Calvert’s Alliance, a club at Calvert High School that meets twice a week and focuses on supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, began with the intention of providing students with a safe space to come together, discuss issues they have faced within the school, and create solutions that strive to make the school more inclusive. 

As students learn to embrace their individual identities throughout their four-year journey, it can be difficult to find support in a sea of vastly different people with opposing beliefs, characteristics, and oppressive opinions. Too often, students are bullied because of their sexuality, gender, and identity with no foundation of support to uplift them or safe space to congregate which often leads to struggles in social situations and with their mental health.  

In their meetings, allies and members of the community come together to focus on two main pillars: activism and community support. On Wednesdays, students focus on creating a more inclusive school environment and ways to advocate for action to be taken against bullies. During their follow-up meetings every Friday, students are given the opportunity to participate in an open-mic conversation in which they can voice their concerns, vent about their experiences, and receive community support.  

Senior Gabriel Hallberg, one of Alliance club’s student representatives, believes that the club is successful in providing an effective and safe environment for students of all backgrounds to feel comfortable. “We’ve had a little over six years since same-sex marriage was legalized and there are still a lot of problems to face,” said Hallberg. “Calvert Alliance is a place where we can guide students on their journey through high school while being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.” 

Even if a prospective member is not a part of the community, those wishing to be allies to their peers and support others within the community are still encouraged to join. Additionally, if members are not ready to come forward in the group discussions, the club provides them with alternative means such as a Discord server, an Instagram page, and a Microsoft Teams group to come forward and connect with the group.  

Calvert’s Alliance Club meets every Wednesday and Friday during b-lunch in room 110. This year, through supportive group discussions that both uplift and bring together students of similar interests and backgrounds, Alliance hopes to fight against negative stigma within each lesson.