Just as every year does, this school year has brought plenty of new clubs to the roster for students to join and participate in. Clubs like Physics Club or Drama Club are staples in the Freedom community, and have been for years. On the other hand, however; years past have brought several new clubs like the Young Educators Association (YEA) or Travel Club, among a number of others.
This school year, the Freedom community has introduced two new clubs, including Mock Trial and Stock Market Club, and along with that, some new club advisors, too.
Clubs and student organizations are an important part of student life. Clubs are especially important in developing students as people. They help students develop by allowing them opportunities to socialize and make new friends, find new interests or evolve current ones in different subject matters. Every year, with administrative approval, teachers and students alike add new clubs and extracurricular activities to give students these opportunities. Over the years, Freedom has accumulated its fair share of student organizations revolving around each subject and possible futures for students.
While the Stock Market Club may not officially be a club yet, it is an extracurricular activity that students may participate in new to this school year. The new Stock Market Club program is sponsored by Ms. Michelle Kieth, who teaches Personal Finance for senior students.
The club has topics much like the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), as both clubs revolve around business and competitions. Stock Market Club teaches students about opportunities in the stock market and investing. The club is heavily built upon the Personal Finance class, but is open and welcome to all students 9-12.
During competitions, students assemble teams of three to four and are allowed to invest in different companies made up for the sake of the competition. Students compete against other teams and schools. At the end of the competition, the team with the best return on their investments wins. Stock Market Club attended its first competition on Dec. 12.
“I’m very excited, I hope it goes well, and hopefully leads to more opportunities for our students to get involved in investing and the stock market, just kind of in general spark some interest to provide more opportunities in the future,” Keith said.
Mock Trial is also making its return to the Freedom community this school year. Mock Trial was an older club in the Freedom community that revolved around students participating in a fake court case situation, testing their knowledge of law and ethics. Students also get to participate in competitions, where they would go up against another school district, attempting to win the fake court case.
The club has not been active since the 2017-18 school year. Freedom used to have a single student participant who competed co-op alongside the New Brighton district’s team. This school year, the district has brought it back in hopes of more participation, which it has so far received. As of December 2024, the club has seen a massive increase in interest which the district hopes to maintain.
The new club sponsor as of this year is Mr. Ron Kelm, who is involved with career readiness at the high school and middle school levels.
“Since we are not competing this year, I am looking forward to meeting with lawyers to learn about the court process,” Calla Reynolds (11) said. “I hope the team learns how to collaborate well, and I hope we get enough members to compete next year.”
As for now, things are looking up for the new clubs, and look to provide a lot of opportunities for students who may be interested in their respective career fields.