by Jamira Ellison

Patterson High School has a variety of different clubs supporting the interests of students and preparing them for what they want to do as a future career. Some examples of student clubs at Patterson include Next Gen Learning Access (NGLA), the Patterson Press, E-sports, the Jonathan Ogden Club, and Chill Snowboarding.    

Mr. Sokolski (better known as “Ski”) is the advisor of the E-sports club.

“The E-sports [club members] play video games competitively, and the games we play are Super Smash Bros, FIFA, Madden 2K, Rocket League, and Brawlhalla.”, explained Mr. Sokolski.

“It’s a lot of fun, and the league is still trying to get going but they still play against other schools in Baltimore City. It’s a great social atmosphere and a great place to make friends.”, 

The club plays Super Smash Bros the most, but they are getting more players for the other games and they talk about potential future careers related to video games. Mr. Sokolski wants to focus more on that career aspect of E-sports as the next step for the club, so that students can have future careers in E-Sports.

Mr. Sokolski is looking for a co-advisor so the E-Sports club can expand.

“So far it is just me. I am the only coach for E-Sports but I could use another hand.”

All Patterson students are welcome to join the E-Sports club.

“You can find me in room 363. We meet Tuesdays or Wednesdays after school so feel free to come on down and join and have fun.”, said Mr. Sokolski.

For those who prefer more of an outdoor experience, there is Chill Snowboarding.

“The Chill Snowboarding program focuses on teaching kids how to snowboard.”, explained advisor Ms. Mahoney.

“They take weekly trips to the mountains to learn those skills.”

One goal they would like to accomplish this year is to apply for a grant to pay for the group’ s activities. Chill Snowboarding has qualified for this grant for the past 12 years and would like to receive it again this year.

Chill snowboarding isn’t necessarily a club in the traditional sense but more of a program. Students are hand picked to be invited to participate. Students can request to join but Ms. Mahoney mainly chooses 12th graders and sometimes 11th graders. Participants have to be athletic and be able to be picked up from where they meet at night.

To find out more about Chill Snowboarding, talk to Ms. Mahoney or Ms. Brooks (who also helps out with the program).

While many of Patterson’s clubs are fairly new, there are others that have been a school tradition for many generations. One such club is the Patterson Press.

“The Patterson Press is the official student newspaper and media club of Patterson High School that is written by students for students and has been around since 1943.”, explained club adviser Mr. Pesa.

“Students should join the Patterson Press because it’s a good opportunity to get their work published and make their voice heard.”, added Mr. Pesa.

“They’re also learning valuable skills that could help them in a variety of careers, and they get service learning hours.” 

The main focus is on reporting news about Patterson and the surrounding community, including sports, clubs, activities, and performances. They do that with by conducting interviews, taking photos and videos, and publishing original articles both in print and online at pattersonpress.org.

The Patterson Press also has plans to start producing news broadcasts that students and staff can watch on the TVs and Smart Boards in school, as well as on their YouTube channel. The club will collaborate with Mr. Antoine and the AV Club to to broadcast news to the whole school.

Beyond that, Mr. Pesa is trying to expand the range of articles and videos that the Patterson Press is creating. He is also bringing in a group called Wide Angle Youth Media to train his journalism students in photography skills.

The Patterson Press is looking for more students to join the club.

“I’m in Room 364, so anyone can come up and talk to me to join”, Mr. Pesa said.

Patterson has many amazing clubs that students can join to have fun, learn new skills, and prepare for the future.