At Steinbrenner High School, club days cause a rush of excitement and impact. These clubs allow students to diver deeper into their interests, form connections with their teachers and classmates, and demonstrate responsibility. With over 80 clubs and extracurricular programs available, one seems to stand out- SMAC club.  

For those who don’t know, SMAC club is a student-run program that organizes monthly meetings with the kindergarten classes at McKitrick. At these meets, Steinbrenner students from grades 9 to 12 engage in fun story time readings with McKitrick students. 

One Friday, once a month, the first period club bell rings just before 10:00 AM. Members of SMAC club all get together and walk over to the neighboring school, McKitrick. Once they arrive, students split up and go to their assigned reading class, greet their teachers and reading class of the day, and settle in. 

Kindergarten students all select story books of their choice and bring them to their reading buddies. The books are usually picture books, consisting of Dr. Seuss and other fan-favorites such as “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, “Pete the Cat”, and “The Rainbow Fish”. 

Once books are finally chosen, students read to each other for about 20 minutes before packing up, saying goodbye, and walking back over to Steinbrenner for their next club. There are about 80 spots available for SMAC club which fill up fast. During the previous meeting, McKitrick students prepared for their annual Gasparilla parade, allowing students to dress as pirates and collect festive beads. 

“I like SMAC because I get to see my old teacher and have a little bit of Kindergarten nostalgia,” said Freshman, Kalista Sivils. Pirate themed books were popular during the January 23rd meeting, adding a festive touch to the celebration.  When asked about the Kindergartener’s story choices, Freshman Marcela Canaveral shared “Pirate Papa might have been the most popular book!” 

Thanks to hard work from students and teachers, SMAC club can host fun and engaging events that create an enjoyable and imaginative environment for both high school and elementary students. As the next club day gets closer, students from both schools are eager to share exciting and memorable moments through story time.