Flagstaff High School

What to Do When You’re Board

Santiago Romero

Mr. Stanley, FHS Faculty member, leads The Tabletop Club for as many as 15-20 students per meeting. As club sponsor of The Tabletop Club for over 5 years, he believes people should bond by playing table games. In his words, he says, “table games are an inexpensive way of finding an activity that you can replay over and over.”

            In Tabletop Club, anyone who wants to play a game on the surface of a table can bond and join together. Right after school on Thursday, they play together with games like Monopoly, D&D, and Card games. Mr. Stanley’s favorite games include Monopoly, Catan, and Magic: The Gathering. People become really involved and it is often difficult to end each club meeting around 5.

The club gets their donations from some students who play together; However, they also get games from other places as well. When Mr. Stanley asked for a sponsor, Cab Comics, here in town, donated a lot towards Tabletop Club’s collection. They even joined a program called MagiKids which is an organization by Wizards of the Coast who donated Magic: The Gathering cards. 

While most of the Tabletop Club is composed of its students, we cannot forget about Mr. Stanley. Due to his sacrifice to keep this club alive, people can build community over an activity most people like. When he grew up, board games and card games were always a tradition to spend time with family. As an adult, he likes the community and the happy space that these games give to him. He is the reason some students can go to school and connect with people and he should be considered as such.