This year Academy added several new clubs to its long list of extracurricular activities that students can join. These clubs include Camerata, Blessed Marie Rose Club, Multimedia News, Robotics Club, Empowering Women, Generations Club, and iTeach.
The purpose of in-school clubs is to provide new opportunities and choices for student involvement. A wide variety of clubs allow students to pick a club representing an interest they enjoy. Students can also join out clubs that meet outside of school times.
Mr. Mullarkey said, “These new clubs provide choices for students that will enhance their high school experiences.”
Moderated by Ms. Linda Ruescher, Camerata is a gold club available to any students who have some knowledge of a musical instrument. Students need to have past experience and knowledge of any instrument to be part of this club. The students practice and make music with other people and their various instruments with the eventual goal of performing for the whole school as a group.
Junior WinDi Sanchez said, “Camerata is basically like an organized garage band.” When the group meets, “We come in and warm up, and then play songs together!”
Blessed Marie Rose, a blue club moderated by Mrs. Sawyer, focuses on carrying out the mission of the school as seen through Blessed Marie Rose herself. In this club students learn her life because she is part of our school’s history and culture. Recently the group helped Sister Ann Regan distribute book marks to homerooms in honor of Blessed Marie Rose’s 200th anniversary of her birthday. Mrs. Sawyer is “very excited” to be the moderator of this club.
The Robotics Club, a blue club moderated by Mrs. Swafford, is a competitive robotics group that competes with other schools in robotic events. The goal of this club is to provide knowledge in the field of robotics and support the competitive Robotics team. Mrs. Swafford said they will build “mini-bots” during club time this year. Members will also be able to discuss and submit ideas for the robotics competition. The club plans to invite speakers to talk about this field of study in order to support anyone considering robotics as a career.
Empowering Women, a white club moderated by Mrs. Pam Doherty and Mrs. Zelen, plans to bring awareness to members about living life as productive young women, as well as developing healthy living relationships with themselves and others. The mission of this club is to show young women that they are able to accomplish anything they may set their minds to.
Generations Club is a white club moderated by Mr. Jack Mullarkey, Assistant Principal, who has had success in sponsoring this club at other schools and is optimistic about its addition to Academy. Another name for this club is “A Biography Club” because the purpose is for members to learn about older people and their past experiences. Members will create biographies of their lives through video and writing. Eventually, Mr. Mullarkey plans to set up visits to assisted living homes and projects to get to know an older person. Students will interview that person for their biographical piece. However, the first project will start with interviews of the sisters at our school.
iTeach, a white club moderated by Mrs. Birrenkott, is a technology club that allows students to explore new technology and how technology may be used in school. Qualifications for this club include knowledge and understanding of the Internet, web casting, wikispaces, and social networking. The students must also complete a “Safe and Appropriate Use of Technology” module as one of the opening activities.
Senior Kaitlyn Garrett said, “iTeach is starting off with a blog in order to teach the teachers different uses of technology that they can bring into the classroom. ” She said the club wants to “to help promote the use of technology to teach students safe technology practices.”
Multimedia News Club, moderated by Mrs. Edie LeBas and Mrs. Linda Nutter , replaces the blue club Achona and differs in that it invites students who not only like to write the news but like to photograph/video the news. Students may join either the white club or blue club or enroll in both clubs. Activities in class include learning new technology and putting together projects that include writing scripts for videos or Soundslides, which they then share with the morning show and publish online on Achona.
