It’s a new year, and for many Paly students, that means new classes along with a whole host of new clubs. While older clubs like Science Olympiad and TEDx will still be around to collect new members, others will be making their debut. And even if you are not a science geek or a French fanatic, Club Day (Feb. 3) will have something for you.

[divider]For the writer: Anthro Magazine[/divider]

When & Where: Fridays at lunch in MAC 103 | Teacher Advisor: Mr. Satterthwaite

Anthro Magazine is the newest addition to Paly’s extensive journalism program. As a club, Anthro allows students to share their voices with the community without formally enrolling in a structured journalism class.

Although most of its articles are published online, the club hopes to publish a print edition by the end of this semester. Members will be able to express their opinions as well as political and social perspectives through their writing.

“Anyone, with any level of writing abilities, is encouraged to join because we want to include all student perspectives,” said junior and Anthro editor-in-chief Chloe Iglehart. “Because we are nonpartisan, we want a wide range of opinions and political views represented.”

Anthro is different from other Paly publications in that its primary goal is to enrich the sociopolitical and cultural values of the Palo Alto community through diverse  student points of view.

“With the many options of publications on campus, Anthro is unique in its mission to share the views of not only Paly students, but also others throughout the community,” said junior and managing editor Amira Garewal.

Anthro aspires to raise awareness on social issues and current events in our community through activism and open discussions.

“I’d say this club is necessary because it’s an open forum for students from Paly and throughout the Palo Alto community to express their opinions and ideas,” said junior Louisa Keyani, section editor of Anthro. “It also will hopefully keep students aware of the issues experienced by different students in our community, especially those that may not be talked about regularly.”

Recently, in an effort to expand its spectrum of diverse perspectives and get Paly students more involved with activism in the area, Anthro has been collaborating with #AgainstHate, a student-led organization at Stanford University that coordinates activism events among other activities. It hopes to expand its range of voices to Gunn High School in the near future.

[divider]For the environmentalist: Paly Green Club[/divider]

When & Where: Thursdays at lunch in room 218 | Teacher Advisor: Ms. Angell

With the disbandment of the Wilderness Club and the Environmental Club, Green Club is Paly’s only environmental club of the 2016-2017 school year. The organization meets twice each month, and it offers students the opportunity to enjoy nature and become involved in environmental activism.

“The point of the club is to give people the opportunity to both enjoy and help preserve nature, and to help create a more environmentally-conscious climate at Paly,” said junior Julie Cornfield, the club’s founder and co-president. “Now more than ever it’s really important that we work towards combating climate change. Even the little things we do in the club will make an impact, whether that means making Paly a more environmentally-conscious place or just teaching people to love and become advocates of the environment.”

The club divides its time between appreciating nature and advocating for environmental causes. Meetings focused on appreciating nature will introduce activity components such as making granola and decorating tote bags. They also will have off-campus activities planned such as hiking. The meetings centered around environmental activism will focus on volunteer opportunities and promoting environmental awareness around Paly.

“All of Paly’s environmentally-focused clubs that had existed in the past weren’t started up again this year,” Cornfield said. “I think that really says something about the regard that a lot of people have for the environment, even now when we should be worrying about it more than ever.”

Green Club is also unique compared to other environmentally-focused organizations at Paly in that it provides a space for different kinds of nature-lovers: those who enjoy connecting with nature, and those fighting to save it.

“My understanding is that [other] clubs were limited to either environmental awareness activities or fun nature activities,” Cornfield said. “Paly Green Club is kind of a blend of those two things. It caters to people with different types of preferences and has something for everyone.”

[divider]For the businessperson: Paly Marketing and Financing Club[/divider]

When & Where: Thursdays at lunch in room 852 | Teacher Advisor: Mr. Rowe

Paly Marketing and Financing Club is Paly’s newest business club, joining others like Entrepreneur Club, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Yet unlike FBLA and DECA, Marketing and Financing Club focuses specifically on educating students about how to invest their money wisely.

“We’ll do virtual stock trading simulations [and] future financing plannings,” said club President Jeremy Dou. “We believe that by doing this, we can have a better idea about how should we plan our future wisely and financially.”

Paly Marketing and Financing Club teaches students practical skills needed to navigate the stock market. The club also aims to prepare students who plan to study finance in college, as money management is a topic few high school classes even mention.

“We will be teaching you how to stock trade, which is a skill that can be easily utilized right now instead of a skill that might or might not come in handy in your future careers,” said Vice President Brian Xu.

However, learning about the stock exchange is only one of many useful skills that Paly Marketing and Financing Club teaches.

“Engaging with peers [makes] this experience limitless and extremely beneficial for everyone,” Dou said. “As we strengthen our knowledge about financing and marketing, we are also improving our mathematical thinking abilities, our social connections, and our future-planning abilities.”