Thinking about starting a club? It's a great way to meet people with similar interests, do an activity you enjoy, learn more about an activity you're interested in, and gain leadership experience for your college application! But what are good clubs to start in high school? In this article, I'll give you a list of dozens of clubs you can start!
Why Would You Want to Start a Club?
There are many good reasons to want to start a club. I mentioned some reasons above such as meeting new people, doing an activity you enjoy, and gaining leadership experience.
However, another reason you may want to start a club is if you have no opportunity at your school to pursue an interest you have. For example, you may have a passion for film, but your school may not offer any film classes or have any film clubs. If that's the case, start a film club to pursue that passion!
Even if your school has a class or club in your general area of interest, you may want to focus your attention on a more specific topic. For example, perhaps your school offers an art course, but you're passionate about sculpture specifically. In that case, consider starting a sculpture club.
List of Clubs to Start at Your High School
Now that you know why you should start a club, what are some potential club ideas? I've sorted the clubs into ten main categories: eight subject area clubs, hobby clubs, and charity clubs.
- Subject area clubs are clubs that come from an interest in a subject area taught in school. I've identified eight subject area club categories: Art, Drama, Film, Science, Math, Literature, History, and Language.
- Hobby clubs are clubs that stem from an interest in a hobby that most likely wouldn't be taught in high school (such as chess, anime, video games, and skiing).
- Charity clubs are clubs that are linked to a specific charity with the goal of raising awareness, working for that charity, or raising money for that charity (such as Operation Smile, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer, and Becca's Closet)
NOTE: The category a particular club has been placed into is not important. I simply created these categories to organize this list. No one category is better than another. It's best to create a club you're passionate about no matter the category.
Below, I'll give you club name ideas along with a few ideas for activities the club could do. When you start your club, you don't have to do all of these activities. You may want to do the simpler, smaller activities first before trying to plan one of the bigger activities (such as an international trip).
Art Club Ideas
Sculpture Club
- Analyze famous sculptures
- Work on your own sculptures
- Get feedback on your work from other club members
- Plan a trip to a local museum
- Plan a spring break trip to Florence, Italy to view sculptures in person
Photography Club
- Analyze famous photographs
- Take group trips to picturesque spots to snap some photos
- Create a dark room where you develop photos
Art History Club
- Members can present one of their favorite pieces of art for the club to discuss
- Visit local museums
- Plan a club spring break trip to Paris to view art in person at the Louvre
Art Review Magazine
- Start a magazine
- Review famous pieces of art
- Hold contests for student artwork to be published in the magazine
- Write reviews of local art shows
Drama Club Ideas
Shakespeare Club
- Each semester read a different Shakespeare play and put on a production of that play
- Plan a club spring break trip to Stratford-upon-Avon
- Hold a Shakespeare festival
- Host a contest for the best Shakespearean monologue or a writing contest for a Shakespearean sonnet
Classics Club
- Each semester read and perform a new classics play
- Plan a club spring break trip to Italy and Greece to see where Classical writers lived
Monologue Club
- Help students find classical and modern monologues they like
- Have students perform their monologue in front of the group
- Give them feedback and ideas on how to improve the monologue performance
- Perform all the monologues once per semester
Comedy Sportz Club
- Host competitive improv games
- Split into different improvteams and hold a competition at the end of the semester or year
- Bring in judges who will score each team (similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway)
Improv Club
- Teach club members improv (either by hiring an improv teacher or by reading a book like the Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual)
- Play improv games
- Put on improv performances once per semester
Film Club Ideas
Foreign Film Club
- Watch a new foreign film at each meeting and discuss it
- Host a foreign film festival, encourage club members to create their own short foreign films
- Plan a club summer break trip to the Cannes film festival
Screenwriting Club
- Read a famous screenplay every week
- Analyze why the screenplay was a success or failure
- Read a book about screenwriting (such as Save the Cat)
- Have each member pitch loglines and develop outlines for a screenplay
- Give them feedback, then read the screenplay drafts to the club
- Host a staged table reading of each member's screenplay
Directing Club
- Watch and analyze the works of famous directors (Hitchcock, Fellini, Spielberg, etc.)
