On Feb. 2, Bonita Vista High (BVH) hosted the first “Fortnite Friday” club meeting for the new Fortnite club in room 301. Fortnite is a 100-player battle royale game where players fight against each other until there is one left standing. The club was created around a week and a half before the initial meeting. The club was created to provide a community for people who enjoy playing Fortnite. As president and senior Malyana Castillo explains, the club stemmed from her and the other officers’ enjoyment of the game.
“My friends and I enjoy playing Fortnite together, and knowing so many people at school also enjoyed the game, we decided to create this club to find people that just love to play. I wanted to create a platform for people to share this common interest. My friends and I are not the best players, but we always have fun playing together. I think that having fun is more important than anything,” Castillo said.
Fortnite club treasurer and senior Elias Brannam expands on the idea of providing a common ground, as he explains that the officers also wanted to explore the BVH community and figure out what interests the students share. As Brannam explains, they found out that Fortnite was something that a community could bond over and enjoy.
“We wanted to explore our community and see what odd or unique things can provide a common ground for people. Fortnite was one of those things that a lot of people enjoy, and that was pretty cool to see,” Brannam said.
Brannam clarified that the club was created because of the idea of a “Fortnite club” to the founders being amusing, but it was an idea that they were passionate about. At the first meeting on Feb. 2, it was filled with students of all grade levels funneling in to participate in the Fortnite club. All students, from beginners to experts at the game, came together to have fun. To the officers, the amount of people who showed up to join their club shocked them.
“Honestly, [the officers and I did not] expect that many people to show up to the meeting yesterday, but it was great that everybody did show up. [Some of the officers] were nervous, but I think that nervousness was [also] excitement,” Brannam said.
Freshman Jaziel Coronado was one of the many who decided to attend the initial meeting of the club. Coronado comments on how he and many others were in love with the game and their excitement playing it when they first heard about the club through friends.
“I was talking to one of my friends, and they just started talking about this club. I did not know much about the club, but I wanted to try something new. I feel like [Fortnite club will be] a cool experience,” Coronado said.
The club brought together people who started playing Fortnite at different points in their lives, some being old players, who began in the early seasons of Fortnite. For example, Castillo, who started in season two, or Coronado, who began near the end of season seven. Not only were there players from different seasons, but there were also players of different skill levels. Some students there played competitively, while others were just playing for fun.
“I wanted to create a safe space for everyone who loves Fortnite. At the meeting, there was a diverse group of people and it was great to see everyone talking to new people and making new friends. I hope that everyone gets to meet new people in the club,” Castillo said.
Overall, the officers are positive about this new club and the amount of support that they have already received within a few days. Brannam expands on why he wanted this club to grow further than it is currently.
“We want people to join just to create a new community within BVH. It does not even have to be about Fortnite, but just having a large community like that would be cool to pass on [to future students],” Brannam said.
Near the end of the meeting, a tournament was mentioned for a future event the club will be hosting. This got all the students in the classroom to begin cheering and getting excited about how the Fortnite club would progress. Castillo explains that this tournament is still in the works and that no concrete plans have been made just yet.
“[The tournament] is one of the goals we have as a club. It is still a new idea so we are still planning everything. I’m excited to see what the future holds,” Castillo said.
