Students munch on trail mix and sip noisily from their juice boxes as they watch the teacher work through the problem step by step on the board. Warm and inviting faces surround them, eager to help with whatever problem they have or don’t understand. Foldables and worksheets clutter the table in front of them.

With so many large organizations on the Texas High campus, it’s easy for a smaller club to get lost in the mix. Science Club has only been around for about five years, but has provided several opportunities for the students involved.

“We had a couple of outside professionals come to science club meetings last year,” Science Club president Raga Justin said. “They talked about their jobs and showed how science works in the real world and why learning it now is applicable to college. We’ve had doctors and engineers come in which was just a good way to connect the school to the broader realities of real life occupations.”

Jessica Sharp, Science Club sponsor and Biology/Chemistry teacher,  helped create the club when she started working at Texas High.

“There wasn’t a Science Club when I started working [at Texas High] and I wanted to change that,” Sharp said. “I got one of my students to help me recruit, and we got a great group of freshmen that also helped get people to join. We went from five to 25+ members in a matter of months.”

Although it is a smaller club, the students in it have been able to make a difference on the campus.

“Second semester, Science Club always tutors freshmen preparing to take the biology EOC,” Justin said. “A ton of members come to these and the peer-to-peer tutoring seems beneficial while also being fun. Mrs. Sharp always brings in some snacks, and it’s a nice, non-stressful environment.”

Science club members have started traditions within the club to promote unity among the students and benefit the club itself.

“At the beginning of the year, the officers get together to design a t-shirt for the year,” Justin said. “Last year they were really cute and most of the club members got one. We had a couple more people join after they were sold, so it was good publicity.”

Many club members have been in the club since the first day of freshman year, consequently, the familiar walls of Sharp’s science classroom have become a comfortable haven for them.

“I love getting together with the club for our morning breakfast meetings because we just get to eat and have fun before school,” senior Tucker Douglass said. “Through this club, I have made lots of new friends, most of the new ones being underclassmen. The club just feels really inviting and welcoming since everyone is good friends and enjoys seeing each other.”