Rotary Club at RCHS
When she is not active as the Rock Canyon High School Rotary Interact Club president, junior Katie Dupper enjoys hiking and exploring new things in her spare time.
In 2019, 13-year-old Katie Dupper attended a summer camp called Young Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), a leadership program hosted by Rotary International (RI). Three years later, Dupper established herself as the proud president of Rock Canyon High School’s Interact Club, the Rotary branch at the high school level.
“I learned about Interact Clubs when I attended RYLA, but there wasn’t a club at my school at the time,” explained Dupper, a junior. That changed when she got to high school. “I was able to get involved with the Interact Club at Rock Canyon, which partners with the Rotary Club of Castle Pines,” she added. “And so I worked my way to be the president.”
When she is not active as the Rock Canyon High School Rotary Interact Club president, junior Katie Dupper enjoys hiking and exploring new things in her spare time.
RI is an international organization that focuses on serving communities to help better the world. With 46,000 member clubs worldwide and a membership of 1.4 million, RI supports causes that range from education to disease eradication to clean water initiatives. Interact Clubs pair with the local Rotary groups to work on projects at all levels, from local plans to global opportunities.
The RCHS Interact Club typically meets biweekly at school in the mornings, plus additional meetings for specific project work and club bonding activities. Outside of the meetings, the club members also sometimes host or attend other events and activities, such as fundraisers or community events that fulfill their local and global focuses. This includes the social events held each semester aimed to help members of the club get to know each other outside of official work.
“We are hoping to start our meetings regularly now that the school year has started, and we are working really hard on recruiting more members,” Dupper said. She added that there are nine returning members. Her leadership team includes a vice president, public relations officer and communications officer.
“We have yet to finalize our projects for the 2022-2023 school year, but it will most certainly be a hoot and a half,” said Dupper. “I love working with the other club members and the local Rotary Club to benefit causes we believe in. I’ve met some of the loveliest people in the world through this club and other Rotary events, and I’m excited to lead this year,” Dupper said.
To follow Interact Club, visit Instagram at @rchs_interact. For more information on the Rotary Club of Castle Pines, visit rotaryclubofcastlepines.org.
By Claire Bauer, RCHS intern writer; courtesy photos
