Stop, Bacon Time

It's 1:27 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. The final bell has just rung as a student wanders the crowded hallways of Advanced Technologies Academy. He's searching for the school's newest club, which classmates have been talking about nonstop.

Suddenly, a distinct scent wafts through the halls, filling his nostrils with its essence. He licks his lips in anticipation, following the aroma.

The student's nose leads him to a room that reads 606, under the name Ms. Lowe. His excitement growing and stomach growling, he opens the door and takes in the sight with unbelieving wonder.

Students, most he recognizes as freshmen and sophomores, fill the room. They're all having a mellow chat with their friends, with a slice of bacon in hand. Then another student announces from the front of the room, "We're still offering free Baconator coupons for anyone who makes a good slogan for Bacon Club."

The wandering student stares in disbelief, the expression on his face making it clear he thinks he has just gone to heaven.

Bacon Club -- an establishment A-TECH students believe is unique to their school -- has one purpose: It provides a place for students to spend time with their friends while eating bacon and bacon-related items. For example, previous meetings included bacon pizza, bacon logs, bacon gum, bacon jellybeans and many other varieties of bacon snacks.

The reason behind the homage to bacon is simple, they said.

"It makes every other food worth eating," said A-TECH sophomore Michael MacDougall, a founding member of the club.

"It's amazing!" said A-TECH sophomore Genevieve Pichler, who has attended every Bacon Club meeting. "I can't believe it (bacon) exists!"

Ever since its first meeting on Nov. 25, the club has attracted students of all grades, though most of the members are underclassmen, since the founders are sophomores.

"Basically, me and Jeremy Page wanted our own club," said A-TECH sophomore, Bacon Club president and founder Chad Palmer, as he reminisced about the club's roots. "We were in world history class one day, and our teacher, Mr. (Robert) Henderson, said, 'God bless the man who invented bacon.' What he'd said made us decide to launch a bacon club."

Concept in hand, Palmer set out to make it a reality. Like any other student wanting to form a club, he filled out a form and looked for an adviser. English teacher Maury Lowe readily accepted, leaving the planning to Palmer and his friends Jeremy Page, Patrick Murray and Jeremy Hennessey. Palmer said that overall, he thought the process easier than he had originally expected.

The next step was to attract club members. Unlike others, Bacon Club didn't rely on posters or announcements, but was purely spread through word of mouth.

The day of the first meeting finally came. After the school bell rang to signal the end of classes, Palmer entered the classroom to find it jam-packed with students.

"I was really surprised with how many kids showed up," Palmer said.

After some quick introductions, he had cried, "Who wants bacon?" and students cheered in response.

Bacon Club members provide all of the bacon themselves through student donations. Considering the number of bacon-craving members, the lack of student-accessible kitchen equipment and the need to save time, Palmer has been precooking the bacon in a microwave oven and bringing it to school. During the latest meeting, he had more than 150 pieces of bacon.

Currently, Bacon Club is running low on funds because of a lack of donations. If they don't accumulate enough money, all meetings will be canceled until the next school year.

Aside from getting more donations, Palmer and the other officers of Bacon Club have one goal in mind for the upcoming years.

"We'd like to be the biggest club in A-TECH," Palmer said. Currently, the school's largest club is Key Club.

Palmer said they plan to have proper advertisements in the upcoming school year, which they were unable to do this year because of their status as a new club.

Despite their lack of advertising, the officers have found ways to make their club's presence known. Officers occasionally pass out bacon-flavored foods in the halls, such as gum and other snacks.

Their methods are paying off as they continue to gain new members.

"I came because I heard from my friends there was free bacon," said A-TECH freshman Taylor Seamacher, a new member. "It smells really good in here."

Palmer is looking to the future.

"I hope," he said, "to make this a legacy at A-TECH."