The newest addition to the Upper School’s variety of clubs is the Community Service Knitters Cooperative, which teaches students how to knit so they can use their skills to make hats and scarves for service-based projects. The club is led by Rebecca Brinks, EA Community Service Coordinator, and Amy Brotschul, Upper School French teacher.
Photo Courtesy of Maggie Lo
Getting involved with the Community Service Knitters Cooperative is easy. Brotschul explains that “anybody is welcome to just show up and sign in. The club normally meets on Tuesdays during domino, but sometimes on Fridays too, if enough people want to.” Anika Kakarla ‘23, an active contributor to the club, explains that “all materials that [students] need for the knitting is provided and also knitting instruction from teachers like Madame Brotschul and Mrs. Konopka.”
All the knitted pieces are donated. Brinks explains, “We will share them with Broad Street Ministry, and they will distribute the pieces to people in the community who are homeless and in need of warm clothes.” Kakarla shares that “most of all, the knitting club was a great idea because it increases student involvement in community service in a fun way. It’s just fantastic that so many people have been interested in knitting and giving back to the community.”
The club has become popular within the student body. Brinks observes, “We were very surprised by the number of people who have been participating, and I think that speaks to how people are interested in doing things for others but also just being together as a community. I thought it was interesting to see the variety of students and faculty who are interested in knitting.” While it provides a place for students to practice their new abilities, it also offers a relaxing environment for students to come together and work to help their wider community. For Kakarla, “the weekly knitting club has recently been the highlight of [her] week. It’s nice to end a stressful school day with some knitting and chatting with friends. It’s very calming.”
Knitting club also serves as a productive and beneficial use of students’ time, with Brinks adding that “learning a new skill helps keep people away from their phones.” Stefania Calastri ‘23 explains, “It’s so nice to be able to sit down with my friends for a little and talk with them face-to-face [during the club]. It’s hard to do that during the day, especially right now when the schedules are so rigid and I can’t go out of my way to see people.” Eventually, participants will expand their knitting projects to be more complex and advanced, but Brinks says that currently “a majority of the students are still learning to knit. Right now [they] are in an early point of [their] knitting adventure.”