Clubs are a cornerstone to life at GWUOHS. The school offers more than 40 clubs that are hubs for like-minded individuals to get to know each other and interact over common interests. Some clubs are vastly popular, and the Book Club is among the top of that list.
English teacher Elizabeth Beckham has been sponsoring the Book Club since she first joined the school in 2020. Juniors Annika O. and Audrey B. are the new student leaders for the club this year and have assumed responsibilities from former student leaders Grey H. and Gabriel T.
At the Book Club, members vote on a book to read and then discuss it at the following month’s club meeting. Although it seems like a simple activity, meetings never stop short of being riveting. Since its creation, the club has been shaped by its club leaders.
When asked to elaborate on this and what prospective members should expect from the Book Club, leaders Annika O. and Audrey B emphasized the club’s welcoming environment.
“Grey and Gabriel were really great leaders,” Annika explained. “They were very calm and kind in a guided way, but I think we’re definitely a little more chaos-inducing, and we’ll see how that translates.”
“New students joining the Book Club shouldn’t be fazed, though,” Audrey added. “I think new students should expect a community and a really casual way to engage with other people who enjoy books.”
“We are a community,” Annika continued. “A lot of our members have been members for years and for good reason. We’re a big group of friends, and we talk about not only the books we’re reading but also about our lives and the importance of literature.”
Beckham describes discussions around books as involving “life, or questions about the universe in general – anybody can speak to those, no matter what you’ve read.”
The club plans to keep the tried and tested structure of past years. However, club leaders Annika and Audrey want to incorporate more interactive events that include watching shows or movies related to the book.
The Book Club held its first meeting about The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan on Sept. 27. The meeting lasted two hours, and members capped it off by watching two episodes from the recent Percy Jackson TV adaptation. Furthermore, students voted on the next book and decided to read and discuss The Only One Left by Riley Sager for the next club meeting on Oct. 25.
