Girls dressed in their best clothes gather around tables, getting ready to eat and watch the new initiates officially join. The Texas High School Rosebuds Junior Garden Club has changed its initiation ceremony this year. It’s no longer a fully private affair.
On Monday, September 16, 2024, the Rosebuds will have their first meeting of the year at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. This event will double as the initiation ceremony for new members, rather than having a separate, more private ceremony.
“We decided to combine the Initiation Dinner and our first meeting,” advisor Jennifer Guffey said. “[This is to] allow the current members to be a part of the welcoming of new members and kick off the year.”
This new tradition starting for the girls seems like a big step. The event previously happened differently.
“[For] my initiation dinner, we went downtown, and culinary [students] prepared food for us,” senior Viridiana Escalera said.
It used to be a very different experience for the initiates. However, the new girls look forward to this event.
“I think it was a really welcoming experience,” sophomore Skylar Lee said. “I’m excited to actually join.”
Many girls express their excitement about the ceremony. The girls already in the club think that it’s a great experience.
“You meet a lot of people you wouldn’t be friends with if you weren’t in it,” junior Jalyn Crouch said. “It’s a good opportunity, and I think everyone should at least try it.”
Joining the Rosebuds remains a once in a lifetime experience. However, the ceremony isn’t everything that the girls look forward to.
“I’ve never really done anything like it,” sophomore Sidney Karr said. “It’s going to be a new experience for me and let’s hope it’s good.”
Nearly everyone involved in the organization has expressed their excitement for the initiation. The current and returning members enjoy partaking in the club festivities and happily welcome new members.
“I think it’s good to be involved in something like that,” Crouch said. “[It’s good to] be a part of a community in a different way and to be able to help.”
