While some clubs, such as honor societies, allow students to pursue their academic goals after high school, other clubs provide students with outlets of relaxation and down time to enjoy with peers. These clubs include the Namaste Yoga Club, the Baking Club, the Table Tennis Club and the Philosophy Club.

Namaste Yoga Club

The Namaste Yoga Club practices physical and mental exercises, which includes breathing techniques and meditation.

“[I] started [this] club last year as a freshman in the middle of the pandemic,” sophomore Swara Somu said. “It was hard to connect with people during class, so this was our way of meeting like-minded people.”

In addition to connecting with her peers, Somu also created the club to benefit her yoga schedule and keep her consistent.

“[I] had been doing yoga irregularly for the past year, so [I] decided to make the club [to] have a support group who [I] could do yoga with,” Somu said. “We also have professional yoga teachers come in to teach us—we wanted to provide the best yoga experience we could for everyone during such a stressful time.”

Somu encourages students to give the club a try, as the club was created to promote mental and physical well-being for everyone.

“Yoga develops body awareness, reduces stress, increases concentration and helps you understand the mind and body connection,” Somu said. “It is a great way to relax and wind down.”

The club hopes to do school-wide events in the future and introduce yoga and meditation to every student and faculty member.

In order to join, students can come to Mod 5 on Thursdays at 3:10 p.m. However, when there is a guest teacher and students would like to participate, they may have to sign a waiver ahead of time.

Students can message the club @chs_namasteyoga on Instagram or email [email protected] with any questions.

Baking Club

The Baking Club is a safe and fun environment where students can share recipes and learn new baking techniques and cooking skills with their peers. 

“I joined this club because baking is one of my favorite hobbies, and I wanted to learn new recipes,” junior Namya Kohli said.

In addition to developing new culinary techniques, students will also have the opportunity to explore different cuisines.

“In the future we plan to hold a cultural potluck where people bring foods from their cultures and share their recipes,” Kohli said. “This will help us learn more about different foods around the world and how they’re made.”

Students who want to join can message the club on Instagram and join the Schoology group (code – 6QN8-QD8H-3WBFB).

Meetings take place twice a month, where one of these meetings is a potluck and the other is a baking session. 

The Baking Club either meets in the auditorium or in the Academy (room TBA).

Table Tennis Club

The Table Tennis Club is a community where students can explore their interests in leisurely exercise, and even play competitively.

“I joined this club because I was always very interested in table tennis,” club president and senior Thomas Chia said. “I play at national competitions, and I thought that by joining this club I could help spread inclusiveness and positivity in table tennis.”

Chia hopes to increase the outreach of the club, with plans of friendly competitions in mind.

The club will be hosting competitions in the near future where portions of the proceeds will be donated to different charities.

Additionally, the club  hopes to get more equipment, including tables and paddles, so that more students can participate at once.

“After our two year absence from school, our equipment went missing,” Chia said. “We hope that the school would also allow us to use the pre-existing tables and equipment that the school owns.”

The club takes place in the cafeteria on Fridays after school, and those who want to participate can simply walk in.

Those interested can also follow their Instagram @chantillytabletennis.

Philosophy Club

The Philosophy Club holds discussions and debates over various philosophical questions. Before these discussions, the members participate in an interactive lecture to preface the topic of debate.

“This week, we discussed the mind versus the body,” co-founder and senior Samarra Rodriguez said. “[The members discussed] if [they] believed that [the mind and body] were different entities or if they were one interconnected entity.”

Rodriguez’s passion for philosophical thought drove her and co-founder CJ Tyrell to create the club.

“It helps me think deeply in an engaged and introspective way,” Rodriguez said. “I especially like social and political philosophy particularly in regards to race and gender. Both myself and CJ were very excited to create a space where we could engage with other individuals who also enjoyed philosophy or were interested in philosophy.”

The club acts as a way for students to strengthen their critical thinking skills outside of a strict academic environment.

“[Some of] the benefits of joining lie in developing the ability to think for yourself, learning to ask hard unanswerable questions and learning [debate] skills in a comfortable and relaxed setting,” Rodriguez said.

In the future, the club hopes to increase member turnout and possibly have guest speakers.

The club caters towards what the members want to talk and learn about, and may create an opportunity to have an event or go on a field trip. 

To join, students can just walk right in. Meetings take place two Thursdays’ of every month in Mod 4, Ms. Wydra’s room. Those who are interested in joining can follow the club on Instagram @philosophy.club.chs.