There are just shy of 50 student-run clubs here at Avon Old Farms covering every interest a high school boy might have. There are some clubs that are almost as old as the school itself, while new clubs are formed every year.

One of the new clubs introduced this year, called Aroma Lab, combines scientific lab work with the natural resources on our campus. The goals of the club are to further explore the biodiversity of our campus and learn how to use different scientific lab materials not often dealt with through standard curriculum work.

The club was introduced this fall by seniors Minxi “Alex” Qu ’26 and Tingxuan “Patrick” Shen ’26. Both Qu and Shen found that the science experiments they carried out in class were a bit too formulaic. They were learning from them, but felt they were missing the wonder and unpredictability that comes with real scientific research. “We wanted to make a club for kids who are interested in experiments outside of the classroom labs. It’s for kids like us, who have an interest to do more and to apply our knowledge to real world applications. Also, things you have to do for class, like writing a lab report for example, might be deterring kids,” Qu said. Shen continues, “We thought about making a club for this, and knew we had to come up with an experiment that could serve as a fun and interesting way to get into science.”

They approached their advisor, biology teacher Dr. Jack Sanford, who gave them an idea: extracting essential oils from plants. This would require some new tools and materials, work in and outside of a lab, and would have unpredictable results—exactly what Qu and Shen were looking for. “I just thought, let’s see if they like it,” Sanford explains. “They both like to try new things and are driven students.” Both club leaders are interested in pursuing careers involving science as well.  

The club had their first-ever meeting in early October, in which attendees learned about the process of oil extraction and determined what plants they would use. The next few meetings involved getting more comfortable with the tools involved. The primary component, a Clevenger Apparatus, does the main job of siphoning water and oil separately. Students must also be comfortable dealing with boiling flasks and condensing units.

Sanford says the club has proven to be a great learning opportunity not just in science, but in business as well. “They are learning about new botanicals and their components, carrying out the scientific process, and reinforcing their understanding of the properties of water and changes of state of matter. It’s also expanding their understanding of the process of manufacturing and how different products can be produced and marketed.”

So far, the club has been able to produce a few vials of lavender oil to be used in a diffuser. Every individual plant only produces a few drops, so it takes a long time for enough oil to be extracted. That hasn’t stopped Qu and Shen from brainstorming several more business opportunities for their essential oils. “We’ve discussed several options, like perfume or hand cream. We could put a label on it that says it’s made at Avon Old Farms and sell it in the Hawk’s Nest or give it as a gift to alumni or at the end of an admissions tour. That’s all in the future, though,” Qu says. There is also potential for them to work with the Environmental Club to begin planting their own plants around campus for oil extraction.

The future possibilities are exciting for this club, with both Sanford and his students expressing their hope that younger members continue it in the coming years. “That would be my hope—having the club continue to grow after we leave. I think it can be very fun and meaningful for students with similar interests,” Qu says.

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