- Hold a film festival for student's short films
- Host a movie marathon fundraiser for charity
48-Hour Film Festival Club
- Organize a 48-hour film festival (over a weekend or school break) where teams are given a topic for a short film and then have 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit the film
- Screen the short films at a festival
Science Club Ideas
Future Scientists Club
- Bring in scientists to discuss their profession
- Plan a club trip to a local lab
- Discuss the latest scientific research at meetings, plan science fair projects, get feedback from other members on your science fair project
Marine Biology Club
- Bring in marine biologists to discuss their profession
- Watch videos about interesting sea creatures
- Plan a club trip to a marine biology center
- Set up a volunteer beach clean-up (if you live near a beach)
- Hold a letter writing campaign or get signatures for the Save the Whales Foundation
Future Medical Professionals Club
- Bring in doctors and nurses to discuss their professions
- Plan club volunteer activities at a hospital
- Set up job shadowing with a hospital for club members
- Host a toy drive for your local children's hospital
Math Club Ideas
Math Homework Club
- Host a free tutoring service for students who need math help
- Volunteer at middle schools to help kids with their math homework
Pi Club
- Hold contests for who can memorize the most digits of Pi
- Hold a Pi day lecture on the concept of pi
- Hold a Pi day bake sale where you sell pies for charity
Literature Club Ideas
Literature Magazine Club
- Start a literature magazine
- Write reviews of newly published books
- Hold a contest to publish a student's short story
Creative Writing Club
- Members can present a piece of creative writing they wrote or enjoyed reading
- Give feedback and advice on other members' writing
- Publish the best creative works in a magazine at the end of the year
Book Club
- Assign a book each month for the club to read
- Meet and discuss that book the following month
- Hold a book donation drive for the local homeless shelter
Foreign Book Club
- Enjoy reading books in translation? Consider starting a book club where each month the club reads a different translated book (try to read a book from a new country or continent each month)
- Meet and discuss that book the following month
History Club Ideas
WWII Club
- Discuss different aspects of WWII each week
- Bring in a WWII veteran to discuss their experience or a WWII historian to discuss their knowledge
- Plan a club spring break trip to Normandy, Paris, and Berlin to visit important WWII sites
- Host a WWII trivia contest where teams compete to see who has the most WWII knowledge
Ancient History Club
- Discuss different ancient cultures at each meeting
- Bring in an Ancient History specialist to discuss their knowledge
- Plan a club spring break trip to Egypt, Rome, or Greece
- Host an ancient civilizations costume contest for Halloween
Language Club Ideas
French/Spanish/Chinese/Foreign Language Club
- Speak only in that foreign language at club meetings
- Host traditional cultural events for (i.e. Chinese New Year Party)
- Offer free tutoring to students who need help with that foreign language
- Plan a club trip to a country that speaks that foreign language
- Read a book written in that language each semester
French/Spanish/Chinese/Foreign Cooking Club
- Speak only in that foreign language at club meetings
- Learn to cook a new dish from that culture
- Host dinner parties or trips to restaurants
Hobby Club Ideas
Anime Club
- Learn to speak some Japanese
- Read anime and discuss it as a group
- Watch anime tv shows and movies
- Plan a club trip to an anime convention
Chess Club
- Host a chess competition between members
- Bring in chess masters to discuss chess strategy
- Watch famous chess movies and documentaries
Video Games Club
- Host a video game competition
- Discuss the evolution of video game technology
- Bring in a person who works at a video game company to discuss possible careers in the video game world
Skiing Club
- Plan a club trip to go skiing
- Watch skiing competitions together
- Bring in a professional skier to learn about their experiences
Democrats/Republicans/Independents Club
- Discuss new political events
- Volunteer for a campaign
- Host a public viewing of a political debate
- Plan a political rally
- Gather signatures of support for a bill
Political Magazine
- Start a magazine to analyze campaigns
- Discuss important bills and political issues
- Interview local politicians
Religion Club
- Start a club where people from different religious backgrounds can discuss their similarities and differences
- Each week a different person can present information they think other members may not know about their religion
- Bring in religious leaders (Imams, priests, rabbis, etc.) to discuss their jobs
Adventure Club
- Plan weekly or monthly outdoor activities (hiking, biking, camping, fishing, etc.)
- Plan a club spring break camping trip to a National Park
- Volunteer to plant trees in a local park
- Bring in a conservationist to discuss their job
Charity Club Ideas
Operation Smile Club
- Host fundraisers to raise money for Operation Smile to provide free surgeries to children with a cleft lip
- Organize a walk to raise awareness for cleft lips
- Bring in (or Skype with) a child who received help from Operation Smile to talk about how the surgery changed their life
Breast Cancer Awareness Club
- Help plan a walk to cure breast cancer in your area
- Host a school-wide fundraiser
- Bring breast cancer survivors in to talk about their experiences.
Children's Hospital Volunteer Club
- Organize volunteer opportunities at a local children's hospital
- Host a book donation drive to collect books to donate to the children's hospital
- Host a bake sale to raise money to donate to St. Jude Children's Hospital
Soup Kitchen Volunteer Club
- Organize volunteer opportunities for club members at a local soup kitchen
- Host a toiletry collection drive to donate to your local homeless shelter
- Host a food collection drive to donate to the soup kitchen
Save Endangered Species Club
- Organize volunteer opportunities for club members at local animal shelters
- Host a fundraiser to donate money to the WWF
- Visit a wildlife rescue center
- Plan a club spring break trip to see endangered species in another country
Top 3 Tips for Starting a Club
Now that you have some ideas for clubs to start in high school, how do you go about actually getting one up and running? I'm going to give you my top three tips for starting a club, but for more details, including recommendations on brainstorming a club idea, registering the club with your school, running meetings, and more, check out our full explanation of how to start a club.
Tip #1: Make Sure You Have the Time and Effort to Dedicate to Your Club
When you start a club, you're not only going to have the duties of President of that club (organizing meetings, delegating tasks, etc.), but you're also going to be responsible for developing the club. You'll need to figure out the rules and purpose of the club, recruit members, plan events, etc. You need to put in a lot of work to start an effective club that will continue running after you graduate.
Tip #2: Start a Club That You're Passionate About
If you're going to be spending all of this time starting a club, make sure it focuses on something you enjoy! You need to be excited about the club in order to convince other people to join. If you don't like your club, why would other people join?
How can you decide what type of club you would be passionate about? First, think about what you enjoy doing. What is your favorite class? What are your hobbies? Do you have a new skill you'd like to explore further? Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about? Is there a cause you care about? It's likely that one or more of your answers can be developed into a club.
Tip #3: Follow Through on Your Club
Make sure to register your club with the school. Next, plan the first meeting, and post fliers with the meeting date around your school to spread the word about your club. At your first meeting, discuss the purpose of the club, what major events you'd like to plan, and then hold an election for board members (president, treasurer, secretary, vice president). You're now well on your way to running a successful and interesting new club!
What's Next?
Once you've decided on your club, how do you actually start it? Check out our step-by-step guide on the 8 steps to starting a club for everything you need to know!
Interested in learning more about other potential extracurricular activities? Learn about Model UN and how to join your high school newspaper.
Looking to get started on SAT/ACT preparation? Check out our ultimate SAT/ACT study guide schedule and plan!
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