The West Bend Current

By Ren Daute, Current Staff

The diverse clubs of the West Bend High Schools are ready to make a bigger impact, and they’ve done it by banding together.

On Sunday, Dec. 10, West Bend High Schools’ Multicultural Club teamed up with Latino Student Union, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA), Youth Impact Club, and Black Student Union to hold a rummage sale in the high school fieldhouse. The sale featured baked goods, club and community information, games and an opportunity for children to meet Santa. The clubs united to help each other raise money as well as make their presence more well-known in the broader community. 

Clubs at WBHS are responsible for their own funding, so many of these organizations hold events throughout the year to raise money for any additional activities they want to host or provide for their members.

However, not every club involved was fundraising this time around. Youth Impact Club, advised by Jaqueline Schmoldt, chose not to profit from the event, as they had already had their larger fundraiser, the Butterfly 5K Run/Walk, earlier in the year and did not need the additional funds.

“Our participation in the rummage sale is more for visibility and having an opportunity to connect with people about mental health and suicide prevention,” Schmoldt said. “It is a fundraiser for the other clubs, but for us specifically, we aren’t doing it for that reason.”

All of these clubs are in place to help students who are struggling or in a marginalized group find a place where they can belong. Students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and those struggling with their mental health might have a harder time than others finding their place, which is why students and teachers formed these clubs.

“All of our clubs are very different and very similar,” Barseana Simond, advisor of the Multicultural Club, said. “We all have students who bond with one another from the similarities and common interests that we all share. Though we are different we are setting an example for others of how we can all work together to give back to the community.”

The club advisors aren’t the only individuals who share this sentiment. Members of the clubs involved agree that collaborating to spread their message can help maximize their outreach.

“Establishing a connection between YIC, LSU, and SAGA is incredibly important because it blends the missions of all three groups together and spreads awareness about a multitude of topics,” Zach Church, West senior and president of Youth Impact Club, said.

Some clubs also feel that the rummage sale could have a bigger ripple effect not just on the community, but in the larger picture as well. SAGA, a club that provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth, has been fighting to spread awareness about the recent uptick in discrimination against queer youth.

“We’re fighting against laws that are being put in place against trans kids,” Sammo Pluta, West junior and member of SAGA, said. “We’re here to make everyone feel proud of who they are and how far they’ve come in this world.”

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(Top image: The Youth Impact Club’s leadership committee at the Dec. 10 rummage sale. From left to right: East junior Haley Hubert, West senior Zach Church and West social studies teacher and YIC adviser Jacqueline Schmoldt. Photo by Ren Daute, Current Staff.)