Starting in August, Ashley Martinez, in company with four other officers, Olivia Thompson. Jally Zi, Brittney Luna Tovar, and Itzayana Moreno-Altamirano, along with Kenton Armbruster, had begun a student-ran psychology club at SHS.
The psychology club is a new club at SHS, in which any student who is wanting to learn more about psychology will meet and discuss any ideas they have relating to a topic of psychology.
This will be the first year in which Armbruster will start a student-led psychology club, but how did he get to this point?
During his sophomore year of college, Armbruster dropped his biology and chemistry major to delve into a psychology major.
His father, who worked as a teacher, was a mentor in Armbruster’s life, allowing him to volunteer at elementary schools and find enjoyment in working with students.
As a result of the pathway he took, he became a teacher at SHS, teaching both Social Studies and Psychology. With his enjoyment in working with students and his passion in psychology, he agreed to start a psychology club once a student of his, approached him with an idea.
“Ashley Martinez came to me at the end of last school year after the AP test was over with,” teacher and club overseer, Armbruster said. “She said she wanted to continue learning about psychology, and wanted to start a club here.”
“I thought a lot of people would enjoy learning about it,” Martinez said. “Because some people aren’t able to take that class, since they have to prioritize subjects like math and english, and I thought it would be very beneficial to everybody.”
The psychology club will be student-led, letting students bring ideas, subjects, questions and topics to the club, and profoundly discussing those topics, using research and presenting their findings to the group, if they feel passionate about a topic or another.
This club will share a variety of subjects ranging from sports psychology to social media misconceptions, as well as ADHD and autism misconceptions. Most of the subjects will be brought by the students as well as the officers.
The officers will have a major part in the club. The officers will be designers, social media managers, planners, and they will communicate with people, attempting to invite them as guest speakers.
“All of us are the ones that are in charge of everything the club does…,” Thompson said. “It will be very student-driven.”
As the club overseer, Armbruster, over the school year, will also invite guest speakers who are involved in psychology in some way, to come speak to the student about topics the students are discussing.
As the school year goes on, the new psychology club will be improving little by little and by the end of the school year, it might become a permanent club here at SHS, like many others.
“I do believe that it will continue,” Thompson said. “If people truly want it to continue, if people are truly interested in psychology, I do believe it will continue.”
“I really hope there’s someone to continue our legacy,” Zi said. “Cause, you know I am a senior and working with Olivia and Ashley, are also seniors, so I hope that maybe the other two members, or the other members, will continue on after we graduate and get more people entered into psychology,”
“I do think so,” Martinez said. “Because some of our members that have leadership positions in this role, will probably will take some of the higher positions in this club, and also I believe that there are so many people that are interested in psychology.”
