Here, at the High, students have the opportunity to partake in a plethora of extracurriculars all around the school. Some of these include our award winning chess team, B.A.S.E, Labre, and the National Honor Society. Since The High has so many clubs, many of our fellow Cubs find themselves involved in at least one, and in most cases a lot more than that. I spoke with some seniors one day during lunch to understand more about what their extracurricular activities are and what their roles in those clubs are.

The first senior I talked to was  Myles De Jong ‘23. Myles is part of the chess team and has been playing chess for 10 years. He’s made a name for himself around the school and city of Detroit because of this. At the High, he’s been part of the club ever since he got here in his seventh grade year and has seen himself climb through the ranks to become captain for a second straight year. De Jong states that, “even though it’s a team, anyone can be involved and anyone can join which makes it an even stronger team and builds a stronger community”. He’s also involved in B.A.S.E. and BeNice, and looks to continue growing communities all throughout the school.

Next, I got to interview David Washington, ‘23. Washington’s school involvement is in B.A.S.E. and the National Honor Society. As a part of NHS, he helps students at school through morning and after school tutoring as well taking part in other service projects around the school. David is also part of our school’s State Champion track team and competes in the high jumping event and is poised to have a stand out season yet again.

Finally, I had the opportunity to interview Jaden Jennings ‘23 and Julian Robinson ‘23, two leaders within B.A.S.E. They’re both heavily involved in the school’s athletic program as Jaden is one of the school’s best hurdlers and Julian is a varsity basketball player turned track athlete, ready to compete in his first season this year. They both took the time to speak with me about B.A.S.E. and the biggest idea that they wanted to share was how important this club is to them as African American students in a predominantly white institution, and sharing the idea that it’s really a special place for Black students to be amongst one another. Robinson put it, “it’s building a brotherhood inside of a brotherhood”. 

What I’ve noticed since I came to U of D my freshman year, during the fall of 2019, is that the school is at its best when everyone’s involved in extracurriculars, and that’s what I’m seeing take place in 2022, for my senior year. I’m looking forward to seeing what else our students and club moderators come up with for the rest of the year!