Tea Club offers an assortment of teas to choose from, as well as an opportunity for social connection. photo by Evelyn Jackson
TJ’s new Tea Club is the perfect spot for students to make connections, hang out, and, of course, drink tea.
Thomas Jefferson High School offers a wide variety of clubs that students can join, giving them opportunities to explore their interests and form bonds with their peers. One club that stands out is Tea Club, sponsored by science teacher Rachel Teeter. During Tea Club’s meetings, students meet and talk while drinking tea provided by both Teeter and club members. Tea Club allows students to simply relax before getting back to their afternoon classes.
Sophomore Mimi Leahy is the president and founder of Tea Club. Though the current iteration of Tea Club is new—having been founded only last semester—TJ once had a different Tea Club a few years ago that sadly ended. Leahy knew about the previous Tea Club through a sibling who had once been a part of the club when they were at TJ. When Leahy approached Teeter last semester with the idea of restarting the club, Teeter was on board and they got the club up and running. “I thought it would be a fun environment,” Leahy explained, “and I like tea.” Teeter also expressed a fondness for tea. In fact, she used to work at the tea company Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, first as a barista then as a tour guide at the company’s factory, so she was the perfect choice for club sponsor.
Tea Club meets every other Thursday during 5th period lunch. Students who are interested should stop by Teeter’s classroom, 212, and enjoy some of the many teas available. Teeter regularly provides around ten different types of tea, including Green tea, Mint, Black tea, Chai, Lavender Chamomile, and more. In addition to the variety of teas, Teeter brings out an eclectic collection of mugs to drink the tea from, so students don’t need to worry about bringing anything to the club if they don’t want to. However, some members do often bring in various snacks to share and multiple students also bring in more varieties of tea, so there is always a flavor for everyone to enjoy. “It’s nice,” Teeter said. “Stop on by if you want to try a new type of tea or the same type of tea you’ve already tried.”
Each meeting of the club typically proceeds in a similar way. “We usually play music [and] start the tea kettle,” Teeter described. Then, “people just sort of relax and eat lunch and chat and drink tea.” Tea Club provides students with an escape from the stresses of the school day. Leahy expanded on this, saying, “It’s really chill and low commitment, people can just show up when they want and have some tea.”
Tea Club is the perfect club for anyone looking to try out a new experience without the stress of an extreme commitment. The next meeting is on March 13th and, as Leahy explained, “Anyone who’s looking for a chill place to have lunch and hang out, and if you like tea, then come by.”
