In Term 2 the Senior School introduced their first ever ASCEND clubs, interest-based clubs that were entirely student led. When Grade 12 student Holden heard about the opportunity, he thought it was a great idea.
“I thought it was pretty cool that the school was letting students create their own clubs,” Holden says. “I thought I could bring my own culture to it.”
Holden started the Mahjong club, where students in Grades 6 to 12 can come together on Fridays at lunch to learn and play the tabletop game. ”I know a lot of people have probably at least heard of it or know how to play it, so I thought I could give back in that way,” Holden explains. “My mom is Chinese, so she was always playing it with her family. I grew up with it, and as I got older I played it along with them. It feels like I’ve always played it.”
Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated in 19th century China, quickly outranking chess as the most popular game by 1920, and spreading to many other parts of Asia. Players, often four in a game, trade out tiles and score points based on what’s left in their hands after a set number of turns.
“It’s a mix of skill and luck,” Holden describes. “It’s kind of like poker in a way where there’s multiple hands that you can get, and you want to assemble the best hand to compete with your opponents.”
Mahjong club has been a big hit this term, with players across all the Senior School grades joining in. While that’s come with its own challenges, especially with the range of experiences that the students have brought to the club, Holden says ultimately it’s a great thing. “I want it to be inclusive of everyone, no matter the age or anything.”
With the club planned to continue into Term 3, Holden encourages everyone interested to join. “There’s a good amount of people who have never played before,” he says. “Everyone is welcome.”
To learn more about ASCEND clubs, check out this other article, or contact Ms. Ferguson for more information.
