Want to master the game of chess? There”s a club for that.
Want to capture Columbus on film? There”s a club for that.
Want to get in or stay in shape? There”s a club for that, too.
There”s a club for just about anything you can think of at Columbus High.
And if you think of one the teachers and administrators haven”t already, by next week, there likely will be a club for that, too.
When school principal Craig Shannon circulated a letter requesting club ideas, he was flooded with responses. And students, in turn, have flooded the clubs, staying on campus after school to sing, research the teaching profession, read books and write poetry.
Tuesday afternoon, a trio of students in the gospel choir rehearsed with choral director Michael Jackson at the high school gym.
Nearby, more than a dozen male students ran bleachers and raced the length of the gym.
“What I was trying to do is find activities for groups of students with like interests,” said Shannon, who sponsors the boys” fitness club, along with assistant principals Chris Bray and Ken McGaha.
Other faculty members also offer their interests and talents to sponsor school clubs.
“This is something I wanted to do to bring more of the general population of the school into,” Jackson said of the gospel choir, which had its debut performance Tuesday night.
“I love music, and music has always been a part of what I do,” said Clayton Jordan, a junior and son of Darren and Cynthia Jordan.
Clayton was accepted into the Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven and decided not to go, but he still wanted the opportunity to express himself through singing.
“At this school, we have so many kids that are talented,” Jackson said. “Stuff like this is what gets them involved and keeps them from doing other (unproductive) things.”
Elisia Parough, a sophomore, sees the gospel choir as a way to shed a positive light on the school. Elisia is the daughter of Shervon Williams.
“And gospel choir gives us an opportunity to express ourselves (about) God,” she added. “You can”t just walk through the halls (at school) saying, ”I love God.””
While Elisia and Clayton exercised their vocal chords, a few yards away from the piano, drums and microphones, another group of kids exercised their abdominal muscles, doing sit-ups.
“I just wanted to be a part of a (school) club,” Aeron Fields, a junior, said of why he joined the boys” fitness club. Aeron is the son of Carlton and Carolyn and Fields. “I really wanted to feel like I was a part of the Falcons,” Aeron added.
Before joining the fitness club, he wasn”t a part of any school activities this year.
The same was true for Timothy Hayes, also a junior. “I wanted to stay in shape, stay busy, have something to so. (And) This was the best way for me to be a part of a school club,” he continued. Timothy is the son of Shakita Hayes.
“This way I have a reason to keep my grades up and stay out of trouble,” added Aeron.
To be a part of school-sponsored clubs at Columbus High, students must maintain at least a C average, miss no more than five days of school per nine weeks and have no disciplinary infractions for 15 consecutive school days.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.