Clubs offer an opportunity to gather and discuss shared interests among friends. Students who form clubs have to dedicate their free time outside of school planning for meetings.

Examples of student-initiated clubs at Olathe South include the Cosplay Club, Chess Club, Quidditch Club and Yo-yo Club.

The Cosplay Club is led by founder Andrea Salinas, senior, and meets every Monday before and after school in room 1107. “We have about eight dedicated people each week; 2-12 drop in. We’re not a very strict club; just come when you can,” Salinas said.

Salinas was inspired to start her club this year because “Cosplay is a really unique hobby to have.” She had already tried to start the Cosplay Club for the past two years. “I was really dedicated to getting the club started. It was really easy to find other people to support me,” Salinas said.

When starting a club, students must find a teacher to sponsor their club, which can sometimes be hard. Salinas, however, had no trouble finding support.

She asked Kenyon Thornburg, math teacher, because he is “relatable to her.”

”I’m lucky to have a teacher I have such a good relationship with,” Salinas said.

Chess Club is another new club officially starting this year. Nathan Helgeson and Troy Curfman, seniors, are the founders of the club. Helgeson said he was self-inspired to start the club because he “always wanted to have a Chess Club at our school.”

Helgeson also did not have a hard time finding a sponsor; he asked Helen Hardgree, QUEST teacher. “Hardgree sponsors a lot of clubs,” Helgeson said. “I knew she would be happy to help me.”

The Chess Club meets every other Tuesday in room 906. The club communicates through announcements if the need arises. Currently, they have about 12 members and are open to accepting new members.

Students often want to share and express their unique hobby and passion with other students. So is the case with Hayley Murguia, sophomore.

Murguia is the founder of the brand-new Quidditch Club, which was sent in for approval about a month ago. Already the club has captured the attention of 10 students, and Murguia is searching for even more.

Quidditch is an up and coming sport taken from the book series “Harry Potter.” “If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you should come!” Murguia said.

Yo-yo Club is yet another started this year. Founded by Jacob Vaughn, sophomore, his club meets Fridays after school in room 107.

Originally, the club started with two people. Now, it has grown to five at each meeting. Vaughn’s yo-yoing passion includes sharing the knowledge and getting more people involved.

“I just wanted to share the love of yo-yoing,” Vaughn said.

Finding a sponsor with enough free time was a challenge, according to Vaughn. Eventually though, Lisa Bahr agreed to sponsor the club. “”She’s always been a fan of yo-yoing,” Vaughn said.

All of the founders agree that the freedom to start one’s own club is definitely an opportunity to not be overlooked. “If you have the idea, it’s certainly possible,” Helgeson said.

If none of the previous clubs sound appealing, there is always the option to take charge and create a brand new, personalized club.