From the dawn of the first teacher, students have been told that there is no time for games or free time. Imagine playing games and spending time with friends – at school. ETC is the largest, and loudest club at Park High School . The club consists of fun-seeking students getting together every Thursday to take a much needed break from their studies and everyday stress to play video and board games with each other. ETC is run by Mr. Quirke and a group of “officers”, who make sure everyone has the best time they can.

The officers have actually come up with a chant that sums up the club nicely: “Come to ETC, Come to ETC, Come to ETC in the library, we’ve got games, it is fun, and we welcome everyone.” These officers consist of a group of 6 students: Greta Mau, Logan Downing, Amanda Gonzales, Austin McGuff, Joseph Smith, and Shawn Pelletier. They meet after school and during advisories, discussing the importance of positivity in the club, and how to more accurately create a genuinely fun experience for all students.

Around 40 people gather every Thursday to relieve their stress through partaking in games of Werewolf, “Twistar”, Giant Jenga, or Super Smash Brothers. Werewolf is a party game where one person, a werewolf, attempts to eradicate the whole population of townspeople, while the townspeople try to scope out who the werewolf is. “Twistar”, invented by the officers, is essentially a massive version of Twister, with a twist– Tar. When a club-goer lands in tar, they are not allowed to leave that tile, as if they are trapped in tar.

While ETC’s focus lies on gaming, they also have a staple of custom holidays. “Foostivoo” is a holiday where you receive a paper box full of presents, and the presents can range from a half finished water bottle to a fully functional copy of Battlefield. “Spoops” is a holiday where you get to dress up in a costume, eat candy, and participate in carnival like games. “Senitnelav’s Day” is a reverse Valentine’s Day, where your focus is to roast and insult others without putting people down. “Hauliday” has ETC attendants searching the halls for origami rabbits, and completing ridiculous tasks to raise their team’s score. The team with the highest point amount at the end of the event wins first dibs on a huge table of prizes including a gas mask, a 12 pack of Monster Energy drinks, manga books, dollar bills, and lots of candy. The prizes totaled over $300.

The rules of ETC state that there will only be positive vibes. They aim to have no personal issues coming into the club, and offer a getaway from the stresses and problems of daily life. The ever pouring rain of problems in life are promised to disappear under the umbrella of ETC’s accepting environment.