It’s a Wednesday during study hall, and the freshman science room is buzzing with energy. The students there span different grades, genders and social groups, but they all have one thing in common: they believe in making Middle Park High School a welcoming environment for everyone. As such, the school’s Pride Club is growing in size and purpose.

Formed last year under the name GSA (Gender-Sexuality Alliance) and updated this year, MPH Pride meets every Wednesday to discuss how kindness and acceptance can play a bigger role in student life every day.

This year, its main focus has been organizing a motion for the school to move away from gendered graduation robes. The club believes this would promote unity and eliminate a large factor that may make students feel uncomfortable on graduation day.

The club has worked collaboratively on a variety of mediums such as slideshow presentations, surveys and petitions, gaining information about how students and teachers feel about graduation robes. They hope this information will help the school move toward a more inclusive environment at future graduations.

When the club was formed last year, only about five students attended meetings. This year, the number has grown to anywhere between 15 and 25 students attending weekly.

This growth can likely be attributed to more publicity and open discussion about the club throughout the rest of the school.

“It’s inspiring to see how the club has grown since we formed last year,” TK said. “I’m really proud of how many people choose to show up every week.”

Club sponsor and teacher Kyle Masterson said this about the group.

“I think it’s really amazing that we have such a big club this year full of individuals who want to make change for the better. It’s these types of people that future generations need in order to move forward.”

As for the future of the club, students are hoping to widen horizons and reach more people. The overarching goal for the rest of this year and even more so in the future is to eliminate stigma around mental health and other topics. The club would especially like to provide education and resources for anyone willing to learn how to better support their entire communities.

For more information or to help support the Pride Club, email Kyle Masterson at kyle.masterson@egsd.org.