Have you ever thought history was competitive? How about crocheting small animals as volunteering? Sounds strange, right? Well, North High’s clubs this year are kicking off with a myriad of niches to attract students from all walks of life, and have been super successful in our academics-focused school community. Let’s take a look at some of North High’s new clubs in the 2023-2024 school year: they may surprise you!

History Club is North High’s premiere competitive humanities club, and they are actively displaying expert history knowledge at meetings. Participating in National History Day, History Bee, and several other competitions, students in the club practice weekly in room 236. History Jeopardy is flown through at unprecedented rates, and they are aiming for the national competition. With members from the Quiz Bowl team, DECA, and other name-worthy competition clubs, these students know how to win, and plan on winning.

“We created History Club to spread interest in history and to use our history knowledge to represent the school competitively,” said junior and Co-President of the club Tamas Smulovics. “I think it’s already helped people gain a new interest in what studying history can do.”

You can follow their Instagram at @gnnhistoryclub for updates on team trips, practices, and other events. Be sure to check them out on Fridays or reach out to Mrs. Gallagher or Mr. Mannebach with any questions. There are not any requirements to join, so come with whatever knowledge you may have to learn and grow as a competitor and team member!

Next up: North’s brand new community service club dear to the hearts of Great Neck’s large Asian community, Heart of Dinner. A chapter of the larger Heart of Dinner club in New York, this fast-growing group of North High students aims to create custom grocery bags that are used to deliver homemade meals to New York City’s Asian elderly, bringing together the region’s cultural enclave with carefully designed artistry.

“We created the Heart of Dinner Club as a way to unite the Asian community in GNN,” said junior and Co-President Jessica Ong. “I know from personal experience that sometimes it’s difficult to find ways to get involved that catered to my schedule, so bringing Heart of Dinner to GNN was the solution. It’s a great way for those interested in making an impact in the Asian community with minimal commitment.”

The club frequently posts updates and photos of their meetings on Instagram, so check them out at @heartofdinnerclub on Instagram. You can join them on Wednesdays in room 207 to design some art for a great cause!

Lastly, Threads of Love is North High’s first ever crochet club, and it has gained immense popularity since the beginning of the school year. The club with Mrs. Mann as their advisor aim not only to create cute crochet pieces, but to sell them at fundraisers to make money for the American Cancer Society and National Children’s Cancer Society. With a beautiful showing at the club fair and at local farmers’ markets over the summer, they have started off the year strong. 

“We created Threads of Love as a way to weave our passion for crocheting into something more impactful to our community,” said junior and Co-President Stephanie Tsai. “By fundraising with hand crocheted goods, we would be able to bring so many more people together and make them understand that it’s not just our passion, but it can also be theirs… [Our club] creates a community of crocheters who are always happy to help each other and open up to new ideas, as well as embracing creativity and compassion.”

Their Instagram account @threadsofloveclub has a variety of updates on their fundraisers and event information, so check them out. Be sure to attend some meetings on Mondays in room 26 after school. Even if you don’t know how to crochet, the officers do an amazing job at teaching newcomers, so all are welcome to contribute to this great cause!

All in all, whether you’re interested in becoming a history buff, helping design bags to assist elderly in need, crocheting cute animals or ribbons to fight cancer, or just finding a safe space to connect with and find friends, look no further than North’s new clubs for this academic school year. Be sure to check the North High website for an exhaustive list of clubs and activities sanctioned by the school this year.