December 5, 2014
By Morgan Brang and Meghan Byrnes
Editors-in-Chief
For those who know senior Brian Cieplicki, Clash of Clans is a familiar phrase. Clash of Clans is a video game for your smartphone that challenges players to expand their bases by training troops, waging clan wars, and raiding the bases of opponents. This year, Cieplicki has taken his love for the video game one step further, and has started a club that creates an environment for fellow Clash fanatics to work together and discuss the game. Just three weeks old, the club is already a major hit among many of the students who are also invested in the game.
Cieplicki, long time Clash of Clans player, is the president of the club. “It has been something I have really wanted to do for a couple of years now. I really wanted to bring together the Clash community at J-D,” said Cieplicki about his decision to create the club. As far as choosing the adviser for the club, according to Cieplicki, math teacher Mike Daly was the obvious choice even though he is not a “Clasher.” “He’s an incredible man, and incredible teacher, and we thought he would be a great addition to the club,” added Cieplicki. Other officers include sophomore vice president Mike Yonta, sophomore secretary Tommy Bonaccio, and sophomore treasurer Nick Palin.
In this video game, users can form a “clan” and work together in the virtual world to defeat other clans. The Clash of Clans club is mostly made up of students who are also members of the same clan in the actual game, however the club is open to people not part of the clan as well. Even though all are welcome, most people who are in the club also want to be in the clan because of the agenda of the meetings. At the meetings, the members of the clan play the game and plan their “clan wars” so if you are not a member of the clan, you won’t be able to participate in these activities.
For most of the members of the club, this team work has helped them greatly improve their status on the game. “Everyone there is devoted to Clash of Clans and everyone is there helping each other with attacking strategies, defensive strategies, building a base. It’s just an amazing experience,” said freshman Ryan Evans. Ryan Evans is a newcomer to the game but has become much more familiar with it due to his time at club meetings. His brother, junior Connor Evans, also appreciates the leadership and help from some of the experts in the club. “I feel that they are very qualified for their position and I support them 100 percent,” said Connor Evans.
The response to the formation of the club has been better than Cieplicki ever expected, and he hopes that the club will continue to grow. Future plans for the club include fundraisers and expansion so more members can join. If the opinions of the Evans brothers are any indication, Cieplicki is well on his way to uniting the clan community at Jamesville-DeWitt High School and making a name for his club.