TJ Gaining Altitude

TJ students explore the great outdoors in this new club.
by Rhea Boyd

    TJ’s newest club, Altitude, is an organization focusing on love for the mountains and a passion for the outdoors; its members will also contribute to the community by doing various volunteer activities.
    Junior Hall Hupperts created the club this year and Social Studies Teacher Kimberly Starks is the sponsor. “My goal is to spread the idea to as many of the students as I can that the mountains are there and they are awesome,” Starks said.
    Hupperts and Starks have a common love for the mountains, and outdoor sports are what motivated them to start this club. “We wanted something to get students interested in the Rocky Mountains and help them keep in shape,” Hupperts said, and Altitude will give students a chance to do both. The club will also show members that giving back to the community can be fun and helpful.
    “I’m stoked, it’s going to be gnarly. We are going to have tons of fun,” Hupperts says. Her personal favorite activities are skiing, snowboarding and camping. She is excited to help her peers discover what it is about the outdoors they can enjoy and to help them build their passion for a vast array of high altitude activities. Skiing, snowboarding, hiking, snowshoeing, camping and rock climbing are all on Altitude’s to do list. “It’s tragic that kids grow up here in Denver and don’t take advantage of our mountains,” Starks says.
    Members will be able to meet a nutritionist who will speak to them about how to stay in shape and healthy. Representatives from ski/snowboarding companies are also going to come in to talk about merchandising and what they do for a living to show careers directly tied to the outdoors.
    Starks also plans to have the club help wrap Christmas gifts, rake up leaves, shovel snow, and more for less fortunate families. Giving back to the community is essential to Altitude, says Starks. They will try to provide services for the environment around them, so they can use it to their advantage. “It’s about give and take,” Hupperts said.
    Members will be able to pick and choose the activities in which they will participate. For example, Starks is not a fan of rock climbing. “I’ll just sit out for that one,” she laughed.
    Meetings will be held on Thursdays during lunch in Starks’ room. Most activities the club plans will take place on the weekends. All students are welcome to join, as Altitude plans to “cater to every experience level,” said  Starks. If you are attracted to the outdoors or just looking to learn something new, they would love to welcome you as a new member. Anyone can join by attending one of the upcoming meetings.  Watch the Spartan Edition for meeting details.