students several opportunities to gain leadership skills by serving as board members — some positions are available for each grade level and to help engage their peers. Emma Stein is this year’s executive board chairperson and has a goal to raise money and awareness for these community needs. Each year the club hosts its signature fundraiser in the spring called “The Main Event, ” where each club member and all Olympic Heights students are invited to attend. This five hour long fundraising party held on campus has a special theme and activity each hour of the event to raise money for live-saving treatments and pediatric healthcare services in Florida. Students do not need to be a Dance Marathon club member to attend the Main Event and can earn service hours for attending the fundraiser. 

If you weren’t able to attend Club Rush or want to learn more, search for Olympic Heights clubs on instagram.