Art Club carries on during pandemic
Courtesy of Honora Martin
One of Art Club’s projects is a mural outside the Arts and Science building. Although the club cannot currently meet in person, they are working on plans to continue beautifying the school.
The Art Club is a great place for students to socialize and do what they enjoy, however, they have run into some struggles recently. The COVID-19 pandemic has made a lot of changes to many aspects of students’ daily lives, and clubs are one of them.
While the club gave students the option to just hang out, it also encouraged students to get involved and help make the school a better place. The club gave its members the opportunity to partake in projects around the school however, these plans have since come to a halt.
This year, Art Club had plans to make anti-vaping posters, help the children’s hospital and even create a mural in the cafeteria. But most importantly, they were going to paint the school bathrooms.
They weren’t going to simply repaint it, they were going to beautify it. The club was going to sketch a drawing on the stalls then paint it.
But why did they plan on glamorizing the bathroom in the first place?
“I just wanted to help make the school a better place to be for everyone. I like painting in general and if it makes a better environment for other people then it makes me happy too,” Leela Comstoc, ‘23, said.
The club’s president, SENIOR Ridwan Haque, hoped it would bring in a sense of happiness and moral support. However, with COVID-19 in the mix, this project was put on pause. There can’t be a lot of kids in a small bathroom given the circumstances.
At the moment, the club is working with the school, but nothing is set in stone. Haque worries about the safety of students who continue this project.
“We’re making sure that everyone’s on the right page and we’re just considering kid’s safety,” Haque said.
However, there may be benefits to this situation if the club is allowed to work in the school.
According to SENIOR Micah Ballard, fewer people in the building and the ability to work in the bathroom constantly could make this project easier. The club also had to deal with kids defacing the stalls, which led them to have to repaint. This would no longer be a problem in this new situation.
These are not the only issues they dealt with. Many of the club’s students struggle with communication, which seemed to be one of the bigger issues. The only way for the members to contact each other is through their discord server. Not all of the members joined it before the pandemic. Those who are on discord don’t check in that often.Despite all this, the club is doing its best and is still a fun place for WHHS Students.
Haque has started an October Season Challenge in an attempt to get more involved with the club’s members. Each week the members will draw according to a selected theme. Haque believes it is a safe way for the members to have fun and tap into their creative side.
Honora Martin, ’23, hopes that everything will be sorted out. “It’s basically like a little community, especially among us poor kids,” she said, “We’ve done a lot of good projects so I’m really hoping that we can keep doing that.”
Despite the curveballs that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown at the club, Comstock still feels like they are as good as ever. “Everyone’s still pretty nice and active and everyone is sharing their art and ideas and I think it’s pretty great still,” she said.
Art Club continues to prosper during these tough times. It is still a fun place for art lovers to socialize and enjoy themselves. Despite these struggles, it remains a pleasant place for students.
For those who are interested in joining, the discord link is https://discord.gg/c39PBJV.
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