Southeast provides a plethora of clubs that bring students together to learn and get involved outside of school. One of the newest clubs that was introduced at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year was “BAM,” an acronym for “Books and Movies.” This club chooses a book each semester for the students involved to read on their own time. At the end of the semester, the club comes together to watch the movie adaptation and share their opinions. “BAM” was started by two SES seniors, Luisa Ortega and Carter Smith.

“I thought because the student council redid the library with the help of Mrs. Henry I really wanted to make sure kids were using it and trying to see the best out of it. I thought maybe starting a book club would help that,” Ortega said.

Gaining members for this new club was an easy task for these seniors, since the school is full of avid readers who were excited for the start of “BAM.”

“Our school already had a lot of readers, so it wasn’t a matter of encouraging people, rather than giving them an outlet. Once we created the club, people became interested in joining without much push,” Smith said. 

Ortega and Smith pursued the help of Mrs. Shauna Henry, Southeast’s secondary and elementary librarian, for the sponsorship of this new club. Henry was more than happy to be a part of this new venture. 

“Student interest made me want to sponsor a book club. Luisa and Carter approached me and why wouldn’t I want to. It sounded amazing,” Henry said. 

Book club generally meets only a few times a semester, but the last meeting is after school hours and welcomes any students who would like to join, regardless if they’ve read the book. 

“In the time that we’ve met, I love that students came after hours,” Henry said. “It wasn’t a seminar time where you feel like you might as well go. We’re meeting at a time when students have to choose to come and make an effort to come.”

When it comes to choosing a book, Henry has to consider multiple factors. Some of those factors include how obtainable the book is and if there is a movie to go with it.

“Availability is a big deal. We don’t really have the funding to buy 20 copies of the same book and then not use them after that. I use the Kansas State Library to come up with different books that people can send to us from different locations around Kansas. I also think about if it’s been made into a movie that’s worth watching,” Henry said. 

Henry has a lot of hope for the future of the book club and the people who are involved. She also hopes to get students more involved with reading and finding activities that they can enjoy outside of school. 

“I just want students to get into a book. I love the fact that students came up with it, and so I think it will go well because students want it,” Henry said. “I love the idea of having movies and books together and enjoying both. I think that’s a good hook, too, for other students who might be into movies and not into books. I think it could encourage them to get into a book.”

Any students who are interested in joining can put in the classroom code “tau53n2” or contact Mrs. Henry through email. The next book that “BAM” plans on reading is “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline.