Once the 2018-2019 Club Fair commenced during both lunches on Sept. 14, students of all grade levels and academies were invited to explore numerous displays of the school’s clubs. The purpose of the event was for the clubs to attract potential members by providing students with information on each club. This variety of clubs allows students to experience more of what Coral Gables Senior High is really about, which is exploring different interests and being a part of everything that you love. The fair enables students to join any branch of the Gables community where they will be openly welcomed, and it gives students the chance to participate in extracurricular activities outside of sports.

Leading up to the Club Fair this year, many students had high hopes and expectations as well as a strong sense of anticipation for what was to come. This was due to the fact that this year, not only would there be the variety of the standard options to choose from, but there would also be several new additions to the list of clubs. A few of the prominent new clubs would be the Political Activism and Civic Engagement (PACE) Club, Unified Champions Schools (UCS) Club and a rebuilt First Priority Club, which would provide students with the opportunity to get further involved in both the school and the local community around them.

PACE is a bipartisan club aimed at giving students who are interested in or passionate about politics the opportunity to learn more about the political processes and campaign activities, as well as different ways to get involved personally. PACE will assist students in becoming politically active by connecting them with figures on both the small and large scale and through potential internships or volunteer work. It encourages people to join and participate, welcoming all.

“I feel PACE is especially unique because there really is not any other club like it at Gables, and while it is easy for many to say that high school students are not politically active, I feel it is simply because they have never been given the chance to get involved in politics, which is exactly what PACE is looking to do,” senior Nikita Leus-Oliva said.

UCS is an educational and sports program designed to promote inclusive movements in high school for the school’s special needs population. This club looks to get special needs students more involved in sporting events just like the rest of their peers on all levels of athletics. Initiated by junior Daniel Toll, UCS looks to give students the opportunity to engage in activities that, if not for the club, may be otherwise out of reach. This club looks to make a definite impact on the school and the community within and will surely prove to be a very rich experience for everyone involved.

First Priority is a club designed to bring the faith of the church onto a school setting, with the main focus being on the gospel and its application in our lives. It serves as a place for believers and non-believers to come together in a non-pressurized environment, exposing students to the Word of God and allowing them to possibly start a relationship with Christ without anything being forced upon them.

“We provide the information and the knowledge of the Bible and then it is up to them to respond, so it is really cool in that it allows students to discover the faith in this way,” senior Douglas Ponce, the president of the club, said.

Ultimately, the sprouting up of new clubs at Gables points directly back to one of Gables’s main characteristics, which is to provide students with opportunities to get involved in what they are passionate about. Furthermore, students should be able to connect with other students from all across the spectrum of the school, and this is one of the most positive effects that clubs have at Gables, as they connect students with the same interests regardless of academics or grade level. So with high expectations, many at Gables look to see how PACE, UCS and First Priority, along with the assortment of other clubs, thrive within our spectacular community.