There is something for everyone here at AVHS. Whether you’re interested in acting, journalism, science, math, or speech and debate, there is a club at this school that is right for you.

Throughout the years, there has been a strong and equal emphasis on academics, arts, and athletics at Apple Valley High School. For students whose strong suit is creativity, extracurricular clubs and activities provide a great way to pursue their interests.

“Clubs are nice because they’re intellectual challenges rather than physical ones,” said junior Luke Wagle, who participates in Robotics Club.

Clubs from 1976 included Declam, OEA (Office Education Association), Chess, DECA, (Distributive Education Clubs of America), Eagles Club, Ambassadors Club, NHS, Aerie, Media Techs, Grapevine, Health Careers, and Infospecs.

“We established a Fine Arts Council when the building opened,” said Nancy Grimes, former arts and activities director. “As we grew, we split it. There was a fine arts council, which was music and speech and things like that, and then a student activities council, which was things like NHS, science olympiad, and math league”

The original newspaper club was called The Golden Aquila and was ranked 6th in the nation by the National School Public Relations Association. This year it was revived as The Talon. As the years went by, more clubs popped up, like NAHS (National Art Honors Society), which started in 1996. NAHS continues today, painting murals in the community and face painting for many community benefits. Junior Alyssa Winkler said, “I have two passions: helping others and making art, and NAHS brought them together.”

There is a huge variety of clubs now at our school, from NHS (National Honors Society) — which has been around since the school’s beginning — to EaglEye, a recent addition. “I love that we have so many clubs” says Senior Allie Dallmann, who is in Book Club. “It’s nice to get out and meet new people from different grades and, of course, make new friends.”

Clubs and activities at AVHS have changed significantly since 1976, when the school opened. “In the 1970s it wasn’t always cool to belong to things,” said Grimes. “The biggest change is the amount of participation.”

Because of the increase in enthusiasm for involvement in clubs, more extracurricular activities are formed based on student interest. This was the case for groups such as GSA and Lego Club. If there are enough people interested in an idea for an activity, it has the potential to become a club at AVHS.

“There’s something for everyone,” said musical director Mary Sue Adey.  “It’s very rich in opportunities to participate. In addition, there’s always something new happening. Lots of creative energy.

Apple Valley’s clubs and activities provide students with an opportunity to pursue their goals and aspirations. Many students who are invested in a specific club at AVHS go on to have a career in that field, such as Jim Doughan and Maria Thayer. Adey said, “Many students have come out of the theatre program and have had careers in theater, television, film, engineering, and theater design.”

As Nancy Grimes puts it, “Anyone who doesn’t go here, you’re missing out. This is an incredible special place.”