This year, a new club opened up at Malden High School for students to explore vegetarianism, veganism, and nutrition in general.
The Veg Club was started by junior Ariel Gustowski, who says, “when [she] went vegan, there wasn’t anyone [she] could talk to about it.” This is one of the many reasons Gustowski created the Veg Club, including to make new friends, and to learn new ideas from others. Gustowski also adds that she plans on bringing knowledge, ideas, and a unique point of view to the Veg Club.
Justine Muir, MHS’s Special Education Program Manager, is the Veg Club’s advisor. Muir has been a vegetarian for nine years, and she tells the club members that the reason she became a vegetarian was because of a book she read, “Food Matters” by Mark Bittman, a book about responsible and healthy eating.
Muir expressed to the members of the Veg Club that “[She] decided that in order to help the environment, animals, and [her] health, [she] was going to eat a plant based diet from then on.” Muir also adds that as a vegetarian it is nice to get together with other people who enjoy the lifestyle.
The Veg Club was started this year, and the first meeting was October 8th, 2015. Veg Club meets every Thursday after school for about an hour in H410. Ms. Muir says, “New members are always welcome, and you don't have to be a vegetarian to join the group.”
The Veg Club not only meets to discuss important matters in the vegetarian/vegan community, but they also meet to talk about veg-related events and programs.
Muir also explained that the club plans on attending Boston Veg Food Fest this fall, which is a widely popular event in Boston with food samples, speakers, authors, cooking demonstrations, and shopping. The Veg Club also plans on hosting some cooking events and movie nights to help educate MHS and bring people together.
Regarding the future of the Veg Club, Ms. Muir says, “[They are a student led group, so the future of [Veg Club] will depend on the student leaders. As an advisor, [she] will support whatever the group would like to do.” Ms. Muir, Ariel Gutowski, and the other members of Veg Club plan to keep the club going, and continue to plan and attend events that apply to the main focuses of the club.
THe Veg Club meets in room H410 on Thursdays after school, and is open to any vegetarians, vegans, those who are interested in changing their diet, or anyone who wants to learn more about nutrition.
