The Wax Museum. The fifth-grade talent show. Some students at Norwalk High School have memories of their time at Lakewood Elementary School, and some students are making new memories by serving as leaders of the Lakewood Clubs.
Lakewood Clubs is a before school volunteer opportunity where high school students are matched with younger kids in a club based on their interest. Lakewood Clubs take place once a month. Teachers start off the club with a task and then high school volunteers help the students along the way.
“You never know anyone’s situation, so they could be struggling on something and you can be a beacon of light for them,” said Brayden Plourde, a Lakewood Clubs volunteer.
Recently the second half of Lakewood Clubs has started, where new clubs are open for the second semester. Many teachers and students said that they enjoy participating in their Lakewood Clubs.
“We have a lot of kids who are in sports – for example, a lot of soccer kids are in the soccer club – so they get to play soccer with kids that are in high school soccer, which is fun for them,” said Mrs. Ashbacher, who started Lakewood Clubs with Mrs. Brown a few years ago. “I think one of the cool parts is high schoolers get to choose interest areas, like the Taylor Swift club.”
Mrs. Ashbacher said that Lakewood Clubs are a good way for high schoolers to experience what elementary school is like now, and how it reminds them of themselves when they were younger. She also said that it’s a good way to become a leader and a role model for younger students.
“I think one of the best things is the amount of students we have participating in Lakewood Clubs from the high school,” she said.
Mrs. Ashbacher said that over 60 high schoolers have attended Lakewood Clubs this year and that there’s a ton of clubs that kids can join that fit with what they enjoy.
“I would say it’s a great chance to be a role model and just explore interest areas and get to mentor kids and be a part of that,” she said.” It’s once a month at Lakewood, so you get to go back and see the Lakewood teachers and you get to participate in an interest area or even learn something new.”
Mrs. Brown, a teacher at Norwalk High School, said that Lakewood Clubs benefits both elementary kids and high schoolers.
“Our goal has always just been to capture as many kids as we can to give them an opportunity to be a leader in a place,” she said. “We already have a lot of systems in our high school like student council, National Honor Society, other clubs, activities that kinda offer leadership, but we wanted to capture a general population.”
Brown said that anyone who is interested in being a role model or a leader would enjoy being a volunteer in Lakewood and how it’s fun to reconnect with elementary teachers.
“I know that a lot of them have really enjoyed seeing teachers or Mr. Larson, and when she was still here, Mrs. Anderson, to just kinda reconnect and kind of keep that bond,” she said. “It’s also really fun for the staff members to see kids that are grown up now from when they remember them in elementary school.”
Brown said that Lakewood Clubs is a low maintenance activity, doesn’t require many rules, and is a really fun way to connect to smaller students. She said that you can choose what club you want and how involved you want to be. She said it’s a good way to become a leader without having all that pressure and expectations, while also making an impact.
“Just because you go beyond Lakewood doesn’t mean that you’re not still connected to the roots of where you come from,” she said.
Brayden Plourde, a junior at Norwalk High School, said that he is a part of the golf club in Lakewood Clubs.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “Just being able to connect with the fourth and the fifth graders is always really nice, trying to be a good influence on them at a young age.”
Plourde said that he enjoys being in the golf club and that it is mostly boys, but he does sometimes see a mixture of kids involved that are very enthusiastic. He also said that during clubs, he teaches the kids how to putt, chip, and many other things in Lakewood Clubs.
“It’s always good that you are able to see the impact you have,” he said.
Plourde said that being a part of Lakewood Clubs reminds him of when he was a student at Lakewood.
“It’s kinda a throwback or nostalgic for me to go back there and see them have similar ideals, and just the way that they act, and I think that part has helped me connect,” he said.
Plourde said that being a volunteer at Lakewood Clubs has had an impact on him.
“I’d say it’s not just a good impact on me as a person,” he said. ”It also looks good on a college application, seeing that you’re able to try to help benefit the community around you, and that also just enhances the experiences even more.”
Plourde said that he plans on participating in Lakewood Clubs next year and that he would definitely recommend joining.
“It’s a great way to get Silver Cord hours and try to be a positive influence on someone’s life,” he said. “You never know anyone’s situation, so they could be struggling on something and you can be a beacon of light for them. I found that over the past couple of years, I’ve been allowed to connect with elementary kids, and I thought that this would be a good way to try and continue at Norwalk in my own community.”
