Clubs in the Courtyard, at Berkley High School, was an event held on Sept. 18, 2025, featuring clubs and organizations at Berkley, and encouraging students to join current clubs to connect with people who have shared interests. Each club sets up a table in the courtyard at lunch for students, giving them a chance to browse, ask questions, and learn more about the clubs. Clubs at Berkley are a very fun way for students to be involved in the school community. This article features three diverse clubs: Debate Team, HerStory, and Be Drama, representing what it means to be a leader and part of an organization at Berkley.
This year, a new club was created, called HerStory. This feminist club puts emphasis on supporting women in the workforce and any injustice that may come with it. It helps women here at Berkley with career ideas and empowers them to reach their goals in becoming their best selves. Junior Isabella Roddis is the creator and president of this club, inspired by the previously existing Berkley club called Female Focus. After this year’s discontinuation, Roddis had the inspiration, along with the support of friends, to recreate this club. Clubs in the Courtyard, although somewhat “stressful,” was very successful for the group. “We got lots of new people to follow our Instagram and around 40 new people to sign our interest sheet,” Roddis stated. She was overwhelmed while being a new president and learning to handle “sponsors, GroupMe, and the table,” but it was also “a lot of fun, and it was nice to meet new people knowing they have the same interests as me.” Starting this club off strong, Clubs in the Courtyard was an opportunity that allowed HerStory to gain much recognition and new members for this purposeful group.
Another featured club at Berkley is the Debate Club. Unlike some other clubs, the Debate Club offers a unique team environment. The Debate Club competes on weekends and practices every Tuesday, Thursday, and occasionally Friday. “While time-consuming, the club significantly improves public speaking confidence and writing skills,” as sophomore Morgan Hines explained, representing the Debate club. Hines discovered this club in her freshman year through Clubs in the Courtyard, and this year, she ran the debate table at the event. A notable factor from Clubs in the Courtyard, Hines mentions, is the amount of attention that the club got. “We saw about 20 new signups, a high number for debate, as teams are usually 6 to 8 people in total,” says Hines. “If all of those people are really interested in being a part of the team, we could be one of the largest teams in the state!” The increased interest marks a significant development from previous years. While candy may have enticed some students to sign up, the club looks forward to a competitive debate season.
Berkley High School’s drama club, Be Drama, stands out as a vibrant part of our school community. This club puts lots of time and effort into setting up and performing our play productions at BHS and includes the crew and performance group. Quinn Loree, this year’s Be Drama president, leads a team of students in various positions. “I took on a leadership role initially in my sophomore year, working as an assistant head of crew. From there, I have worked very closely with John Hopkins and other adults in leadership roles to work my way up to president.” As president, Loree enjoys a closer relationship with the club and takes a more active role in production preparation. Loree ran the Be Drama table at Clubs in the Courtyard this year and had a very positive experience. He enjoyed the face-to-face aspect and “conversations with students who were on the fence about joining.” The ability to explain what Be Drama is all about was one of his favorite parts of running the table. Loree also shared the club’s personal impact on him. ‘It’s made me much better at working with others and leading, while also helping me express a creative side I might not have discovered otherwise,’ he said, making a convincing argument for joining. The overall goal of Clubs in the Courtyard is to pique interest for people to be a part of the community, which was shown through the new sign-ups, specifically freshmen, to the Be Drama club.
To summarize, the event Clubs in the Courtyard is beneficial to both the student body and the community. Clubs provide a sense of belonging and accomplishment to making the school an overall improved environment where students can feel represented.
