One Book One Marist gathered at a meeting December 6 to discuss upcoming events, their favorite books, and decorations for the club’s Christmas tree. Unlike most clubs, they meet in the morning instead of after school. 

The meeting started at 7:15 a.m. with Natalie Nolan, the club’s co-president, pitching ideas for their field trip. She is a senior and has been a member of the club all four years. 

”I really love connecting with the people there. They’re super sweet and we always joke around and have a good time,” says Nolan. 

For their Christmas tree located near the theater, they designed ornaments shaped like bookmarks. They also created a garland consisting of their favorite books while discussing and comparing why they were their favorites. 

“Book club is a place to rant and shout about your favorite books or books you would never touch again,” says co-president Caitlyn Kelly. “It’s very inclusive.”

There were 12 people at the last meeting, but 26 people are participating members in the club. Though specific books were not discussed at the meeting, members are currently reading a book of their choice to analyze and share with others. 

“Clubs are student-driven so depending on what the kiddos are feeling like doing that year, sometimes they all want to read the same book…and sometimes they just want to read whatever they’re reading,” says the club’s moderator, Mrs. Rademacher. 

About halfway through the meeting, they paused the tree decorating to take this year’s yearbook photo. The club has a history of taking comical pictures, so they decided on a regular photo and a book fight photo. 

“We do silly pictures because we always have fun talking about and reading books so it stemmed from that,” says Kelly. 

This club consists of much more than just reading.

“We play a lot of games, we do a lot of field trips, we read authors, we talk about books, we do a battle of the books. Everyone reads what they want. There’s no obligations,” says Rademacher. 

In the recent meeting, there was a comfortable vibe and a lighthearted atmosphere. Jokes were thrown around,  and laughter was heard.

“Book club isn’t just book club. It is about making friends, connecting with other people, and connecting with things we like,” says Nolan. 

When the meeting was coming to an end, Rademacher reminded everyone of the Christmas party they are holding on Sunday, December 15. Students with all different interests are attending. 

“We have athletes, band kids, smarty mcsmarty mathlete kids, drama kids,” says Rademacher, “This [club] anyone can join and still find a lot of fun.”