GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Club is getting a new start with the introduction of the new Diversity-And-N-Clusion Group (DANG). DANG is sponsored by English teachers Katie Gehrt and Johnathan Green in the freshman wing and is open and accepting new members.

“Our Diversity Club is aimed at fostering student success around cultural awareness, leadership development, and overall just unity within a student body,” Gehrt said.

In the past, GSA has been closely centered around LGBT problems and the community at school, but the introduction and overlap of DANG within GSA is spreading the reach of the club beyond the LGBT community. Gehrt hopes to include people of all races, genders, abilities, and anyone who wants to join.

“We are hopeful that we will have students of all races, genders, ability-wise represented within the club, so that we have a diverse group of students that will help us better inform what we could do to help make GEHS more inclusive overall,” Gehrt said.

The goals of GSA have changed over the years. Originally, GSA was a place for awareness and community outreach. During remote teaching, GSA was a place for a mental break with other students that they enjoyed being around. This year, the GSA and Diversity Clubs are dedicating themselves to education as well as hoping to be a fun, laid-back environment for students.

“This year we’re trying to stick within the realm of educational support,” Gehrt said. “What can we do to better educate people about LGBTQ+ issues?”

Sponsors for clubs are passionate about their subject, so much so that they want to stay after school or devote their time to the subject, and Gehrt is no exception. Many may find the atmosphere of GSA to be rowdy or unorganized, but some disagree.

“I love sponsoring GSA,” Gehrt said. “It is such a fun group of students who just have such high energy and are so excited to be in the group and so excited to just stay after school.”

The future of GSA and DANG in Gehrt’s mind is a place of comfort and great outreach. Anybody and everybody are welcome to join, and that’s all she wants.

“My hope for both organizations is that it really becomes a space where we have so many students who want to be a part of it that we don’t even need a club to bring awareness to cultural awareness,” Gehrt said.

The D.A.N.G. club currently meets every other week on Wednesdays in the lecture hall.