The new Interact Club hungers to help the community

Watertown High student organization working with the Rotary Club, and helping stock local food pantries

Neila Magloire, Raider Times staff

Watertown High School has many extra-curricular clubs that students join each year. These clubs give students a free space before and after school to take part in activities and conversations that they feel are important to discuss and take part in. Among these are clubs is the Interact Club.

Interact Club is a chance for students to help and provide to local food pantries. They meet every Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. in the guidance office and they also work closely with the Rotary Club to come up with solutions and ideas to get involved in. 

Our main goal [in the Interact Club] is to help others and make an impact on our community.

— KAITLIN TRACY

The idea to start an Interact Club at WHS first came up when I was at a Rotary Club meeting two summers ago,” says Kaitlin Tracy, president of Interact Club. “After the RYLA meeting [Rotary Youth Leadership Award], I was approached about starting an Interact Club.

“At first, I was hesitant, but when I found out that an Interact Club can focus on whatever kind of community outreach they decide is most important, I realized that it was something we could really make our own.”

Here at Watertown High School, the Interact Club is taking part in the “Monthly Collections”. Every month, the club has a theme for the items they need to collect. This December is “December Necessities” and Interact collected toiletry items from WHS, Watertown Middle School, and the Watertown Public Library.

Interact Club also works closely with local businesses and organizations that focus on the need to help others. For the month of December, the Interact Club will be taking part in events to help the community and also raise awareness about the club.

In addition to our food drives, we will volunteer at events that Watertown Rotary Club organizes or helps out at,” says Tracy. “This allows for us to work right beside Rotary Club members while we are still helping our community. Some of these events have been the Senior Citizen’s Cookout, the Watertown Tree Lighting, and the Stop Hunger Now food packing event, and we are looking to also help out at Rotary Club’s Dancing With The Stars event.”

Overall, Tracy wants to bring attention to the club and the events it does and encourage students to join and take part in the club.

“I really want other people to know how flexible a club we are,” she said. “Because our main goal is to help others and make an impact on our community, we can do anything that falls under that, so if you have an idea, we would love for you to join us for one of our meetings!”

(For more information about Interact Club or ways to donate, contact Kaitin Tracy at [email protected] or [email protected] or join the Google Classroom. Code: wblv32.)

–Dec. 21, 2017–