The new year is in full swing and clubs are preparing to bring the heat. Here’s a few updates for what you can expect this year for a handful of clubs:
Speech and Debate
As usual, the Speech and Debate team is headed all over the country this year with nine invitationals and other national competitions, some of those being to UT Austin, Brown University and Harvard University. Coaches, including newcomer Mr. Smith, and volunteers will help with after school practices for elementary school students on Mondays and then middle school students on Wednesdays in the spring.
Robotics
To start off the season, the Robotics team, the “Ninjineers,” are heading to Tampa for a statewide competition, “Roboticon,” Oct. 6-8. The competition, organized by the teams participating in it, will consist of a simple game of moving traffic cones and inflatable cubes from one side of the field to a scoring area.
DECA
With 100 new members, DECA will be a great force in the district competition online in December. Those who qualify for states will head to Orlando early March, and anyone who qualifies for internationals will compete in Anaheim, Fla. April 22-25.
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta (the math competition team) is looking forward to hosting their annual middle school (Dec. 9) and high school (Jan. 27) competitions. Students will compete in six different divisions ranging from Algebra 1 to Calculus with each topic having both an individual and a team round. “We usually award the top 15 individual scorers per division and the top 5 team scores,” senior and co-president Sydney Lee said.
HOSA
Just recently, over 200 HOSA members picked out their categories. During the fall, HOSA will be hosting Broward county’s regional competition on campus. Last year was the first time Heritage hosted the event, but this year they hope to grow with several new schools joining the county’s chapter. Club co-advisor Dr. Diana Sood estimates over 2000 competitors will attend.
Model United Nations
The Model United Nations (MUN) club is holding a novice competition Oct. 7 and 8 at school. At the event, will be two General Assembly simulations, six Crisis Committees and one specialized organization (a mix of General Assembly and crisis). In General Assembly, students work together to patch up real-life problems such as climate change while promoting diplomacy. For Crisis Committees, students are encouraged to think of creative solutions to more “fantastical” issues while being quick on their feet.
Science Olympiad
The Science Olympiad team is planning to go to three national invitational competitions, the first of which is to Cornell University. Last year, the team won third place overall, but this time they’re ready to win first place. Currently, the individual teams are being put together, builds are starting and competitors are studying. As of now, there are currently two teams for upper school and two lower school.
