Chatter fills the room with excitement, students bustle in and out of the classroom filling up the deserted space. The Promethean buzzes as it turns on, and the students direct their eyes to the red slide on the board with the three large words: Red Cross Club.

On Tuesday, September 26, Paint Branch High School’s Red Cross Club held its first meeting of the year during LAP in classroom 1128. The club, run by senior President Prabhleen Batra, senior Vice President Mahelet Samson, and sponsor Ms. Weiss, is all about bringing the community together through the kind acts of volunteering and donating.

During the meeting, Batra flipped through an eye-catching slideshow discussing the Red Cross’s mission statements, and how to be participate in PB’s and the nation’s Red Cross Clubs. Students glued their eyes to the screen, eager to hear about the club and its unique opportunities.

The Red Cross Club at PB is widely known for assisting in the school’s blood and toy drives, and plans to take part in these events again this year. Although Batra shared suggestions from past experiences, the club is always looking for fresh ideas to engage members and help the community in any way possible.

“The club is very open,” expressed Batra.

Sponsor, Ms. Weiss, expressed that her primary role is to advise students when they need her support or assistance.  She noted that the club is student-run. Red Cross, which usually contains a small number of members, gained several new faces this year, who will work alongside loyal returning students.

The meeting finished with Ms. Weiss announcing that the club will meet the first and last Tuesday of the month during LAP in room 1128, and students bustled towards the front of the room where they eagerly signed up to join.

Asked afterwards what she is most excited about for the club this school year, Batra stated, “I am excited because this year we have a total of forty students signed up in our club. I’m excited to have a big group and see what we can do with it.”