Highschool Sororities....

[Xidelt]

Originally Posted by JWithers

In my HS we had service organizations like Anchor Club and Key Club, which are (I assume) off-shoots of GLOs. I know in Anchor we had a ritual initiation and were very selective about whom we invited to join. GPA and extra-curricular were taken into consideration also. We had interviews with alums and had to write an essay.

I went to a college with no GLOs but went to a larger U for post-grad and was always interested in college sororities. A colleague of mine in grad school told me to ask about post-grad recruitment (she said 'rush' was verboten)? I never heard of that. Is it a real thing? I won't reveal the org. in case it's wrong info. But I love the histories behind your orgs. and think it's a really interesting concept.

I especially love the symbolism behind the flowers and colors. I love the book by Geri Laufer "Tussie Mussies" which reveals the medieval and rennaissance meanings behind many different flowers and how the combinations of these flowers contained hidden meanings.

Key Club and many of those high school service clubs are sponsored by civic clubs like the Kiwanis Int or Rotary Clubs. They also have college level equivalents so students can continue their involvement. At the college and university level, Key Club is known as Circle K.

There are also opportunities to be involved in sororities outside of college. NPC sororities are not the only type. Community sororities also offer sisterhood, ritual, and symbolism and have social and philanthropic activities. They just don't happen to be affiliated with a college. Examples are Beta Sigma Phi or Epsilon Sigma Alpha. Google the term "community sororities" and you should get several results.

[bejazd]

I belonged to a high school "sorority" in Southern California. We called them "off campus" clubs. My mother belonged to a similar group at North Hollywood HS in the 50's. aside from the social aspect, they were not really sororities. I believe these clubs were off shoots from when the YMCA sponsored activities like dances and pep rallies at high schools in the 50s. I don't know if they exist anymore as I don't live in the area now...the schools generally frowned upon the whole thing as they viewed it the same thing as a gang, and there was no control by the school.

interestingly enough, these clubs were not elitist at all. Friendly rivalry would be a better description. It was the Key Club that was elitist, because it had to sponsored by a teacher, and therefore the membership was limited to 30...at a school with over 3000 students! There was a lot of sucking up involved in getting in the Key Club!

[ms_gwyn]

Originally Posted by bejazd

I belonged to a high school "sorority" in Southern California. We called them "off campus" clubs. My mother belonged to a similar group at North Hollywood HS in the 50's. aside from the social aspect, they were not really sororities. I believe these clubs were off shoots from when the YMCA sponsored activities like dances and pep rallies at high schools in the 50s. I don't know if they exist anymore as I don't live in the area now...the schools generally frowned upon the whole thing as they viewed it the same thing as a gang, and there was no control by the school.

interestingly enough, these clubs were not elitist at all. Friendly rivalry would be a better description. It was the Key Club that was elitist, because it had to sponsored by a teacher, and therefore the membership was limited to 30...at a school with over 3000 students! There was a lot of sucking up involved in getting in the Key Club!

WOW

This sounds like my High School and the Tri-Hi-Y clubs my sister was a founding member of Le Aikanes and I was a member of Lanakila. They were not sororities but sorority-like.

Gwyn

[MTSUGURL]

There are two highschools sororities here that I know of - Delta Beta Sigma and Alpha Delta Kappa. The ADKs used to make their pledges walk around in these gingham aprons and bows... I had heard that they tended to become AOIIs. We didn't have sororities at my highschool, but there was a fraternity - I don't remember what they were called.

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

WOW

This sounds like my High School and the Tri-Hi-Y clubs my sister was a founding member of Le Aikanes and I was a member of Lanakila. They were not sororities but sorority-like.

Gwyn

[/off topic]

How did the ones with the Hawaiian names come to get their names? And WTF is "Le Aikane"? Is it French? Is it Hawaiian? I only ask because the kaona (deeper meaning) of "Aikane" is gay male partner. Na Ali`i? The Chiefs? Laule`a = glad/happy? There was a singing group here called Hui Ohana in the 1970s so it's kinda weird to see it the other way around. And ironically my outrigger paddling club is called Hui Lanakila.

