Here at East there are plenty of clubs for every interest and hobby imaginable.  We have a breakdancing club, a paintball club and an aviation club. Many people know about the mainstream music programs, such as Marching Band and the Jazz Band. However, there are still clubs that not many know about, like Inspiration East, located in F088—the woodshop classroom. The club is open to any aspiring musician with any amount of experience. The club already has a drummer, guitarist, bassist and pianist, but there are available positions for almost any additional instruments. Unlike Inspiration East, Chess Club in B232 is one of the more well-known clubs. Upon walking in, I was greeted by Scott Dombro (’12), who turned out to be the president of the club. He has been a member of the Chess Club for all of his four years here at East. Even though he has played chess almost all his life, he can still find a good challenge at East or when competing against other schools.

When I walked in, there were six games being played, one on each lab table. There were also all four grade levels present, so anybody who joined would be able to play with someone roughly the same age and skill level. The seniors and juniors were also helping the sophomores and freshmen learn, and pointing out their mistakes, telling them what they could do different. Each game started with twenty minutes on the clock so the  matches would not last too long.

Before leaving, I talked to Mr. Rouen, their advisor, who told me about the more competitive angle of the club. The Chess Club competes in almost all of the South Jersey tournaments, but does not only consist of upper classmen and experienced players. There are two teams, JV and Varsity, so even in competitions, members will still get an opponent who is close to their skill level.

Chess Club is always open to new members, so stop in on either Tuesday or Thursday, in B232, after school to see what it’s all about and whether or not you would be interested in joining and learning how to play the game better.

I also visited the Indian Culture Society club, which is located in C112. They meet on various dates throughout the month, but typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first thing anyone should know is that you do not need to be Indian to join. As long as you have an interest in Indian Culture, anyone will be welcomed

As for what goes on in this club, most of the meetings are just to hangout and talk. It was definitely one of the livelier clubs I visited. The President, Shahi Terzi, said ” International Day is really important to us. We like to show people things like our music, dancing, and everything about our culture.” If you want to get involved in a club that participates in a lot of events around the school, then this is the one for you.