After signing their names to membership lists Tuesday during lunch on the Quad, Palo Alto High School students can look forward to attending their first club meetings of the year beginning this week. 

The semiannual event, which attracted students from all grades, gave participants opportunities to connect with like-minded peers and explore various interests, ranging from orienteering, to community service, to paleontology.

Students had their pick between over 100 available clubs lined up around the perimeter of the Quad.

“It [Club day] is so big,” freshman Nyan Prakash said. “There are a lot of people, a lot more than I expected.”

Some clubs, like Paly Paleontology, made their debut on the Paly scene Tuesday. 

“I want to find like-minded students, or just people who want to learn more about dinosaurs and ancient life,” said junior Alice Wang, founder and president of Paleontology Club. “We plan to just talk and bond over the interest of dinosaurs and ancient life.”

Other, more established clubs, like Science Olympiad Club, also had a presence on the Quad.

“You get to join a really great community of scientists who are really excited about different fields,” said junior and co-captain Hannah Zhou, who has participated in Science Olympiad since 6th grade. “And there are also fields that you wouldn’t normally encounter in high school classes.”

A full list of first semester clubs is available here.