Passions prevail during PIT

One kid had a vision to make school a more inclusive place for everyone, because everyone deserves a best friend.  Noah Dennis founded the AD team five years ago as a freshman. He founded the club to make a difference in the school and make sure that every kid had a friend, regardless of their differences. His older sister, Abby, has special needs, and he saw that students were excluding not j...

Once a month, a group of students meet to talk about murder, heartbreak and dragons. The book club meets in the library to discuss books with that are part of that month’s theme. After the majority of members graduated last year, the club is looking for new people to join and bring new books and ideas with them to the discussion. “We’re such a small club but hopefully we’ll attract some new members and do ...

Calligraphy club is adding much more to the VHS community than just people with better penmanship. Sophomore Leigh Olsen created the calligraphy club this September after practicing calligraphy for a few years. She decided to make it after her friends expressed interest in a calligraphy club.. “A lot of times people don’t get what they want out of a club,” Olsen said. “We have an art clu...

A few years ago the debate club had few active members, low funding and barely anyone competed at tournaments. Now, the club has more than triple the amount of members it did when it first started, many club officers and ranks at tournaments.  “Debate club helps to encourage students to improve their public speaking skills, their debate skills, and create a community of people who can talk abo...

Eight hours. Five fish. One boat. And the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. The fishing club will be attending the state championship for the second consecutive year in November. The fishing club has more than 20 members who enjoy fishing every weekend.  “I joined this club because I wanted to be by people who love to go out fishing and talk about it,” sophomore Cole Chartier said.  C...

This club is adding a little rainbow to the Viper black and white.  LGBTvipers+ is one of the newest additions to the collection of student-led clubs at school this year. The club is a place where anyone can have the freedom to express themselves in a safe space.  “It is important that [students] have somewhere to go to that at least lets them be themselves for a certain amount of time,�...

Helping puppies? Playing with kids? Seniors Rachael Bischof and Lauren Stevens have done both of these through the National Honor Society.  NHS is a selective organization for high schoolers based on scholarship, leadership, service and character. NHS not only recognizes students for their service and grades, but it gives them a chance to help lead their community by example. “I joined it mo...

Instead of doing homework during PIT, these students learn about quantum mechanics and augmented reality. The National Technical Honor Society’s membership has gained members since its start in 2017. Officers like president Mia Thompson led the club’s nearly 20 members in technology-based discussions. “In the past, although the club was active, the number of members was small and it was mostly made up...

They spend the plays offstage, running lights and herding actors. With this club, they all feel like they are on center stage.  Emma Alvarez-Roth started the theatre tech club last year as a way for students to learn more about the technical side of theatre. There was already a drama club, but now there’s also a club centered around tech as well.  “I knew that we had the drama club which w...

When they started the club, they were uncertain about its future. Now, they are assured that the club is in safe hands, the hands of their sisters. Seniors Megha Shah and Avani Rayasa will lead the VHS Bolly club in its performance for the Vandegrift Spring Show. The seniors’ two older sisters started founded the club. “Megha and I just latched onto the club,” Rayasa said. “Now we are the presid...

Six hours. Five rounds. Four tasks. Three days of nation-wide competition. One softwares. And one broken operating system crawling with bugs. VHS CyberPatriot is a club that’s members study and practice cybersecurity.They compete in competitions and have made it to Platinum Regional Rounds and Platinum State Rounds in past years. This year’s nation-wide, annual CyberPatriot competition is u...

There is a special place at Vandegrift where students are allowed to create imaginary worlds, and with the help of their peers, those worlds can be brought to life. Writers Guild is a student-led creative writing club that meets every Thursday in PIT. The club is open to anyone who wants to join. “With Vandegrift being so academically competitive and so STEM based, [it is important] to have a clu...