National Mushroom Day is celebrated Oct. 15 to commemorate the famous fungi and its ecological functions, which usually go unappreciated by so many.

New to CHS this year is the Mycology Club, which offers fungi-loving fanatics a way to share comfortably their enthusiasm for mushrooms.

“Mushrooms are crucial for the ecosystem and they’re fun to look at,” said senior Michelle Dan, who founded the club.

Dan initially created the club because she finds mushrooms fascinating.

“They’re more genetically similar to humans than to plants,” Dan said. “Mushrooms can clean oil spills, stop erosion and build new materials that can replace plastics.”

According to Dan, the club will meet primarily outside of school.

“We’ll go on hikes to forage for mushrooms, have mushroom cooking classes and go on field trips,” Dan said. “Right now we’re planning a field trip on Oct.19 to a mushroom fair at Rock Creek Park.”

According to senior Dan Leptoukh, the club has a certain unique quality to it.

“I joined Mycology Club because it struck me as something different,” Leptoukh said. “Mushrooms are something I’ve always taken an interest to, and I didn’t expect to find a club specifically tailored to them at Churchill.”

According to Dan, she hopes members will learn to appreciate not only mushrooms themselves, but their surroundings as well.

“I hope Mycology Club members will take away that even though we don’t live in a rainforest or by a coral reef, our environment is beautiful and fascinating,” Dan said.

According to Dan, the club is currently at 48 members, but interested students are welcome to join at any time.

“Mushrooms have always been a passion of mine and it’s nice to finally find an environment where I can share my love and ideas for them,” senior Nesma Belkhodja said.