Mark of the Jaguar is an environmental club that was started in order to spread awareness about the environmental crisis. The club is advised by Mr. Pfeifer, who teaches AP environmental science, marine biology, and anatomy and physiology. 

“It began years ago, with Mr. Pfeifer as an advisor and it has constantly tried to make students aware of their role in the environment and what they can do to protect it. This year, it began around September with a goal of gaining board members,” says Diana Cantoran-Perez (12).

Ever since school went online, clubs were especially affected by Zoom/Google Meet classes. The attendance of clubs plummeted, but many have found creative ways in order to increase attendance. Mark of the Jaguar has decided to do a movie night the week before finals in order to destress students.

“[The club] has started to implement meetings every two weeks with ways to get students involved like a movie day and plans to do discussions as well as just creating a space for students to feel welcome to share their thoughts,” said Cantoran-Perez.

Students, who are in charge of the clubs, are hoping to push through this and keep schooldays entertained. Since clubs can not do anything outside of Zoom, they try to do activities to get to know each other, which have been helpful. The environmental club has decided to start showing pictures of an animal before the club meeting in order to further appreciation for nature.

“We help keep others involved through discussions, games, and activities that give tips on how to be more sustainable at home, as well as nature appreciation pictures for reminders. We also do socials like watching movies and plan to implement more of this in the second semester,” says Cantoran-Perez.

The club’s president is senior Diana Cantoran-Perez. She is in Mr. Pfeifer’s AP environmental class and is an avid activist. Cantoran-Perez was in the Global Sustainability Project, which was a program that selected 10 students to participate in an expedition to Peru. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the group was unable to go, but she still plans to further her activism and help her community in different ways.

“I ran for president because I want to make an impact and show others the importance of it and think I can really help spread this message and grow the club,” explains Cantoran-Perez. 

Mark of the Jaguar continues to plan many other events in order to promote their club.   Many ideas and discussions are being had with the board to get the club running smoothly as well as get students involved. The club has many activities and aspirations. They hope to help create a conversation about the environment and make a change. They plan on having a member give recipes to others in the club so they can be more aware of how much their food can contribute to the crisis. 

Cantoran-Perez explains, “I hope to accomplish getting people involved and caring about the environment not only at school but personally, so they are more aware of their personal impact.”

Mark of the Jaguar has meetings every two weeks on Thursday. The meetings take place at 3 PM on Zoom. The board will gladly welcome anybody who has an interest in helping the environment.

“Mark of the Jaguar is unique because we all create an environment to speak about protecting the Earth and it is something that no matter where you come from or what your views are, we are all affected the same. We aim to make new friends but we also help raise awareness about an issue that affects us all. Others should join the club because they can help become part of the game-changing movement to protect the environment and fight to protect the place they live, not only for themselves but for family and friends in future generations.”