Looking for a new fun activity? Well, look no further, Verrado officially has its very own Home Ec club!

With Josie Owens as treasurer, Ava Sehm as vice president, Jillian Ryan as president, Layla Blair as secretary, Giuliana Dascoli as historian, and Gabrielle Olson as social media manager, the club teaches members important life skills such as cooking, sewing, money management, and more.

Just this past Friday, club attendees made pancakes and added all sorts of toppings, both learning how to make a meal and enjoying a delicious late breakfast!

I spoke with a representative sample of officers from the club to get more information about Home Ec and what someone should know about it before joining!

When asked how the club started, Ava Sehm said, “It was basically on a limb. I remember Jill saying, ‘I think I want to start the Home Ec club,’ and I was like, ‘Hey, if you do it, I’m free to be vice president.

“So we just decided that day to start the club, and we started filling out the forms. We asked the other officers if they’d be interested, and that’s how it began!”

Sehm elaborated on her responsibilities in the club, saying, “I oversee the other members that aren’t the president, make sure they’re doing their job, and then report back to the president. I also step in for the president when they’re absent.”

Josie Owens, treasurer of the Home Ec club, then stated, “I manage our money, make sure we have enough to pay for everything we need. Whenever we raise money, I count what we earn. It’s like budgeting, keeping in mind what we have, how much we need, how much we’re gonna spend.”

Giuliana Dascoli added, “As historian, I maintain and preserve accurate records of the club’s history, including documents, photos, and memorabilia. I also document and report significant club events and milestones. Additionally, I assist in creating displays/presentations to showcase the club’s history in collaboration with the social media manager and create a slideshow for meetings.”

Home Ec is so much more than just a club to the officers. They have true hopes, dreams, and goals to be successful and feel accomplished in their endeavors.

Sehm shares, “I remember our president was talking about how she wanted it to be a class, maybe in the future. I’m not sure if that’s possible, but that would be great.

“It’s a good place to have a big community where we can share skills and stuff like that. That’s my goal: to see a big community in a year.

Owens elaborates, “I want the club to be a popular and well-known one, like Key Club. I’d hope for Home Ec to be one of those things where, if a counselor lists the top five clubs, that would be one of them.

“It teaches good life skills, it is a useful club to have. It should be pretty fun, because you get to make food and eat it, you get to create things, so it’s not like you’re sitting in a boring meeting, just hearing someone talk.”

Dascoli adds, “My long-term vision for the club is for it to continue growing in popularity and size, so the admin can see that it should be a class provided at Verrado!

“I hope in a year or two Home Ec will be a close-knit group of students who have found hobbies in cooking, sewing, etc., and are learning and growing their skills every meeting.”

Owens and Sehm want members of the club to get the most out of joining, specifically when it comes to truly having a community with people you can trust.

Sehm explains, “I want it to be like a safe space they can come and get to know each other and spend time with their friends, and also just to bring their skills they learn from this club outside into the real world.”

Owens agrees, adding, “Some kids don’t have the opportunities to learn these kinds of things at home, a parental figure might not be able to teach them, or they might just not be able to learn these things, maybe they do want to learn, but they’re too scared to ask.

“Coming to this club that’s judge free, if you don’t know anything, you can learn new things and develop skills that can help people later in life, things that they want to learn and they don’t have to feel judged or criticized if they don’t know how to already.”

The Home Ec club is more than just a place to learn, grow, hang out, and have fun. It’s a safe space for everyone who needs one.

According to Sehm, “It’s welcome to anyone, even if you already know the skills. If you know the skills, you can come in and even help other people, too. There is no judgment for anything, and if there is judgment, we’ll take action, make sure that they don’t do it again, and that it’s not okay.

“Don’t be afraid to join the club. We’re all nice and we’re not gonna scare you away. A lot of people think that Home Ec is like a female-dominated club, and it’s only for women, and it’s girly, but it’s just life skills, everyone should know it, no matter who they are, their background, or anything.”

Make sure to join Home Ec, using code 3kua2auv. We hope to see you there!