As the year heats up, clubs are in full swing during the school week. Among them is a new face, the Filipino Club. Created by sophomores Sarah Pratt and Micah Castelo, the club aims to promote Filipino culture in addition to providing a social outlet for students at WJ. The Filipino Club’s first meeting was on Sept. 27 at lunch. Pratt and Castelo, also the club co-presidents, deem the gathering a success.
“A lot more people showed up [than we expected],” said Pratt. “It was pretty crazy [at the first meeting]. There was a lot going on, a lot of people, a lot of food. We’re hoping over the next few meetings that there will be a lot more organization.”
The founders hope to create a club that aids disaster victims in addition to having fun.
“[We want a club that is] seriously social and socially serious, because we want to raise funds and help out, but we also want to have fun at the same time,” said Pratt.
In the meantime, Pratt and Castelo hope to entice a wide variety of students to the club meetings. Their first meeting attracted a diverse crowd.
“[We want] every single student in Walter Johnson High School [to join],” said Pratt.
Castelo adds that only half of the current Filipino Club members have any sort of Filipino bloodline.
“It’s not limited to just Filipinos,” said Castelo. “A diverse club is nice. [We want] those who are interested in Filipino culture and also making new friends.”
A large marketing tool used to draw people in to the club was the offer of free food. At the first meeting, Pratt and Castelo brought noodles and doughnuts. However, they both acknowledged that it will be difficult in the future to regularly bring in food due to costs. Once the club is up and running, they plan to assign the responsibility of providing food to different members each week.
The club is still in the planning process, but some of the ideas being offered up include karaoke, selling Filipino food at WJ, participating in the Asian-American assembly and fundraising for typhoon victims in the Philippines.
While Pratt and Castelo gear up for their officer elections over the next few weeks, they know that a few things will remain constant.
“Collaboration, culture, crazy fun. Those are the three C’s of the Filipino Club,” said Pratt.
