All About Wildlife Conservation Club

As most high school students know, high school can be very stressful socially. Trying to find a group of people you fit in with can be hard when classmates are mean or unwelcoming. Sometimes it may not be others; rather, you are restricting yourself from finding new friends because you are shy or nervous. Being isolated from others can often create a boring and uncomfortable environment. While it is not a must to find friends and make connections, it is a great way to make school fun and motivate you to come to school. One way to do this is by joining clubs.

Here at Patriot High School, we offer a variety of clubs and extracurriculars that anyone can join. These clubs range from dancing clubs such as baile club to gaming clubs, such as Clash Royale. The list goes on and on of what our school provides that may fall under your interest can be found on our school website, Clubs link. If none of the clubs interest you, Patriot High School encourages you to create your own club that does fall under your passion or interest. To find more information on how to create your own club, you can ask any staff member or teacher.

This school year, 2026-2027, some high school students took it upon themselves to create new clubs that interested them. One club in particular that was created by seniors, Ailynn Duarte and Kristyn Alcaraz, the Wildlife Conservation Club.

This club was founded by Ailynn Duarte, who shared in our interview that wildlife conservation was a personal interest of her own. Ailynn researched endangered species during her free time and, for fun, would draw them. Her favorite to research was marine animals, especially fish. Ailynn was motivated to branch out from the Environmental club and concentrate on wildlife, which is why she created the new club, Wildlife Conservation.

Senior Kristyn Alcaraz shared with me that in the club, they share information about different endangered wildlife species, as well as how we as a community can help in the cause. Kristyn and Ailynn plan on providing community service hours such as cleanup events as well as anything related to the animal shelter. Their overall goals are to spread awareness since most people around campus are not mindful of the dangers some species undergo. One statistic they shared is that there are over 42,000 endangered species, so it is important that everyone does their part to help protect these animals.

This club differs from other clubs on campus for many reasons. First, Wildlife Conservation Club differs from clubs such as Gardening Club and Environmental Club because it focuses on living beings in our community and on Earth. This club brings awareness to species we recognize and see in our daily lives, and their potential extinction. Ailynn and Kristyn share that popular animals we see, such as pandas, tigers, and monarch butterflies, are just as high a risk of becoming extinct as any other species. They share that while potential extinction factors may not seem important, it should be something people should be conscious of because of the possibility of young kids not being able to see these animals in the future.

Because most of the officers that run these clubs are seniors, their hopes regarding the future of the club is to attract underclassmen that can hopefully take over the club and continue to spread awareness. So if you are intrigued in joining this club, meetings are held every other Tuesday during lunch in room D145. This club is a perfect opportunity for you to not only make great connections with your fellow peers, but to also contribute to the community and our ecosystem. This club enables you to make a difference. 

We hope you can make it!