Step into Room 1313, and the frantic pace of Clements High School dissolves into the scent of leaves and teas. The room is home to the Tea Club, which has become one of the most prominent places within the building to decompress, relax and collaborate with others.
The Tea Club was initially founded to spread diversity and culture, and to introduce students to different types of teas. But it doesn’t just serve drinks; it serves a global agenda. Students can expect to see how a single room transforms into a center for everything, from the intricate steps of a Chinese Gongfu ceremony to a sanctuary for students in the middle of classes and extracurriculars. The Tea Club proves that culture is best understood one sip at a time.
“I felt like it would be very special for me to make a club to really show people, my experience I had in China, and what tea could truly taste like, all of its unique flavors and tastings,” sophomore Alex Su, who is also the Tea Club founder and president, said.
While in the western world people add sugar and other artificial flavors to make tea, Su describes how the traditional health-based making of tea in China inspired him to start an organization in which he could share this tea with.
“After my freshman year, I went to a summer vacation in China,” Su said. “My favorite…experience was going into some random tea house in the streets of Shanghai, where a tea brewer just served some Chinese tea to me for the first time. It was just the standard local type that most everyone drinks. But for me, who’s lived in America and has only been exposed to really bad tea, like, tea-bag tea or black tea, sweet tea or iced tea, in China, I got the truth [of] what tea could truly taste like.”
Su’s experience with traditional tea in China made him to want to spread the taste of real tea to Clements students. But he also wanted to bring a serene study environment.
“I wanted to talk to [Su] and learn more about the tea culture,” sophomore Cynthia Li, an officer for the Tea Club, said. “I didn’t know this was going to be like traditional tea, [but] I was open to the new types of tea. When I came I learned all these new things including the seven types of Chinese tea, and now I’m more educated and I really like it.”
While many clubs and classes within Clements are built around competition, the Tea Club allows for students to relax, catch up on work and enjoy elements of Chinese culture and tea.
“It’s a very chill club,” sophomore Stephanie Jiang said. “You don’t really have to do anything. You just sit around, chill and Alex gives you tea.”
Jiang describes the club as hangout-like, with the ability to chill with friends and take a break from academics or the high-level stress school creates. Su hopes the club can serve as a welcoming community for others to open up in, a once-a-week antidote to life’s stressors.
“What I hope to do for this club is that when people are tired, when they have stress in their life, they just come to the tea club, I can serve them tea and they can do whatever they want,” Su said. “People here, especially in Clements, have a lot of stress. I want them to come in here and enjoy it and enjoy themselves, to relax.”
Sometimes, alongside the intense coursework of high school, students are also carrying the weight of “drama” and stress. The tea club recognizes that what the student body needs most isn’t another study session—but a genuine release from the relentless pressure to perform.
“I feel like it’s a traditional way to bond,” Jiang said. “You drink tea…You just sit around [and] hang out.”
By joining the club, students aren’t just signing up for tea; they are also reclaiming their right to relax and helping soothe their overworked brain. It’s a space where stress is replaced by an environment of care and enjoyment. In a culture that constantly asks for more, this club offers an opportunity to breathe.
“The relaxed environment gives students the ability to feel free to do whatever they need to,” Special Education teacher Nona Banks, the Tea Club sponsor, said. “The club not only spreads culture but also provides a welcoming space where students can simply sit and do homework.”
This environment allows for a more interactive one compared to others within the school. It’s a chance for connection and positive affirmations.
“I feel like instead of having a bunch of information or reading off slides, we actually get to talk to each other and learn more,” Li said.
While the club functions as a sanctuary for stressed students, it is anchored by the ancient precision of Chinese tea culture. As a contributing stand in the popular International Festival (IFEST), a celebration of culture around the world, the Tea Club served tea and showcased traditional Chinese culture.
“I try to emulate what Chinese people have done with this practice in order to properly display Tea culture,” Su said.
The Tea Club also avoids imposing additional work and fees, allowing the members to openly enjoy the tea without a prior charge. It’s a no-cost opportunity to partake in traditional Chinese culture.
“When I make tea, I have to pay attention to all the little steps,” Su said. “Like, oh, you have to wash your tea, you have to warm everyone’s tea cups and most importantly, you have to show hospitality.”
Ultimately, the Tea Club aims to increase awareness and diversity among the Clements student body, aiming to be more representative of the different cultures within the school and the world today.
“Tea is meant to be an art, not only intense focus, but relaxation and enjoyment,” Su said.
