Henderson Bay High School’s Interact Club hosted a holiday luncheon this week for two local Rotary Clubs. The Gig Harbor North and Midday Rotary support the HBHS community throughout the year, and the lunch gave students an opportunity to share with Rotarians about the impact HBHS has had on their educational journey. 

Interact Club is active with many community service projects. In October, they worked with Discovery Elementary students who needed Halloween costumes to design and hand make custom costumes. In November, they helped with the annual fundraiser for Communities in Schools Peninsula (CISP), which raised $94,000. In December, they wrapped presents at TideFest to raise money for Henderson Bay’s student leaders.

Volunteering as part of Interact Club makes students like senior Sarah engaged in school and happy to be involved. 

“Interact Club is awesome, and volunteering is my most favorite thing in the entire world,” Sarah said. “Coming to Henderson, I kind of found myself. I’m around all these awesome people who let me be who I want to be.”

“Many of these students referred to their teachers as not only educators but also mentors,” said Discovery CISP coordinator Alex MacAulay said. “That comes back around when Henderson Bay students come to Discovery, where they are seen as mentors and looked up to by the kids. They are like celebrities there.”

Every Interact Club member shared their experiences at HBHS with the Rotary audience. Many of their stories talked about how choosing HBHS was life-changing. 

“Coming here has really saved me and given me that second chance,” said senior Daniel. “I needed a place that was actually going to care about me and get me on track. It really feels like home and I can come to school and be myself.” 

Daniel credits his teachers for being his mentors and supporting his learning journey. “The relationship I have with my teachers definitely helps motivate me to learn. It feels like my curriculum is more curated to me,” Daniel said. 

Sophomore Aspen came straight to Henderson Bay from middle school and plans to go into animation and cinematography after she graduates. 

“High school has been the best experience for me,” said Aspen. “I used to be antisocial and quiet and now I talk a lot and I love people.” Aspen loves community service and said she has had “so much help and support” because of the Interact Club. “I couldn’t do this without Henderson, it’s given me so many opportunities.”

Senior Charlie also transferred to Henderson Bay from another area high school. Charlie hopes to go to college in New York and eventually own an interior design business. 

“I’m doing way better here, and I’m on track to graduate and go to college next year,” Charlie said. 

Junior Payden is on track to graduate and wants to pursue art as a career. Payden’s experience at Henderson Bay has been life changing. 

“I’m doing more than I ever thought I could and I feel very supported by my teachers and my fellow students,” Payden said. “I feel like I have a bright future ahead of me because of the opportunities at Henderson Bay.”

Interact Club’s next project is the Holiday House, where they are collecting money to purchase gifts for teens who otherwise wouldn’t receive gifts. They are hosting a blood drive in the spring and also a pancake breakfast to fundraise for their service project trip to Guatemala.