Do you want to make your mark in school history while also serving your community? To have access to business mentors and begin to network by fine-tuning your leadership skills? And, not to mention, to become the next Rotarian (that’s what members of the club are called), after the renowned Neil Armstrong, John F Kennedy, and Walt Disney?

If so, the Interact club here at PMHS is for students like YOU.

The Interact is a service club sponsored by the Rotary club of Patchogue that is perfect for students who are intrigued in developing their leadership skills and abilities simultaneously with serving their communities. The mission of this prestigious club is to organize service projects that will help those who are in need within the community.

We secretly spied on the initial Interact Club meeting to test out the waters, and we were pleasantly surprised. Ms. Galbo and Ms. Cap run the club, right in room 119. We had never been to one of the Interact meetings and were quite comforted by the welcoming environment.

Something that stood out to us during the meeting was the number of benefits joining this club would provide. You would have the opportunity to do a bunch of community projects and learn what’s happening not only in your local community, but also build an international understanding. In previous years (before COVID), the Interact club hosted a fundraiser for gift wrapping, held food drives, and created Easter egg hunts for the needy families of Patchogue. They are looking forward to doing much more this year, since they were robbed of the chance last year. The club hopes to host some sort of safe Halloween event, more food drives, and make a new garden (since their last garden was mowed over…).

Also, Rotarians would have access to business mentors, since the Patchogue Rotary has business leaders who are veterinarians, doctors, attorneys, accountants, teachers, social workers, and many more professionals. Joining this club would be the prime chance to network with professionals of your interested job and develop leadership skills. How cool would that be?

One way to develop these leadership skills is to become a club officer. When we were there, they had almost every officer position was available. Depending on what officer you are, you will have different responsibilities and will learn different skills. For example, the treasurer must maintain the budget that the Interact club has.

Something funny that happened while we were there was when Ms. Cap asked why we didn’t want to go for an officer position. We needed to make up an excuse since the real reason was that we were just spying on the club. So, Nicole said “I know myself and I am unreliable.” The teacher was suspicious and asked, “Does this mean you won’t come to the meetings?” Nicole realized she was cornering herself so she said “I may, or I may not. I travel through the dark of night.” Whenever you’re in a pickle, say something funny, it always works.

Another great thing about this club would be the great advantage you would have by having your membership on your college resume. By listing the Interact Club as part of your resume, it would really help you during the admission process and open the doors for employment opportunities. Also, by senior year you would get a badge, medal pin, and sash that would exhibit the difference YOU made in the community.

However, if there is one downside to the club it would be the fact that there are simply not enough people! Executive board members are greatly needed, along with more members in general, in order for the club to properly run its term and host events. So, YOU should head on over to room 119 and join!

Overall, this is a fantastic club that offers a multitude of helpful opportunities. Drag your friends along with you, see if you like it, and join ASAP! We guarantee that you will reap a ton of benefits and create a positive impact on the community, while also having fun!

***I’ll be club hopping all year to give readers more behind the scenes looks at all the clubs we have available at PMHS! Comment below if there is a club you’d like me to hop into to!***