The H.A.P.P.Y. Club–What is it?

Over the last ten years, the H.A.P.P.Y. Club has progressively built up its status at Scituate High School. Originally known as the S.A.D.D. Club (Students Against Destructive Decisions), the club rebranded itself last year and turned into H.A.P.P.Y. (Helping Achieve Prepared Positive Youth). Over the last year and a half, the club has been hosting several different events and activities to ultimately spread encouragement and optimism at Scituate High. 

The main faculty advisor, SHS math teacher Phillip Blake, has been with the club since 2019. When asked about the motive for the club, Blake explained, “The main purpose of the H.A.P.P.Y. Club is to help achieve prepared positive youth, through both education, substance abuse, and spreading positive messages on all facets of life throughout the building.” Some of the primary activities the club has been working on this past year include “anti-marijuana use” and “Stress-Less Laugh More.” Also known as SLLM, Stress-Less Laugh More is a theme combined into one week at SHS. Throughout that week, there are multiple events to help students stress less and laugh more. Those events include visits with Obediah, the SHS service dog, upbeat bell songs, and free snacks. Along with SLLM, the club has been involved with Scituate FACTS to work on reducing marijuana use among teens in Scituate. 

A H.A.P.P.Y. member, senior Caroline Railton, expressed her passion for the club, as she has been a part of it for the last two years. “Being in the H.A.P.P.Y. Club means a lot to me and I really like being able to spend time with people that have similar interests to me.” Railton says that she has had the opportunity to surround herself with people who have “similar mindsets” to herself. The club has brought joy to her and the school community, she says. Railton believes that the H.A.P.P.Y. Club has made it possible for her and her peers to “come together and make an impact on a lot of people throughout the school.”

One of the events that Railton described was the “Stars Activity.” During this event, members of the club cut out stars and wrote every staff and student’s name on a star to hang up in the cafeteria around the holidays. “We really wanted to do the stars because we felt that this year especially, there wasn’t a lot of connection between the entire school.” The idea was that they “wanted to create a way to bring everyone together no matter what cohort they were in.” The stars were hung up for about two weeks, and members of the school community were able to find their names and admire the work that was accomplished. Although this was a small gesture, it produced an inclusive environment for students and staff. 

Although this year has been unique, the H.A.P.P.Y. Club has worked hard to maintain a positive vibe in the halls of Scituate High School. Currently, the club plans to host another Stress Less Laugh More week, as well as some sort of celebration for bringing everyone back into the building. (Follow @shshappyclub on Instagram for more details or if you are interested in joining!) 

As they continue to work hard for the remainder of the school year, the H.A.P.P.Y. Club will stick to its ideals and carry on with the motivation it has always exhibited. Club members plan to keep lifting everyone at SHS, one student at a time.