By Erin Eagle ’17, Staff Writer

The wide variety of clubs at Newark Academy makes it difficult to choose just a few to join, but Art Club is definitely one to keep an eye out for.  Led by seniors Christina Lu ’17, Shannon Peters ’17, and Madison Jones ’17 with teacher advisor Mr. Torson, Art Club is now a huge asset to our school community.  After realizing that the club had previously been meeting only a few times a year, this year, the three ambitious girls took the lead, striving to pick up the pace and implement new initiatives.

So what is Art Club? Yes, you guessed it!  Art Club simply is a club that works on different types of art for specific purposes.  But, the executive board has made this club much more than just that.

According to Shannon, within the first year of running the club, the girls “Pretty much staked [their] claim as the new leaders” by organizing events including traveling to CareOne to color with patients for community service hours, decorating pumpkins for the Newark Academy Parent’s Association, and designing sneakers for a design-your-own Vans competition.  This year, Shannon is especially excited that the club has continued to grow in both recognition and popularity, as more students have showed interest in participating in its activities and meetings.  With the addition of using the printing press machine to create designs, collaborating with clubs such as the Entrepreneurship Club to decorate and sell pumpkins, and working towards participating in Relay for Life later this year, all three leaders are eager to develop the club during their last year at NA. At each meeting, you will find there is no set routine; the girls are constantly creating new, unpredictable activities to keep their members interested and excited.  They brainstorm new ideas, discuss possibilities with Mr. Torson, and finally, execute them.

In addition, Mr. Torson is pleased that the girls’ leadership roles within art club have really made a difference, commenting, “It has been nice to know that the Art Club has been in such good hands.  These ladies are passionate about making art and I know they think about different fun projects that can also tie into community service opportunities as well.  This year, for the more serious artists, we are exploring more complicated art forms like printmaking and encaustic painting too.”  Because Christina, Shannon, and Madison are graduating this year, Mr. Torson hopes that younger artists will take the lead and follow in their path next year, continuing to improve the club.

So why should you join art club? Lydia Yeshitla ’17, an active member of Art Club said, “I joined because I love relieving stress from school through art. I’m not able to fit art subjects into my schedule, so joining the club seemed like the perfect solution.  Decorating pumpkins and Vans was really fun, and I’m looking forward to using Art Club as a way to get involved in more fundraisers and to collaborate with other clubs.”  Lydia, like other members of the club, use club time to take a break from the high stress environment that the academic school year creates.  While Art Club is focused on using creative expression to help make a difference in multiple aspects of the Newark Academy community, such as service or to benefit other clubs, ultimately, it is made for the student who just needs to relax in a stress-free, creative environment.

The best part?  Art club is open to the whole community, so you don’t have to take an art class to join!  When you hear about the next meeting, I strongly urge you to attend and see what is in store!