United by their interest in reading, Holden Harris and Sanjana Singh created a club last year as freshmen, supervised by Ms. Tori Schlenz in classroom D10. Harris and Singh are presidents on the club board, along with Brooklyn Takahashi as vice president and Aubrey Buffum as the social media manager.

“I wanted to start a club last year. Holden and I called it the Literature Speaking Club because we both loved books and wanted to have an interactive club where people could bond with others over their favorite works of art,” Singh said.

The club mainly focused on the reading and discussion of various novels, one being “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson.

“We had a whole suspect list, and it was an activity that we’d work on, having theories, and it was super fun,” Harris said.

But this year, the presidents have shifted their focus off of books and more to the social aspect of the club. 

Seeing that many of its members wouldn’t participate in reading chapters of the books, Harris and Singh decided to take the club’s focal point in a different direction. They advertised this change both through Club Rush and their Instagram page. 

“As the club evolved, and they found what they liked to do, it just kind of progressed into something more social. I kind of love that aspect, getting to know the kids more, getting to hear more of their stories and things like that,” Schlenz said.

This new change has also found favor with many of the club’s participants who enjoy having time to relax with friends and take a break from the stresses of upcoming tests. It also provides students with a group of people on campus that they can feel connected and involved with.

Schlenz now describes the club’s new atmosphere as “super fun, energetic, lots of laughing, lighthearted and kind.”

Meetings usually include snacks, a slideshow presentation on current social events on the Whitney campus and either a movie or games. Some games played at meetings could include Kahoots, charades or even Dress to Impress.

“Last year it was a little bit more formal and educational,” Singh said. “This year it’s way more laid back and we give a little more space to our attendees and give them their own time to chill and listen to music. We don’t exactly do nothing, we talk about things going on around in the school, and a lot of kids meet new friends through our club, which is nice to see.” 

Going forward, Harris and Singh want to continue as presidents of the Sweet and Social Club and hope it can become a safe space for many of their fellow students.