The Bookworm Club brings together a community of readers with its first online meeting

Sunny Yu and Laura Haushalter

September 24, 2020

Sofia Centeno (‘22), Laura Haushalter (‘21), Yvonne Kan (‘22), Eleanor Hong (‘24), Elsa Li (‘24), Jenny Wang (‘24), Sunny Yu (‘22), Hank Sun (‘22), Dr. Mark Dzula, Emily Li (‘24), Aiperi Bush (‘24), Liz Bowman (‘22), Maria Duan (‘23), and Dilnar Yu (‘24) smiles as they hold their favorite books during the club’s first meeting.

With the continuation of online learning, Webb’s annual club fair was replaced by Club Webb online. Although students are unable to meet club officers in person or receive candies and snacks, they had access to short video introductions of the clubs, the club logo, mission statement, and online sign-up links on the website.

Just as the club fair for returning clubs came to an end, many student groups have started organizing events and meetings, garnering energy for the new school year. The Bookworm club is of no exception.

The Bookworm club at Webb strives to create a space for readers to share their love for books. As a returning club, the Bookworm club is welcoming twenty-nine club members this year, most of them being underclassmen.

“I joined the book club because I’ve always loved books,” said Elsa Li (‘24). “Recently, I haven’t had time to pick up a book. I was hoping the book club would rekindle my interest.”

In the meantime, the club officers are excited for the new school year and are planning engaging events for the rest of the community.

“I am really excited to get people reading and engaging in conversations about books,” said Sofia Centeno (‘22), president of the club. “My connection to people who have read over the pandemic has dropped, and so I am ready to talk more about books. I am so excited to share my passion for reading with others”

“I am looking forward to having rants about books and getting book recommendations from others,” said Yvonne Kan (‘22), treasurer of the club.

During their first meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd, the members of the club met on Zoom and introduced themselves as well as their favorite books. Members excitedly shared their favorite stories, with most members sharing a common passion for fiction.

“I thought the meeting was good and there wasn’t too much awkward silences,” said Elsa. “Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. I’m looking forward to reading everyone else’s favorite books. I’m also looking forwards to maybe introducing something new to everyone!”

“I’m really excited to get to know the other people in the club, get book recommendations, and discuss books with everyone,” said Aiperi Bush (‘24). “The first meeting went really well. Everyone seems nice and welcoming, and the events seem like a lot of fun.”

After the introductions, the club officers introduced the overall goals for the year. In October, the club will be screening a Halloween film based off a book and will hold a dramatic reading event, where they will read spooky poems and short stories.

“I’m especially looking forward to the Halloween reading, it’s a chance to make up for not being able to celebrate it,” said Aiperi.

Besides the Halloween activity, the club will also launch a “read around the world” book challenge to support Webb’s global theme for the school year.

Despite the many challenges operating online for the first semester, the Bookworm club and many other clubs at Webb are excited and confident to follow the prefects’ lead, using online communications and technology to accommodate their club members and organize fun community events.

Note: Dr. Mark Dzula, the adviser of the Webb Canyon Chronicle, also serves as the Bookworm’s club advisor. In addition, Sunny Yu (‘22) and Laura Haushalter (‘21) serve as officers.

About the Contributors

Sunny Yu, Editor-in-Chief

Sunny Yu (‘22) is a prime example of the protagonist personality. As a natural leader, she is active, thoughtful, caring, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the WCC, a member of the Chapel Council, the captain of the varsity cross-country team, and a founding member of Webb’s Breakfast literary magazine. Sunny is also vocal and passionate about the enforcement of social justice and representation of marginalized groups: at the WCC, she utilizes journalism as a tool to shed light on many controversial issues, never shying away from the ability to make a lasting impact. During the weekends, you can often find her on a run to “The Spot,” a smoothie shop, playing soccer on Chandler, and occasionally annoying the library staff for borrowing too many books, such as her favorite, Waiting for the Barbarians, a wonderful allegory on human relationships. As a protagonist, she finds joy in guiding young journalists to grow into their best selves. This year, Sunny hopes that the WCC can continue covering important topics and spark conversations while bringing people laughter and keeping them informed. Favorite song: "Sunflower Feelings" by Kuzu Mellow

Laura Haushalter, Public Editor

Enthusiastic, positive, determined, and athletic, Laura Haushalter (‘21) uses her passionate attitude to take on many leadership roles: captain of the VWS cross-country and swimming teams; Student Government spirit commissioner; and the Public Editor for the WCC. As the Public Editor, Laura oversees all the social media accounts for the WCC. In addition to normal Editor-in-Chief responsibilities, she helps the WCC gain more publicity, making sure Webbies stay informed and updated about the latest articles. Laura is extremely passionate about environmental justice and climate change, which is why her favorite class she has taken at Webb is Honors Global Society and Sustainability. In her free time, you can catch Laura watching Friends or Veep, listening to AJR, Beach House, and Cardi B, or running on Thompson Creek Trail. Her goals this year are to make the WCC’s social media accounts more active, and make the most of her last year at Webb.