A great way to get involved with community service is by joining Interact Club at Portsmouth High School. There are meetings every Thursday during lunch in room 305. There are new activities every month posted to the Google Classroom and discussions at each meeting. 

If you are looking to get involved and get some community service hours, Interact Club is perfect for you. “The club is all about volunteering, she has been a part of it for about 15 years now and said kids are joining all the time,” said Ms. George, the club’s advisor and a PHS science teacher. 

Senior Gabby Rothstein, a board member in the club said she got involved because she “Heard about the connections between MC3 which is a program that Interact has helped me get very involved in and I still go to MC3 every week.” MC3 is an after school program at New Franklin Elementary School where Rothstein volunteers there and runs a dance club for the students. “[MC3] is also a club devoted to community service and service over self. I started coming to meetings and there were all these volunteer opportunities that resonated with me.” 

So far some of the Interact Club activities throughout the year have been October’s Trick or Treat for canned goods where $1,416.98 worth of goods were donated. November held a SPCA event, and December was focused on filling holiday stockings for CrossRoads and the Chase Home. January and February held a bake sale and fudge sale raising $625 for St.Jude’s. In March, the Interact Club held a Waypoint Sleep Out for homeless youth. 

In April, the club will have a spring cleaning collection for Operation Blessing, and they are currently planning what to do in May. And then lastly in June, Farewell Party for Seniors. The google classroom is updated with the events and information. 

“The officers of the club are the ones that do all that work and find/schulde events for the club members to get involved in, you would always have to talk with them and I am here to support them,” said George. 

Some of the main events students love to participate in are the events they have around the holiday season. “The past 2 years I have done the Christmas tree unloading and Christmas tree sales throughout the Portsmouth rotary. Also organizing the stocking collection and drive for kids at operation blessing and the chase home and then recently this year the sleep out fundraiser,” said Rothstein.

There are a few member requirements that students in the club must follow: you must attend a minimum of two meetings each month; you need to participate in at least one community service activity each month; you must participate in all Club fundraising activities; you must try your best to participate in either Rotary’s Christmas tree unloading and/or Christmas tree sales; and you need to log your hours on the form. 

The weekly meeting outline starts off with attendance, read the four way test which is four things we say and do in Interact club. 1. Is it the truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Then we have weekly announcements, and then closing statements. 

Interact Club is a great club to get involved in, and anyone can join and sign up for any activity they would like to do. Currently there are approximately 50 members, and it’s growing. 

“The club is about service over self and really doing things to help other people be a part of something bigger that you are and bigger than the school because you go out into the community and do these things. I think there is a purpose and an intention to everything that the club organizes and it’s a really good organization to become a part of,” said Rothstein.