Two new BHS clubs celebrate four-legged friends

Animal lovers at Bearden now have two new club options at Bearden – the Cat Club and the Equestrian Club. While junior Hailey McLaughlin founded the Equestrian Club for fellow horse enthusiasts, senior Katie Goddard started the Cat Club. “I love cats and notice a growing obsession with cats among students and teachers at Bearden,” Goddard said. “It’s a pretty laid back club, and we always have a silly time.” The club, sponsored by Latin teacher Mr. Sandy Hughes, has met five times since Spring Break. “So far, we have expressed our love of cats by sharing pictures of our cats, doing cat trivia, and looking up funny cat videos and pictures,” said sophomore Laura Harris, the vice president of the Cat Club. “We hope to continue this next year and work more with different charities.” Several of these charities include the Knoxville Animal Shelter, the Humane Society, and organizations that help low-income pet owners provide for their animals. McLaughlin also hopes to work for a relative cause next year. “I would really like to educate our members on horse neglect in Tennessee,” she said. “There is also a group of young riders who can’t afford riding clothes or equipment, and I will have a collection of old riding clothes to give to these girls.” Organizations that McLaughlin hopes to raise money for next year, like Horse Haven of Tennessee, allow donors to save individual horses from slaughter by sponsoring them. “There is also Robinette Farm Weekly Horses,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a Facebook page for horses that go to slaughter.” McLaughlin also hopes to educate members about preventative measures that can be taken against the possibility of a legislative act bringing slaughterhouses to East Tennessee, as well as provide them with information about riding at the college level. Equestrian Club meetings will begin again in the fall the first Monday morning of every month in The Pit. For more information, look for the group’s page on Facebook. Although Cat Club’s last meeting was on Tuesday, follow @BHScatclub on Twitter for updates. Rachel Riley is the news editor for The Bark. Follow The Bark on Twitter @BeardenBARK and like The Bark (Bearden High School) on Facebook.