For junior Heather Jaze, her social life is a prominent priority, and she expresses it through a method that is often stripped of its deserving appreciation: the clubs of FHC.

Heather has always tried to stay involved in the school community but has found great comfort in the hidden nook of the building where the art department sits. Her profound love for art was discovered last year when she joined the Art Club on a whim.

“[Last year], my friend told me that she was interested in joining a club,” Heather said, “so she got all of my friends and [me] to join, and [we decided] we were going to [join Art Club.]” 

The Art Club provides a serene and open environment that allows Heather to have creative freedom over her artwork. She finds this change of pace refreshing and utilizes the time to explore her newfound passion while also benefitting the school.

Throughout the multitude of murals the club provides throughout the school, the most prominent project Heather contributed to was the math-themed artwork in the doorway of room 227.

“[My favorite project in Art Club] is the time we painted Mrs. Stone’s mural,” Heather said, “We painted the planets on [the wall], and there [had been] another mural that was half started. It was our job to finish it, [so] we painted over it. [Originally], it was a dark blue. We painted it all black and did our sketches, and then we checked in with Miss. Stynes to get permission [to finish it].”

This endeavor soaked up a lot of the traditional experience that Heather was expecting, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Not only is Art Club supplying Heather with an outlet for her creativity, but also an excuse to hang out with her friends outside of her traditional school schedule.

“I like to have this time with my friends [because] I don’t have a class with all my friends [in it]—like my whole friend group—so Art Club is where we get to come together and hang out,” Heather said.

Although Heather is a member of the Art Club, she also plays a bigger role in the foundation as she is the designated secretary. She takes extra time out of her day after each meeting to discuss the future of the club.

Heather decided to run for the position of secretary to be more involved in the club as a whole and to fulfill her creative passions.

“I am the secretary of Art Club,” Heather said. “I’m one of the helpers in the hierarchy. We have a ‘king’ and we have a ‘King’s Council’ with four people in it, and there’s a secretary, me, and we all just help out and spread our ideas.”

Heather really enjoys her time spent in Art Club. Despite her enjoyment of the group, she still manages to find fun and community in other clubs of FHC as well. She has recently joined the Board Game Club. Similar to her experience with Art Club, she joined on a whim.

While testing the waters with other clubs this year, she determined they weren’t a good match for her; that was until she discovered the Board Game Club.

“Well, first, I went to [a different] club and I didn’t think it was fit for me,” Heather said, “so I told my friends we should check out [the] Board Game Club, so we went, and Mr. Colgrove was really nice and showed us everything we could do [in the club.] It also [gives me time to] hang out with my friends.”

Both these clubs that Heather is involved in let her indulge in the two most important things in her life: her creativity and her friends. She has discovered a unique way to combine both of these things to balance her social life and passions into one.

Previously, Heather had never recognized her artistry, but through these clubs, she has found an outlet to scrutinize these talents.

“I only had a little side of me that was artistic,” Heather said. “I think everyone has a little spark [of an artistic side], and I let it all out in art club. I am allowed to do anything with the supplies; last year, there were people that would just chill and draw their own personal art and talk with friends. If you weren’t painting a mural, that’s what you were doing.”

Both Art Club and Board Game Club engage the right side of the brain, and despite the fact that some may argue triggering the left side of the brain is more beneficial, Heather believes that being in touch with your creative side is important for herself and everyone else.

“Obviously, logistical and artistic traits are both important,” Heather said, “but, I think the logistical side is more serious, and not everyone is a serious person; everyone has their own thing. Art is important to every single person [because] it helps you let loose and be more creative, and it could help [people] with their logistical side. If you’re only focused on [logistics], it’s going to get boring. Maybe do some art and draw some doodles because it will help you better yourself.”