I'm curious to learn more about their foundings, even more so how they became labeled as such. Does Alhambra have a large Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian population or did somebody think that it was just cool to give these clubs a Hawaiian name?

[ms_gwyn]

Originally Posted by OTW

[/off topic]

How did the ones with the Hawaiian names come to get their names? And WTF is "Le Aikane"? Is it French? Is it Hawaiian? I only ask because the kaona (deeper meaning) of "Aikane" is gay male partner. Na Ali`i? The Chiefs? Laule`a = glad/happy? There was a singing group here called Hui Ohana in the 1970s so it's kinda weird to see it the other way around. And ironically my outrigger paddling club is called Hui Lanakila.

I'm curious to learn more about their foundings, even more so how they became labeled as such. Does Alhambra have a large Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian population or did somebody think that it was just cool to give these clubs a Hawaiian name?

OTW

I was always under the impression that Le Aikanes meant Friends...I would ask my sister but we don't talk...we haven't for over 10 years....

The groups were founded in the 50/60s..Cheryl Tiegs was a member of Na Al'ii, my thinking is when there were founded based on Polynesian pop culture that was popular during the time, I know this sounds bad, as a Greek and all, but it has been almost 20 years, since I was out of High School, my memory is very faulty during that time period. A lot of the groups that were on campus when I was there are gone and a few new ones have formed....Most were of Hawaiian themed, except for Les Petites Amies which is French and stands for The Little Friends.

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

OTW

I was always under the impression that Le Aikanes meant Friends...I would ask my sister but we don't talk...we haven't for over 10 years....

The groups were founded in the 50/60s..Cheryl Tiegs was a member of Na Al'ii, my thinking is when there were founded based on Polynesian pop culture that was popular during the time, I know this sounds bad, as a Greek and all, but it has been almost 20 years, since I was out of High School, my memory is very faulty during that time period. A lot of the groups that were on campus when I was there are gone and a few new ones have formed....Most were of Hawaiian themed, except for Les Petites Amies which is French and stands for The Little Friends.

Interesting.

The Hawaiian language can get tricky at times because words have literal and figurative meanings. If you're trying to say "The Friends" it would be more proper to say "Na Hoa" or "Na Hoaloha" instead of "`Aikane" because of the above mentioned deeper meaning. `Ai=Eat; Kane=Man. You get the idea. It can mean friend, but it is very rarely used.

Is the ' in Al`ii intentional? The `okina (glottal stop) belongs between the two i.

Based on what I've heard about Polynesian pop culture in the 50s/60s I can see how lots of people would be quick to jump on the Hawaiian bandwagon. I suppose we can thank Don Ho for that (RIP, Don). The Hawaiian "Renaissance" didn't happen here till the mid-70s and it was then that more and more people were eager to learn the language.

I learn something new everyday!

[LatinaAlumna]

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

OTW

I was always under the impression that Le Aikanes meant Friends...I would ask my sister but we don't talk...we haven't for over 10 years....

The groups were founded in the 50/60s..Cheryl Tiegs was a member of Na Al'ii, my thinking is when there were founded based on Polynesian pop culture that was popular during the time, I know this sounds bad, as a Greek and all, but it has been almost 20 years, since I was out of High School, my memory is very faulty during that time period. A lot of the groups that were on campus when I was there are gone and a few new ones have formed....Most were of Hawaiian themed, except for Les Petites Amies which is French and stands for The Little Friends.

Ms_Gwyn, you are from Alhambra? One of my sorority sisters went to HS in Alhambra, and was a member of one of these groups (although I can't remember the name). I do remember her saying there was a group for boys called "Le Frat". This was back in the early 90s.

[lillylover3]

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

WOW

This sounds like my High School and the Tri-Hi-Y clubs my sister was a founding member of Le Aikanes and I was a member of Lanakila. They were not sororities but sorority-like.

