For the 2023-2024 school year, the Associated Student Body has approved 29 new clubs. The Accolade’s cub reporters from the beginning journalism class will report on each new group in alphabetical order. For the previous ones that have already been posted, be sure to go to the Feature section.
Junior Chase Lee says his affinity for ocean life stems from his dad and his early childhood experiences with him and his older sister.
“My dad was an obsessive fisherman when he was younger,” Lee recalls. “He even missed his own wedding because of fishing.”
As early as 2 years old, the junior remembers his father — a sushi chef — would take him and his older sister on fishing trips to lakes in Chandler, Arizona; they would also do the same in their own back yard in Arizona.
By the time Lee started kindergarten, he and his family moved to Southern California. Nine years later starting at age 11, Lee says he and his sister would go diving with his dad, adding to his aquatic experiences.
But fishing remained a staple in he and his family’s life.
“My dad would take my sister and I just off of Newport [Beach] to the artificial reefs, where we fished for rockfish and such,” Lee recalls. “I like those fishing trips specifically because I enjoyed the adrenaline of catching the fish, and just being with my family is something I’ll always remember in life.”
And then only eight months ago, Lee’s parents bought property near the coast in Bandon, Oregon, where they have continued their fishing expeditions. One place that stands out still is his recent visit to the Charleston Marine Life Center, around a half-hour drive up to Coos Bay near the University of Oregon.
“I was so inspired by the Marine Life Center in Oregon because there were so many things to see there that I couldn’t see in aquariums in California, like kelp and small creatures native specifically toward Oregon,” he says.
And so by the second quarter of his junior year last semester, Lee says he wanted to start a club in which he can share his love of the sea, ocean life and fishing with his classmates. He submitted an application to the Associated Student Body [ASB] on Oct. 20, and the ASB approved it a week later on Oct. 27.
He chose the name Blue Tide after witnessing and being inspired by the rare occasion in oceanography when a species of plankton emit such a color in the waves, he says.
Since its first meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 22, Blue Tide has held six more gatherings, growing to 44 members, says Lee, who aims to set his club apart from another one that addresses ocean life, Surf Rider.
“Surf Rider [is] more of a community service team,” he says. “It’s more of a foundation club, and I wanted something more customary to the students instead of a huge foundation. It’s something more personal.”
And that something personal involves exposing Blue Tide members to marine biology, especially for members who aspire to be a marine biologist, Lee says. It also covers subjects such as different types of aquatic species, ocean currents and environments during its meetings each week.
During its last three meetings, the club discussed goals and bonded over Kahoot quizzes about oceanography.
“I think the Kahoots were pretty successful; we’re still a bit of a new club so I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the future,” says vice president junior Aidan Sarreal, who created the club with Lee. “We’re probably going to keep doing [the Kahoots].”
Junior James Sy says that digital activity worked for him, too.
“I liked how it was informative but also really fun,” says Sy, who joined because of his interest in the ocean. “It was a really low-key environment.”
Moving forward, the club aims to create an Instagram account to gain more members and form a stronger presence among students through online posts and announcements.
“People would see us consistently posting and see that it’s an active club, so there will be things going on when they join,” the president says.
Lee plans to host beach clean-ups, visits to tide pools and trips to different aquariums in the future during weekends. Though most planned outings do not require a cost to attend, students will pay individually when needed. He offers the following benefit of being a part of the group:
“Join the Blue Tide club because it can open doors to career improvement and opportunities to better [your] futures along with the primary fact of just enjoying the ocean as it is.”
The Blue Tide club meets every Wednesday at lunch in Room 84. For more information, contact Lee at [email protected].
