Chasing opportunities, preparing for the next step after high school and getting a taste of careers may sound stressful for some, but it’s easy to participate in such activities when all it takes is getting involved in any of the future-focused clubs that Kaneland High School has to offer.
Although Kaneland takes pride in their clubs by posting or communicating competition results over the announcements, the students’ attention seems mostly focused on Kaneland’s sports. Kaneland’s home Friday night football games are always packed, making it hard to navigate to the concessions, not to mention the clamoring student section. Students roar as the football team runs on to the field, and then they keep the stands lively with their endless cheers proclaiming V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Kaneland offers more than just sports that create good habits, as it offers clubs that can shape students into confident and successful young adults.
Kaneland offers Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), which is a club that allows students to experience marketing, finance, hospitality, tourism, business management and administration. In 2023, the first year DECA was offered at KHS after the COVID-19 pandemic, DECA had nine students. It has since grown to over 50 students who have officially joined. Members in DECA go to events where they practice networking and learn business skills. They also participate in competitions where they role-play problem-solving of a business scenario and take career cluster exams. DECA members get first-hand experience with a variety of fields within business. Dragoljub Gudovic, the club’s adviser, recommends DECA to any student because it gives members the opportunity to get experience solving problems and behaving and dressing professionally.
“DECA is the closest experience students will have to entrepreneurship and emerging leadership,” Gudovic said. “I have received feedback from students saying that DECA helped them in their jobs, college interviews and careers.”
DECA has no prerequisites and allows students to compete in regional, state and national competitions.
Another club that gives its members the opportunity to experience specific careers is Educators Rising. Educators Rising is a club for students interested in exploring the many different aspects of education, whether that is teaching, counseling, administration and more. Members of Educators Rising take field trips to visit colleges like Aurora University and Northern Illinois University. Members also have the opportunity to read to and prepare lessons and activities for the elementary school students in our district. Educators Rising adviser Kirstin Murphy believes her club implements social and leadership skills.
“Some members work with elementary students after school and volunteer in other organizations, so you learn a lot of life lessons,” Murphy said.
Besides clubs that specifically give you a taste of different careers, Academic Challenge for Engineering and Science (ACES) is an academic-based test-taking club. ACES members compete with students from other schools through tests in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering graphics, English, mathematics and physics. 14 members can be on the competing team, while other members compete independently. ACES participants compete in regional, sectional and state competitions. The tests are challenging and include college-level content written by professors.
“ACES is run by the students,” senior ACES member Lindsey Stoddard said. “It’s up to them to take their own tests and come prepared, which can help in college.”
Some ACES competitions are hosted at colleges, so members are able to experience what a day in college looks like, and they are visiting campuses they might want to apply to. ACES adviser Amanda Dekker believes ACES provides helpful experiences for college-bound students.
“Members are high-achieving students,” Dekker said. “So ACES is a good look on applications.”
Any club will give you different experiences, so it could never hurt to try one. Clubs are extremely beneficial in developing social skills and experiences for after high school, and Kaneland offers a wide variety of clubs that can give you a taste of that next step of your life.
