Walnut Grove Clubs Plan Growth for Spring Semester

As the spring season arrives, Walnut Grove offers a vibrant array of renewed opportunities for students to explore new passions and forge lasting memories in student lead organizations.
by Rylee Watson, Neveah Boyce, Kimaya Campbell, Chloe Fankah, Mariana Castaneda

As the spring season arrives, Walnut Grove offers a vibrant array of renewed opportunities for students to explore new passions and forge lasting memories in student lead organizations, like Future Georgia Educators (FGE), Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Key Club, Sources of Strength, Skills USA, and Technology Student Association (TSA).

FGE
Future Georgia Educators (FGE) attracts students passionate about education. FGE provides hands-on experiences, preparing students for future careers, mentorship, skill-building, and childhood development knowledge. Mrs Whitley, FGE advisor, shared, “Being the FGE advisor gave me an opportunity to connect with students outside of the classroom, support their interests, help develop their leadership skills and confidence.” 
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Club members plan and organize activities, collaborate on projects, and support school initiatives. Whitley expresses, “Students are encouraged to contribute ideas, take ownership of responsibilities, and work together to achieve shared goals… Members are inspired to share ideas and help shape the direction of the club each month, making it truly student-centered rather than teacher-led.” 

Throughout the year, members participate in several volunteer activities, experience state competitions, explore college education programs, and attend workshops led by professors and teachers. 

DECA
DECA offers students far more than just competition experience. Through DECA, members develop leadership, communication and business skills by participating in competitions. According to DECA advisor, Miss Milligan, students gain far more than just awards or competitive experience. “In competitions, they develop real-world skills such as public speaking, problem-solving, critical thinking, and professional communication under pressure,” she explained. She also emphasized the benefits of being in the club, noting that, “Outside of competitions, DECA teaches students how to collaborate, manage time, set goals, and present themselves professionally.” 

The organization plays a major role in building students’ confidence and leadership, stating that, “Students who initially hesitate to speak in front of others often become comfortable presenting to judges, peers, and community members.” Through these experiences, students are exposed to potential career pathways and opportunities, like officer roles, team projects, and competitive events. “DECA empowers students to step outside their comfort zones, and with each experience, they become more self-assured, resilient, and willing to take initiative—skills that carry with them long after high school,” shared Miss Milligan.

KEY Club
This year, a new sponsor arrives for Key Club. Mrs. Baker mentions her initial motivation to lead this club, "Definitely the people who were in the club. When Ms. Wheeler said she was retiring, several kids asked me if I would take over, and I couldn't say no.” 

Key Club lends assistance with the school and community activities. “A lot of club members support the athletic events by working the gates and the concession stands, which is also supporting our school. They can do any event in the community, like fall festivals and things at the elementary school, but I will say most of them are sporting events,” shared Baker.

Mrs. Baker aims to “support the community, and get as many service hours as possible.” She believes the club benefits students by “showing them what service means, it allows them to get in the community, and if they go forward in their career, I think it’ll help interact with different people.” Her future plan for the club is to do a yearly service project. 

Sources of Strength
Sources of strength prioritizes mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention. This program is run by counselor Mrs. Battenfeld. Battenfeld's main goal is to change negative norms surrounding the mental health of students. Nakhiya Kelley shares, “I joined because it gave me a chance to make a positive impact and be a supportive presence in school.”

This group uses an approach to build hope by identifying and strengthening positive factors, like family support, positive friends, mentors, and healthy activities, rather than focusing on the negative obstacles. Empowering students to thrive in making connections, encouraging seeking help, and fostering a positive school-culture. Michnita-lou lake shares, “In Sources of Strength we pass out clips that have motivational quotes, and in the cafeteria we set up a place where students can write who they love and put it on the wall.” This club gathers for campaigns in the mornings and throughout lunch blocks handing out positivity cards, motivating students, and promoting a positive community. 

Skills USA
Skills USA prioritizes different fields of work, encouraging life skills and traits they can apply to the real world after graduation. At WG, we focus on 2 programs, Healthcare Science and Construction. Matt Smith, construction sponsor, says his favorite part of being a sponsor is “being around the students in a more laid back environment, you know, you’re actually working on something, not for a grade, but for  competition.” 

Brandy Williams, Healthcare sponsor, shares, “We like to laugh and have a good time, but we also enjoy learning about the fields of healthcare and construction. We enjoy practicing for competitions and getting everything ready, and coming up with new opportunities for students.” 
Skills USA differs from other clubs, Mrs. Williams continues, “Skills USA offers competitions in a lot of different career pathways. You can be interested in the field of healthcare or construction, which we specifically focus on, but you can be interested in a whole lot of careers and still be able to participate in competitions in that area of interest.”

TSA
Technology Student Association teaches teamwork, adaptive skills, and forging friendships. Blair Chitwood, a member of the TSA club, shares, “The club helped me meet new people, and I love socializing with new people in TSA.” 

This organization builds around competitions and provides students with hands-on exposure to new skills. TSA’s calendar is filled with several events for members to participate in, like the Fall Leadership Conference and Georgia TSA State competition. This club is fueled with welcoming energy and an abundance of opportunities. TSA is made up of numerous skills and events, allowing each student to find an activity they personally enjoy. Blair shares, “There’s always something for everybody, everyone can find something they like.”

A major benefit of joining this club is the group bonding on the several trips they take. All the members are very grateful for Dr.Wheeler’s dedication to this group and supporting them with each competition. Blair Chitwood stated, “Dr. Wheeler is always willing to help students.” From creating projects to winning trophies, TSA continues to give students a chance to grow and make them successful.

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Overall, WGHS is filled with a variety of organizations and clubs with the goal of providing students with skills that prepare them for the outside world when it comes to technology, business, healthcare, science, etc.