In the summer of 2022, Chris Hunter ’26 and Emma Hunter ’25 sat, cards in hand, sizing up each other, their dad, and their older brother, Billy Hunter ’23, in a heated game of Hearts. In a world of endless options for streaming and scrolling, the simple activities—like playing board games and card games—remain a staple in the Hunter household. 

The trio of siblings got to thinking: why don’t we play cards more often at school? 

Chris, Emma, and Billy, going into their III Form year, IV Form year, and VI Form year, respectively, kept this thought in the back of their minds as the school year approached, and once the time came, they got the ball rolling on the kernel of an idea: Cards Club. Emma and Billy were the founders of the club—in a typical sibling fashion, they wanted Chris to get some St. Andrew’s experience before he became a leader of the club. 

“We just wanted a lower key, lower commitment club that actually met,” says Emma. Chris adds that they wanted people to “connect” through a deck of cards. 

They set their sights on Tuesday nights for Cards Club meetings, as they thought this was often the least busy night for students during weeks where schedules are packed with classes, extracurricular activities, and sports. They wanted to give students who aren’t Spikeball and lawn game fanatics a chance to do an activity that could help them relax and have fun. 

With two school years having passed since the club’s founding, and with Billy having graduated in the spring of 2023, Cards Club is still thriving and keeps students coming back. Chris and Emma attribute a few reasons to why Cards Club has gained popularity amongst the student body. 

“While it is low commitment, it’s not something where [there’s] no meeting,” says Chris. “It’s just for the purpose of hanging out and playing cards … and so it allows a fluidity of membership where you don’t have to be part of the club. It’s not something that you have to do, it’s something that you want to do.”

Director of Student Life Kristin Honsel thinks that in addition to Chris and Emma’s “friendly and energetic” nature, Cards Club is successful because of its consistent presence on campus. 

“If things come up that interfere [with Cards Club] … [Chris and Emma are] respectful of that because they don’t want to take away from the culture of the school. They want to add to the culture of the school, so they find another time,” says Honsel. 

Chris and Emma emphasize that playing cards is an easy way for students to get to know people they haven’t hung out with previously. Students from every side of campus, from every class year, with diverse interests and passions, can get together and share a common activity.

Cards Club also brings a piece of home to St. Andrew’s for Emma and Chris, keeping them connected with their family traditions. However, they don’t want to dominate the club with their favorite games—they want all students, of all levels of experience, to learn each other’s “random home card games.” Emma talks about one of her favorites, which she refers to as “Nerds,” a game of competitive solitaire that she taught and now frequently enjoys with her friends during Cards Club. 

The siblings don’t take for granted how Cards Club gives them a shared project, keeping them close at school even though they are separated by grade years and interests. The elaborate announcements they make at Tuesday lunches to alert the school of Cards Club gatherings take quite some thought, which forces them to set some time aside from their busy schedules and have dinner together to plan. 

“I would say pretty much everyone in the school knows about Cards Club because of our Tuesday announcements. And those are almost, I would say, more beloved than the club itself, because we get up and do a funny skit,” says Emma. 

On Halloween 2023, Emma and Chris got up in front of the whole school at lunch to make, or rather, perform, their weekly reminder that students should join them that night at the Cards Club meeting. 

“L’eggo of your ego when playing cards,” joked Chris, providing the packed Dining Hall a moment to smile, or at least to break out into a reluctant grin, before students and faculty headed off to a busy St. Andrew’s day of classes, sports, arts, and extracurriculars.

The “just for fun” nature of Cards Club provides students an essential opportunity to truly relax, yet still, in St. Andrew’s character, stay phone and digital-distraction free. 

“There’s absolutely no pressure, and kids can just plop down and it takes five minutes or 10 minutes, or they could stay for a half an hour,” says Honsel. “It’s a good way to kind of just de-stress and socialize.”

In a few weeks, Cards Club will be back in action on campus, with returning Saints like Chris and Emma inducting our newest students into our community with SAS traditions like the Frosty Run, the Opening of School Square Dance, and this blossoming yet beloved tradition of playing cards on Tuesday nights.