GIRLS IN STEM CLUB
The Girls in STEM Club was created by physics teacher Dr. Elmarie Mortimer, who immediately recruited the help of senior Amelia Chan. With only two girls in AP Physics 2 and no girls in AP Physics C, the two saw an obvious need to change the statistics for girls involved in all STEM subjects. In the general population, a U.S. Department of Commerce study found that only one in seven engineers are female, and a study by Forbes found that women have not seen any growth into STEM fields since 2000.
“It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in STEM, but this is not because of a lack of interest,” Chan said. “Women are passed up for research opportunities, job promotions, and federal grants, and this discourages girls from pursuing science.”
The goal of the Girls in STEM Club will be to prepare women for an especially challenging field, giving them the resources necessary to bridge the gender gap. The club is open to all female and male students interested in furthering STEM education.and development for women.
YO GRANDMA’S RECIPE CLUB
There is nothing better than enjoying a home-cooked meal. But with so many different cuisines, your home-cooked meal is probably not the same as your neighbor’s. For senior Liam O’Connor, “being able to sit back and have some nice Cuban food just hits the spot.”
Inspired by both this feeling and the diverse backgrounds of Trinity students, O’Connor founded Yo Grandma’s Recipe Club: a potluck-style club in which members feast on dishes that have been passed through their families for generations. The foodies will meet on Mondays during lunch in Mrs. Aull’s room. O’Connor has extended the invitation to all Trinity Saints who want to bring their own food and share it with others.
Beyond just ensuring a delicious lunch, O’Connor hopes the club will “expose people to their colleagues’ cultures and show them that there is more to their family than they may have believed.” Just as the Yo Grandma’s Recipe Club is sure to bring families together to discuss traditional recipes, it will also allow the Trinity family to bond over delicious meals.
CHEMISTRY CLUB
Senior Jon Gant, who hopes to major in chemistry in college, was part of a team at Boston University this past summer that sought to develop new treatments for leishmaniasis, a type of neglected tropical disease.
While at BU, Gant learned of a national competition called the Chemistry Olympiad and wanted to bring a team to Trinity.
“Since we have a Science Olympiad team and a Dr. Mortimer sponsors a physics club, I was surprised that we didn’t have a team already,” Gant said.
The Chemistry Olympiad is sponsored by the American Chemical Society, which hosts three exams per year. Students who are successful at a regional-level exam move on to a national test, and a select few move on to an international competition.
The club, sponsored by Honors Chemistry teacher Carrie Lopez, meets every other week at break. Gant plans to do chemistry problem sets with the 30 members at meetings.
4 THE KIDS
Juniors Caroline Avery and Meg Parent’s new club, 4 the Kids, is all about making an impact in local kids’ lives. Avery was inspired to start the club after volunteering at the Winter Park Day Nursery. Looking for some help to turn her idea into a reality, Avery asked Parent and Mrs. Lopez to jump on board with the project. Both Mrs. Lopez, the club sponsor, and Parent were more than willing to help.
The aim of the club is to help local underprivileged kids by offering tutoring and collecting school supplies like backpacks and books. Avery and Parent also hope to organize times for club members to volunteer at places like the Women’s Center or the Winter Park Day Nursery. 4 the Kids is a B club, but club members will not meet every club time, instead spending more time running donation drives or volunteering out of school.
