Goings-On With Atascadero Interact

The Atascadero High School Interact Club started with a clean slate this year, with a new faculty advisor, a new Rotary advisor and many new student members.  Faculty advisor Mike Melzer got us off to a great start by recruiting a membership of 24 students, up from about 10 last year.  More than half of the members are freshmen, which bodes well for the livelihood of the club for years to come.  Even the club president is a freshman, Haddie Daner, daughter of Atascadero Rotarian, Adam. 

 

This year’s Interact group has been both ambitious and vibrant from the get-go.  Every week, club members bring new community service ideas to the table and work diligently on projects in progress.  This year’s activities have included campus trash clean-ups, a beach clean-up, participation in the Atascadero Color Run, and fundraising such as holding on-campus bake sales and leaving jars in every classroom for students to donate spare change.  Additionally, Interact members got involved with Atascadero’s Rotarians by auctioning Valentine’s Day desserts, waiting tables at the Crab Feed and they will be serving ice cream alongside Rotarians during Children’s Day at the Park later this month.  Atascadero Interact intends to donate 100% of its fundraising proceeds of approximately $2,000 to the North County Humane Society.

 

If Atascadero High Interact had one defining moment this year, it would be the remarkable turn-out at the Cal Poly women’s basketball game in late February.  All Rotary-, Interact- and Rotaract Clubs on the Central Coast were invited, and the organizers promised recognition for the clubs with the most members in attendance.  Not only did Atascadero High Interact win the competition- they actually had more representation than every other club COMBINED.  This was a shining example of how dedicated these kids are.