On Wednesdays during advisory, City High’s old gym echoes with the tapping of a jump rope against the worn wood floor. Taking place is the Double Dutch Club, a space meant to promote inclusivity and fun exercise, originally the idea of Sierra Porter ‘22. 

“I had a group of students that came to me and told me they needed a sponsor for this really great club,” Ms. Smith, a freshman Earth and Space Science teacher and the club’s sponsor, said. “It’s so fun to get to hang out with students in a different way than me being the teacher in the classroom and them being in their seats.”

Porter wanted a space to jump rope with her friends and asked Ms. Smith to be the sponsor. Ms. Smith now actively recruits students she feels would enjoy the space and believes there is a message to double dutch. 

Dajah Malone ‘25 shares how she learned about the club.

“Ms. Smith actually came up to me and my friend during lunch and asked us if we wanted to jump. Our response was, ‘oh, yeah, let’s try it out’. We have been coming to double dutch club ever since,” Malone said.

Students enjoy double dutch for multiple reasons, though most have been a part of double dutch since they were very little. The club is open to everyone. 

Smith feels that something small like starting a club can greatly affect people in our school’s community. 

“Everybody has strengths, and to be able to give students a place where they get to showcase their strengths at school, makes them feel like they’re much more a part of the school community and it makes school important to them,” Smith said.

A typical meeting is Ms. Smith bringing the jump ropes, as members line up and wait their turn to jump. Members take turns holding the rope, ensuring everyone has time to jump. 

“My favorite thing about jumping is when we try to jump in and get started,” Kaliyah Davis ‘25 said. “I also enjoy when we try to get up to speed during our jumping.”

The club also recently spoke at MLK day this year, talking about the roots of double dutch in African American culture, as well as teaching students how to double dutch.

“For Martin Luther King Day, we ran sessions where students signed up to learn about the history of double dutch and then they learned how to do it,” Smith said. “Watching the members of the club teach other students how to jump was incredible. It’s really exciting to get to see students who aren’t necessarily leaders, lead. ” 

Members of the club spent time during their Wednesday advisory meetings preparing for MLK Day sessions. The history behind double dutch was a subject they thought was important for others to learn.

“Double dutch is a big part of African American history. There are a lot of different cultures that do it, and it’s a sport that is very competitive,” Malone said. “Starting clubs like this and taking time to learn about double dutch enables you to get out there more and learn about the cultural background.”