Just like any other school, clubs play a huge role in the PHS community. A new school year introduces an entire class of new students with fresh ideas in mind, yielding the opportunity for many new clubs to emerge.

What makes clubs so unique at PHS is the freedom that students have to create, change, and ultimately support the many different communities within PHS.

“Clubs at PHS are super important, because they give our students the chance to really explore their passions at PHS. It gives students a way to get involved to give students a plan, a way to get engaged in school. [They’re] so student-driven, [and] that's what makes our clubs really unique,” said Diana Lygas, Dean of Students at PHS.

Creating a club at PHS is simpler than other schools, where students only need to obtain a supervisor and only ten members. Due to these low barriers, motivated students have the opportunity to easily create clubs they find important and crucial.

“What motivated me to start this club was to educate students from PHS about the rich diversity of South Asian culture so the general student body is more informed and educated about the world and its different peoples,” said Yuvraj Singh Bedi ‘25, leader of Sikh Awareness and Punjabi Culture Club.

While many clubs focus on clubs, education, and sports, some clubs offer students a chance to explore career paths and discover new passions.

“I've always wanted to become a civil rights lawyer, making systemic change to help people for years to come. I found [that] Mock Trial [was] a way to expand my interest in law. Not only did it increase my passion, but it taught me invaluable public speaking, reading comprehension, analysis, debating, and communication skills,” said Gilly Bannett ‘24, team captain of Mock Trial.

Ultimately, clubs provide the students of PHS a new way to interact in and out of school. The freedom students have to pursue and expand their hobbies and interests is what makes club culture so unique at PHS.

“The club culture at PHS is great in the way that there's a club for virtually anything you're interested in. We have anything you can think of! It gives students ways to channel their callings into an outlet free of shame, and full of friends. We add to the range of competitive teams at PHS like our sports teams, but instead of baseballs or wrestling mats, we use classrooms. We add spirit and to the sense of competitiveness PHS is known for, both academically and sports-wise.” Gilly Bennett.