VOLUME 16, ISSUE 5

February 2022

Highlighting Three of Maggie Walker’s Clubs

By Prisha Shah

The Maggie Walker Bhangra Club aims to teach and perform a form of Punjabi folk dance: bhangra. Shown by their performances at Fall Fest and the Homecoming Pep Rally this year, the club takes pride in its diversity and inclusivity. In the past few months, the leaders coordinated “fun practices” in which interested dancers could participate in after-school practices to learn and practice bhangra. Sanjana Murugavel (‘22), a club leader, highlights the team’s uniqueness in the ease of practicing this form of dance and choreography and being a prominent cultural, year-round opportunity at MW. 

The team recently held tryouts and is preparing for its upcoming performances. In the near future, they will be dancing at the International Assembly along with other acts to revive the beloved tradition of cultural performances at Maggie Walker. Later in March, they will perform at the International Language Fair for middle school students who will come to learn about the culture of MW’s languages. At Night of the Dragon, the Bhangra Club members’ performance will be for alumni and parents. However, the Spring Pep Rally show will not require any audition nor tryouts, so Murugavel encourages students to sign up when the time arrives!

Murugavel also mentions how she appreciates choreographing and teaching the team, as well as watching the energy and joy of the team after a performance. She states, “The bond that you develop spending months dancing with the same people is truly so special, and I already know Bhangra is going to be the thing I miss most when I graduate.”

Photo: Albert Tang / MLWGS Bhangra Performs at Fall Fest

Meeting once a week after school, Maggie Walker students in Newtowne Tutoring help tutor kids from Richmond for two hours, providing homework help and general academic support. These can be children ranging from elementary school to middle school, allowing tutors to explore their skill sets and requiring no previous experience. The club aims to create a comfortable learning environment for the young tutees, who can feel confident about their academics and excited about learning. As they move back into an in-person format after virtually tutoring last year, the club meets every Thursday from 3:30-5:30 to pair Maggie Walker students and Richmond kids together for tutoring sessions. 

Although MW students may receive community service hours from this club, Emma Burris (‘22), a club coordinator, explains that participating in Newtowne additionally brings a “fulfilling” experience, as it allows students to make a positive impact on the tutees. Burris adds that she enjoys seeing how kids form a relationship with the MW students throughout the school year.  She “enjoys watching the lightbulb in kids’ eyes go off when they understand something,” and mentions how our support can help those tutees potentially become Maggie Walker students themselves in the future and carry on the Newtowne legacy as tutors. 

Photo: Albert Tang / Students in Newtowne Tutoring
Photo: Albert Tang / Students in a practice debate round

The debate team at Maggie Walker allows students to gain experience in debating, as well as competing in different categories. These include Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Congress. Public Forum includes partner debates on statistics and facts, whereas Lincoln-Douglas features solo competitors arguing philosophical topics; Congress debaters instead compete in a mock legislative assembly. In the past few months, competitors have not only performed excellently at tournaments but have also improved on public speaking and critical thinking skills, showing the club’s positive impact on students. 

Kalli Eam (‘24) mentions how she views the Maggie Walker debate team as unique because of how captains of respective teams provide guidance from their own first-hand debate experiences. This ultimately gives way to the bonds they form within the club. She adds that her favorite parts of debate team are the competitions and arguing with others about a certain topic, as well as the satisfaction of winning. Overall, debate team proves to be both an academically enriching experience and a chance at bonding with other students.