Newtown Middle School Clubs And Activities

Nothing for middle school students to do after school? Check out the numerous clubs and activities offered by Newtown Middle School for the upcoming school year.

All clubs and activities are subject to change. Descriptions are based on the previous school year. Due to early start times, practices and meeting times are after school.

Student Council (Mrs Mulholland, Mrs Kirch) — The Student Council meets every other week. Through election of representatives, this service organization works on school beautification, food drives, sponsorship of families, student dances, first aid training, recycling, moving up activities, panoramic photo, box tops for education, and 3 versus 3 B-ball tournaments.

Newspaper (Miss Lang, Mr Washburn) — The newspaper club meets once a week. A student run, student directed, student produced newspaper. It includes news from around the building, stories, games, and commentary. Anyone may participate.

Tech Team (Mrs Tarabulski) — Tech Team is a small group of students individually selected by Mrs Tarabulski based on technical expertise, trustworthiness, responsibility, computer ethics, trouble shooting ability, software, hardware and networking knowledge, and willingness to help other students and teachers.

The Tech Team will have access to higher-level system passwords, repair equipment, provide training to faculty during and after school, and go on field trips.

Literary Magazine (The Language Arts Department along with Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Spoonfeather) — Student work is selected by the editorial staff and enhanced by the art staff. Any student may submit written work. If approved, the work is entered into the magazine, which is published in the spring.

Yearbook (Miss Papalia, Dr Blachman) — The Yearbook Club meets once a week from October to March. Students are involved in the decisionmaking production and writing of the yearbook. The staff also contributes to writing and photography. Students select the cover and theme.

Math Team (Mrs Puma) — The Math Team meets once a week from September through April. There are also five meets during the season that are after school on Tuesday afternoons. Tryouts are in September. Students are given problems to solve in a limited amount of time. At practices, students work alone or in pairs to solve problems. Students present their solutions to the team. Alternate ways of solving, shortcuts to save time, and strategies to use are discussed.

Interact Club (Mrs Liberty and Mr Ramsey) — A student extension of the Rotary Club, Interact organizes fundraisers for charitable causes and performs services to the community.

Amateur Radio Club (Mrs Babbitt) — This club meets Tuesdays after school. Dismissed in time for the late bus, September through January. Learn about the excitement of transmitting and receiving radio signals including voice, digital, and video with its own amateur radio station. This course prepares students to pass the US Government Technicians License exam. Parents are invited to audit the course and earn their license, too.

Jazz Band (Mr Mahoney) — Meets weekly after school. Students rehearse all styles of jazz. Music ranges from moderate to advanced for a Middle School Jazz Ensemble. The band averages 12 to 14 performances per year.

Concert Choir (Mr Pope) — The Concert Choir is a nonauditioned performing group that is open to all. Students may be enrolled in band, orchestra, chorus. or music lab and become a member of Concert Choir. Regular attendance is mandatory.

Kids In Charge (KIC) (Mrs Riley, Mrs LaForte, SRO Officer Pisani, Mrs MacKinney) — Designed to teach life saving skills. The program gives kids the ability to recognize and respond safely to an emergency situation. Skills learned are first aid, CPR, fire safety, outdoor and personal safety. Meets for six weeks.

Drama Club (Miss Lang, Mrs Leone) — Meets from November through March. The club runs a school production. Anyone may audition, not all will be cast, but everyone is invited to work on the crew. Usually it produces a musical; as many as 80 kids are involved in a production.

Art Enrichment (Mrs Mitchell, Mrs Spoonfeather) — Meets once in a five-day cycle. A regularly scheduled, graded class, it provides talented students with an opportunity for more enriched instruction. Students must qualify through portfolio assessment.

Girls Basketball (varsity, Mr Girard; JV, Mr SanAngelo) — These interscholastic teams begin tryouts in October. Students must compete for team membership and maintain good grades through the demanding season.

Boys Basketball (varsity and JV, Mr DeBenedetto) — These interscholastic teams compete with other middle schools in a demanding season. Students try out for the winter season beginning in October. Good grades are necessary for participation.

Spring Sports (baseball, Mr Girard; softball, Mr Poulter and Mr Kantor) — All students must try out for participation in these interscholastic sports.

Intramural Sports — Cross country running, volleyball, and skiing have been part of intramurals. All students are invited to participate.

Cheerleading — Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays or on game days. Attendance at games is required. Cheerleading is a team sport that requires hard work, dedication, and commitment. In addition, cheerleaders are considered role models in the school, therefore academic success is of utmost importance.

Dance Team — Students select music and choreograph numbers performed at pep rallies and basketball games. Intensive practice time is necessary during the winter season.