Anything But a Buzzkill
The strangest club at our school–or any school–may be the beekeeping club. However, interest runs high for all things apiary and the group now ranks among the largest clubs in the school. Last year they had around 70 active members. With support from teachers such as Mr. Paul Spencer, Mr. Steve Aday, and Principal Steve Straessle, the club is going to continue to grow.
Sophomore Calvin Zawislak said, “My dad is the apiculture instructor for the State of Arkansas. He got together with Mr. Straessle and Mr. Spencer, and they came up with the idea of starting the club.” Zawislak said, “We weren’t expecting around 70 students to show up when we made the announcement over the intercom; it was pretty shocking.”
Many students were interested because it sounded unusual. Sophomore Matthew Findlay, a member of the beekeeping club, said, “When I first heard the announcement it sounded a little weird, but it’s important to try new things.” Zawislak said, “I think the weirdness of it did draw a lot of members. It’s not like any other club at school.
“The club hasn’t had any meetings this year, but we’re planning on getting started soon because there’s just not a lot we can do in the winter,” said Zawislak. During winter, the only job bees have is to protect the queen bee. Beekeepers can’t extract very much honey from their hives in winter because the honey supply must stay full to keep the bees from shivering and eventually dying. Club advocate Mr. Aday said, “When the club meets is really up to the bees.”
Unlike many other clubs, the beekeeping club brings in money to the school. The club sold around 120 jars of honey to students and parents for $12 a jar. The club sold out of bottles within the first hour of sales, and many students were unable to purchase the honey. Sophomore George Webre said, “I was really disappointed that I couldn’t buy a jar of honey, but next year I’ll make sure to get some.” Because of the club’s success, the club wants to extract even more honey next year.
Although many people are skeptical about joining the club at first, they usually end up enjoying it. Findlay said, “I honestly thought it was pretty strange at first, but I went to [a meeting] and saw some of my friends there. The sponsors even gave the members a free jar of honey for helping out. I would recommend joining the beekeeping club to anybody looking to get involved with the school.”
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