By Emily Bala & Klea Gjergji ’23
Community in Clubs is a series here on the Ledger where we join clubs in our school and dissect our experiences! Our goal is to encourage community involvement and spread the word about what students are doing! Scroll below for a summary or read on for a detailed view!
For this issue, we decided to join the Red Cross Club. The Red Cross Club is unlike any club yet, as it has promised to make each meeting extremely different from the others. Due to scheduling, we were only able to attend one meeting for this issue. However, in doing so, we became closer to getting First Aid Certified. The meeting had a slideshow presentation open for discussion. The environment was great as well, as everyone was engaged and interested in the material. We watched videos, asked questions, and got more insight into the medical field. Ersi, founder of the club, also expressed how meetings will work towards speaking with professionals, volunteering, getting hands-on experiences, getting certification, learning, and more. Additionally, unlike other clubs, membership is more relaxed. Since each meeting is different, members can show up for one specific event they are interested in, or all! This offers a relaxed environment for the club. Personally, this is hands down one of our favorite clubs yet.
We spoke to the Red Cross Club founder and advisor in order to get a deeper understanding of the club and experiences:
Founder Interview:
Q: What made you start this club?
A: I wanted to bring a club to BHS that was unlike any other. I know a lot of students who are interested in the health field, so I wanted to bring forth a club where we can all come together to learn, prepare, and give back to the community.
Q: What’s the overall goal of this club?
A: The overall goal of the Red Cross Club is to help its club members and the community in various ways. Specifically, we want to educate our members and teach them important life-saving skills (such as how to do CPR). Additionally, we want to give back to the community with service projects performed by our members.
Q: What do most meetings look like?
A: We do so many things at Red Cross that we do not have a “typical” meeting. One day we could be in training for a course, like First Aid for Severe Trauma. Another day we could be hopping on a bus and heading somewhere for a field trip. On other days we can be working on a service project, and so much more.
Q: What should new members expect?
A: A warm and welcoming environment where your ideas can be shared and you have a say in what gets done. In addition to this, new members should expect a club that teaches them valuable life skills you can bring out of high school no matter what.
Q: Who are the other founders/advisors? Is there anything else you want to say?
A: Mr. West (EMT teacher) is the club advisor. I wanted to specify what being a club “member” means. At Red Cross, you don’t have to show up to every meeting to be considered a member. We try to offer something for everyone so if there are only one/a few activities that interest you, that’s completely fine, too.
Advisor Interview:
Q: What drove you to be an advisor for Red Cross?
A: I was interested in advising the club for two reasons. First, I am teaching an Emergency Medical Technician class at Beverly High School this year and will be offering it again next year. I enjoy teaching EMT, First Aid, and CPR and would like to see as many people as possible be trained in caring for others in an emergency. Second, I was approached by Ersi Dake, a sophomore, who wanted to have a club that would help students learn more about medical careers. We met and chatted several times, looked at various club designs and opportunities, and found that the Red Cross model provided the elements that we needed as well as the flexibility to pursue other areas.
Q: What are your personal goals for the Red Cross?
A: The goals of the Red Cross Club are threefold: Education, Service, and Career Exploration. We will be offering club members and others training in First Aid, CPR and First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST). We will seek out opportunities to provide service to the community. Finally, we are planning educational sessions, both virtual and live, that will provide opportunities for discussing medical careers with people working in fields of interest as well as learning about the educational pathways to those careers.
Overall, the Red Cross Club offered an educational and engaging environment filled with people interested and passionate about the topic of each meeting. It’s interesting to see a club so different in its meetings, impactful, and practical.
If you are interested in the medical field, getting more volunteer hours, learning about first aid, CPR, getting certification, etc. make sure to join the club! Not only will it help you, but it could potentially help save someone’s life as well.
Summary & Key Info:
Club: Red Cross Club
Summary: The Red Cross Club works on providing opportunities in and around the medical field. The club also focuses on education, certification, learning, and more! Each meeting is different so it’s important to see and attend what is interesting to you!
Goal: Help community members through education, the learning of life-saving skills, and service projects.
When: Meeting dates TBD – contact the club email to be updated!
Where: Room 142B (Mr. Bren’s Room)
Contact Info:
redcrossclub@beverlyschools.org
