Near the end of November, Baldwin students in the new PULSE Club got together to play a social-deduction Thanksgiving game.
“Our Thanksgiving-themed meeting revolved around taking on random roles at the fake dinner table and trying to understand and embody those roles, while simultaneously trying to guess what everyone else’s roles were,” junior Kelcy Bhandari said.
This is one of the activities that Baldwin’s PULSE Club has done at its meetings. Mainly, the activities revolve around psychological topics such as student health, well being, and stress management.
PULSE stands for Psychology, Understanding, Learning, and Self Exploration. Bhandari, the club’s president, founded the club because of her passion for psychology and the lack of a club of that nature at Baldwin.
“I wanted to join something like it myself, but Baldwin didn’t have any clubs like a psychology club, so I wanted to start one for students who would also be interested in psychology,” Bhandari said.
The club’s sponsor, history teacher Richard Deemer, believes this club will benefit students in many different ways.
“Psychology offers tools to better manage stress, understand mental processes, and promote emotional well being,” Deemer said. “It also helps by understanding why people act the way they do: You can improve communication, resolve conflicts, and show greater empathy and patience.”
Chill Room educator Jerad Smith also assists with the club.
“One of the most beneficial things about PULSE Club is that it exposes students to a lot of psychology topics and concepts as well as the wide range of possibilities that students can pursue for a career with a degree in psychology,” Smith said. “It also fills a need for a club dedicated to both psychology and mental health that we lacked before its founding.”
Smith has helped the new club sharing the Chill Room as a meeting space and providing fresh insight.
“I will provide input, attend planning meetings when I can, ensure the Chill Room is available for use, and attend the actual meetings,” Smith said.
The club has some additional activities planned for this school year.
“We are planning a field trip to CCAC on April 9th to sit in and experience a college-level psychology class,” Deemer said. “And, with the help of Mr. Dunaway, we are looking forward to the return of the hypnotist in April.”
Last year, history teacher Dave Dunaway brought in a guest hypnotist to do a demonstration for students. This year, another hypnosis demonstration is set for April 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The PULSE Club is excited to take a deeper dive into the psychology of hypnosis with this opportunity.
One goal the club has is to ensure that each club meeting is fun.
“We play fun psychological games that get people to think about situations, open up to one another, and discuss different points of view,” Deemer said. “Hopefully, students leave with new perspectives and make new friends.”
Smith said that everyone can benefit from learning about psychology.
“Having a baseline level of understanding of psychology is important to everyone. Psychology is essentially the study of how the human mind works and how people behave,” Smith said.
Bhandari agreed.
“I believe that understanding psychology more deeply is useful for students who want to pursue a career in psychology, or if they are just thinking about it,” she said.
The club’s board consists of Bhandari at the president spot, sophomore Annjal Parajuli at vice president, junior Evelyn Starusko at secretary, and junior Cali Chraska at the executive member position. The PULSE Club has a meeting in the Chill Room each month during Highlander Time.
