STAR Club is a new addition to the many clubs and activities students can choose to participate in at Hastings High. Star Club is modeled after the Junior ROTC and is sponsored by US Army officers.
STAR stands for Students Taking Active Roles. It is a partnership between local army personnel and HHS.
“The whole purpose of this class is to develop skills in the students that will enable them to fulfill all their goals,” STAR club sponsor, Sergeant Gary Workman said.
The club will also encourage participants to take active roles in their own life as well as within their families, school and community.
Ultimately, the program wishes to help students by creating and enriching post secondary education such as college.
“Our goal is to take the group of students who join and have them be in the top 10 percent of their class educationally and professionally. They will also be doing a lot of self development within their community,” Sergeant Workman said
One idea that is being tossed around is the possibility of helping Start Over Rover with the development of more space for animals.
Around 20 students attended the first meeting on September 2.
“I joined because my brother has been in the military and it sparked an interest for me,” sophomore Megan Pohlmeier said.
Pohlmeier hopes to gain more leadership skills from this group and more information about the military.
“The STAR program is a pilot program that after a couple years of being successful can actually turn into a JROTC,” Workman said.
A JROTC is a military oriented program that teaches participants how to become leaders. One local school who currently has a JROTC is Grand Island.
“If students do the JROTC program all four years and they decide they want a career in the military, they can join at a higher rank. There are a lot of benefits to the program,” Workman said.
Basically STAR club is a leadership group within the schools and the community that provide military style leadership and standards.
Workman recommends that all students participate in STAR club. The first couple meetings will be open to anyone who isn’t sure if they want to join or not. The club aims to mold students into outstanding citizens. STAR club will be student led and will meet in room 181 every Wednesday at 2:50.