Gwyn

ahh! i loved tri hi y- i was VP my jr and sr year of highschool. and i was in leaders club[the "elite" of tri hi y-ha such a joke]. my mom was in hi-y[the girls] back in the day and they would do things with tri hi y[the boys]. but if you were asked to be in leaders, there was "hazing" as in: come get you from the football game and blindfold you and do things to spook you but nothing involving crisco or not shaving.....

nowadays, leaders isn't as exclusive but more intense than tri-hi-y[it combined in the 80's] but it's all run by the YMCA so it would never get out of hand to begin with.

but on another note, i think mobile is the last in AL to really have a strong sorority/fraternity system. in birmingham and montgomery they just have dances[montg: the assembly, camellia ball-girls, the squires-boys, MCC, cotillion] which were pretty much feeders into the debutante balls for college!!

[libelle]

Originally Posted by lillylover3

but on another note, i think mobile is the last in AL to really have a strong sorority/fraternity system. in birmingham and montgomery they just have dances[montg: the assembly, camellia ball-girls, the squires-boys, MCC, cotillion] which were pretty much feeders into the debutante balls for college!!

Yes, high school sororities and fraternities are still strong in the Mobile area. And yes, there is a natural progression from certain hs groups to certain NPC groups to the Camellia ball to the Jr League, etc. The Jr League, however, is more diverse than the sororities these days. Pledges of 'the' sorority are called 'rats' and have a list of rules that no NPC group could have.

It is a different world from Long Island where I live now.

[JWithers]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

Key Club and many of those high school service clubs are sponsored by civic clubs like the Kiwanis Int or Rotary Clubs. They also have college level equivalents so students can continue their involvement. At the college and university level, Key Club is known as Circle K.

There are also opportunities to be involved in sororities outside of college. NPC sororities are not the only type. Community sororities also offer sisterhood, ritual, and symbolism and have social and philanthropic activities. They just don't happen to be affiliated with a college. Examples are Beta Sigma Phi or Epsilon Sigma Alpha. Google the term "community sororities" and you should get several results.

That is really interesting! Thanks. I am out of school now, but it is still a fact I will bet many people don't know.

[REE1993]

Being geeky Catholic school kids, the club to be in was a certain church's Youth Group. My high school had kids from about 10 nearby towns. The church's youth group was comprised of kids from our co-ed high school which was one town over from the Church, the boy's prep school two towns away, and a small girls' prep school 4 towns away.

Many of us from other towns left our home churches and joined this particular town's parish (as official adult roster members who contributed weekly to the collection plate and such), simply to become a member of their youth group. (Most towns only had one or two Catholic Churches). We sang in the choir, ran Emmaus retreats, held dances every month, held service events every month, free coffee and donuts after mass every Sunday...etc. There was actually a waiting list to get into the group because it became so large. Eventually, we had to split some events and meetings by grade (frosh/soph and junior/senior).

One of our coolest endeavors was an offshoot into the hunger prevention movement in the 80s. Our group, Youth Ending Hunger, encompassed students from all over the country, and culminated yearly with an invitation-only visit and presentation to ambassadors from over 75 countries at the UN. We held fundraisers, awareness events, and participated in conference calls weekly.

To be a member of this youth group was well-known enough in the state that many recruiters of local colleges knew of it. Kids from every typical HS cliques - jocks/cheerleaders; theatre/choir; honors track; the rockers/goth/burnout crew; math and science wizzes; foreign language and culture group - were represented in the Youth Group.

So, no Sorority or Fraternity, but definitely a group that "who you knew" made you more likely to be socially accepted within the group, which meant that you hung out together outside the official events. Also, there were a few invitation- or by-application and selection-only leadership opportunities and programs that we all worked hard to be chosen to attend.

We were by no means the "popular kids" but usually the kids who ran a lot of committees, volunteered, and the kids who other kids' parents would trust their children to hang with. (Drinking and smoking were prohibited at all events, and discouraged at home parties). All official business was conducted with adult supervision and for liability reasons.

I guess it was a great preparation and segue into Gamma Sigma Sigma.

Anyway, that's my story.

[Senusret I]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShNmeH5xsJw

A high school sorority probate.

[rhoyaltempest]

^^^^I see they've been watching youtube!!!!!!!!!

[kathykd2005]

I had a sorority sister in college who was in a high school sorority. They even had a form of recruitment where they came to the girl's HOUSE and decorated her room in order to try and outdo the other high school sororities. She is from Birmingham, Alabama, so I'm sure there are other high school sororities throughout the south, as well.