Schools
Whiz Kid Clare Kelley Helped Build a Club
When she found herself in an unexpected leadership role, Clare Kelley discovered it suited her.
Medford Middle schoolers are heeding a call to civic duty, and they are doing it through school-run Builders Club programs.
Clare Kelley is one student who heard the call, and joined McGlynn's Builders Club.
Clare joined a club in transition, and when the president moved away and vice president never showed up, she had the chance to move from the secretary position to president. That was in 2009, and the club had only a handful of members.
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For the 2010 school year, the club had grown to 70 members, and Clare ran for president again.
"The job was a fantastic experience and improved my leadership and public speaking abilities," Clare reports.
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Builders Club advisor Sean McGillicuddy nominated Clare as a Whiz Kid. Clare has been the president for two years now, and has raised thousands of dollars for charities. Charities are proposed and voted on as a group. Most recently, the Builders Club had a to raise money for tornado victims in Western Massachusetts.
"One particular charity that we donated to that I remember most is St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Along with the Andrews Middle School Builders Club, we hosted a book and bake sale. What made this donation special was that the president of the Andrews Builders Club and I got to go on the radio station 102.5 on their program to help St. Jude's and present the check live on the radio."
Clare's list of activities is extensive, and includes chorus, McGlynn Chamber String Ensemble, religious education, and National Junior Honor Society. Her leadership skills were also tapped as a Peer Leader in seventh grade. Clare says, "Students were chosen based on their ability to stand up against peer pressure and bullying. We gave multiple presentations to the sixth grade students about these subjects."
"Throughout my life, I've been proud of anything positive that I can do," Clare states. She will continue to hone her leadership skills and her mind in high school, where she plans to join the Key Club and is "currently enrolled in as many honors classes as I believe I can handle: science, social studies, English, and Spanish."
