By Kimberly Del Angel
Class of 2013

Upon first glance you have to admit, Coppell High School is a pretty intimidating sight. You have wall after wall – even bathroom stall doors – plastered with colorful advertisements for strange organizations you have probably never heard of.

As a freshman it is important to recognize that participation in extracurricular activities (such as the 75+ clubs available to you on campus) will play an important role in the college application process and will set you apart from other applicants when applying to prestigious school organizations such as Teen Leadership Coppell and Red Jackets.

But aside from the benefits these clubs can have upon your résumé, participating in a club allows you to find your niche amongst the roughly 3,000 other students that attend CHS. These clubs can help you develop new skills, learn new hobbies and even shape your career path beyond high school.

Now to the question you have been dying to ask: What are these clubs and organizations, and how do I know which ones are right for me?
Have no fear, freshmen, here are a few to get you started.

STUDENT COUNCIL:

If you are the kind of person that likes to take charge of your classmates, set an example for others and take part in the decision-making that goes on around campus, then student council is for you. This organization encourages students to be leaders by allowing them to take part in community service projects as well as manage most duties during homecoming week, including the annual

Homecoming Dance theme and T-shirt design.

JUNIOR WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL (JWAC):

This organization is dedicated to helping students at CHS develop insight and understanding of other cultures in order to promote diversity and keep up with international affairs. JWAC Coppell is a branch of the International Education Initiative of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, which currently has 45 other branches in the area. As a member of JWAC you will be able to help plan and craft the annual Heritage Night in February, and maybe even showcase your own culture.

BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS OF AMERICA (BPA):

Do you have a passion for business management, office administration, information technology or other related career fields?

BPA is a “co-curricular” organization that supports business and information technology educators by providing them with a curriculum based upon national standards. Students will then use their knowledge to compete in several local, state and national competitions. In the past year alone, six CHS students traveled to Chicago to compete at the national level.

STUDENTS AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS (SADD):

SADD, or Students Against Destructive Decisions, is an organization focused on educating students

about the harmful and life-threatening choices they may face in the future. The club was founded in 1989, and has since worked with students to prevent alcoholism and drug abuse amongst teens through posters and advertisements.

In addition to advertisements, every other year SADD hosts Shattered Dreams, a dramatization of an alcohol-related car crash in association with the Coppell police and fire department. Its purpose is to provide students with an accurate account of what kind of physical and emotional damage an alcohol-related crash can cause, with the aim to make students more cautious in the future.

THE SIDEKICK: 

The Sidekick is the student newspaper at Coppell High School. Students on staff write articles, take photographs and design pages for the six yearly issues. There is also an online form of the publication that is updated daily, which can be found at www.coppellstudentmedia.com.

This class is the perfect fit for students who enjoy reporting, photography or hope to pursue a career in the media and communications  field. The Sidekick has been recognized on both state and national levels at competitions hosted by The Dallas Morning News , International League Press Confrence (ILPC) and the annual Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association national convention. This past school year The Sidekick online was the second place winner in the Best of Show category at the JEA/NSPA Spring Convention in Seattle and finished as a Pacemaker finalist. In addition, many students won individual awards at The Dallas Morning News  High School Journalism Day; the paper  won Best Newspaper for the second year in a row.

To join this organization you must have the prerequisite, Journalism A, but Journalism B is also strongly encouraged. There is an

application and interview process for those interested in joining the staff.

KCBY-TV: 

KCBY-TV is the school’s media broadcasting organization. Along with adviser Irma Kennedy, students produce a weekly show similar to a news channel that is played for students during fourth period on Fridays.

The show includes updates on campus news and upcoming events. They also have a special features section that provides students with comedic sketches. KCBY-TV travels to a national convention each year to compete against schools with videos they create on-location. This past year the convention was held locally in Dallas and KCBY-TV returned home with several awards.

Prerequisites for this class include Journalism A and Intro To Media Technology.

HEALTH OCCUPATION STUDENTS OF AMERICA (HOSA): 

HOSA is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of ACTE. The focus of this group is to promote career opportunities in the health care industry to students.

In this organization students will work through the year to learn more about the medical field and to participate in local, state and national competitions. This is a great extracurricular to get involved in if you plan to get involved in a medical career or are just looking for extra exposure within the field of medicine.

GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE (GSA): 

After struggling to get recognized as an official club at CHS, the GSA was finally approved this past year. The club works to educate students over gay, straight, bisexual and transgender orientations, as well as provide a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation and work to end homophobia.

The GSA brings many speakers in to discuss topics such as GLBTQ history. This upcoming year they are looking to organize a “Pride Week” or an “GLBTQ Awareness Event” and offer a series of educational workshops, panels and pride celebrations. They have previously participated in the Day of Silence, a day when participants remain silent all day as a way of acknowledging the silence induced by homophobia in our society.

Whether you are struggling with your identity or not, the GSA is an ideal group to join to help reduce homophobic bullying in the hallways or learn how to become more accepting.

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If none of the clubs above seem to interest you, there are many more to choose from below. If you have a unique club idea, students are always free to form their own club. For further details on how to start a new club at CHS, contact Assistant Principal Sean Bagley at sbagley@coppellisd.com.

Clubs offered at CHS

*The clubs listed above are in accordance to the 2011-12 school year and may be prone to change the following year.