With the 2014-15 school year underway, school clubs have begun meeting and planning activities for this school year. Each school has a few clubs in particular that seem to grow larger every year and do not fail to allure members.

Newtown High School’s Best Buddies club has more than 150 students, according to Jill Gonski, advisor to the club. Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“The best part about the club is how our physically and intellectually disabled classmates teach us how to love, care, and cherish each other. The friendships we make at Best Buddies are unlike any other and everyone is always smiling. It benefits from being so big because we all share a common goal, and we all strive to share our kindness and happiness, so it’s great to be in a room full of friends, because at Best Buddies we are all equal,” according to Kyle Dandrea, associate buddy in Newtown’s Best Buddies program.

At The Middle School

Newtown Middle School has several successful clubs, according to NMS secretary Terri Greenfield. Theatre Club, Student Council, and Art Club are all typically well attended each year.

Leigh Anne Coles and Kris Ladue are the advisors of the NMS art club. They recently held their first meeting and about 30 students attended, according to Ms Coles.

The members of Art Club are those who find one hour of art once a week is not enough. They look to Art Club to provide them with another creative outlet once a week, and offer them more open-ended projects, according to Ms Coles.

“I want the kids to experience art that they aren’t going to get in their regular art class. In class we teach through a historical art timeline, which is somewhat restrictive when it comes to exploring different art techniques and media. I feel that Art Club is a good venue for the students to interact with their peers and try new things in art, and have no fear,” Ms Ladue said.

This year, Ms Coles and Ms Ladue decided to start off the club with a big assignment, according to Ms Coles. They decided with NMS Principal Tom Einhorn that the school needed to be “brightened up.” The task is to design a 24- by 36-inch piece of artwork with the theme “Through the Window.” Each piece will be displayed around the school and according to Ms Coles and Ms Ladue, there have already been many creative ideas thought up by the club members. Both teachers are new to the middle school, but are eager to bring new, exciting ideas to the club, Ms Coles said.

Although this is middle school educators Andrew Tammero and Leslie Allen’s first year advising Drama Club, they are expecting close to 100 participants, according to Mr Tammero. The teachers’ vision for the club is to attract as many students as possible and to have fun while putting on the best show they can.

“The Student Council has had several longstanding successes in our community,” NMS reading teacher and Student Council advisor Nadia Papalia said.

Student Council is a club where the students of NMS can give back to the community. In both the fall and spring members beautify the exterior of the middle school campus. They also run a Thanksgiving food drive, which begins this year on October 24, according to Ms Papalia. In the winter, the students and advisors adopt a family through the Newtown Fund Holiday Basket Program, and the students help in shopping and wrapping gifts, said Ms Papalia. When they aren’t giving back to the community as a whole, the group helps to organize school events such as the pep rally and spirit week.

Reed And The Elementary Schools

Reed Intermediate School students are actively participating in physical education teachers Aaron Blank and Mark Gerace’s intramural sports. Intramurals are run throughout the school year, once a week. Flag football and kickball are more popular, with up to 65 to 70 participants, while volleyball also attracts about 60 students, according to Mr Blank.

“Our focus is providing the students with more game play/higher competition than they see in regular PE class,” Mr Blank said.

While elementary school clubs are usually limited in size, there are still some clubs that stand out. At Sandy Hook Elementary School, music teacher Maryrose Kristopik has started the school’s first Theatre Club. Last year, the group had 45 members. The club met two days a week after school in the spring, which was in preparation for performances for the school and parents, according to Mrs Kristopik. The group had a co-director, Brett Boles, choreographers Andrea Stratford, Sarah Capodagli and Juliani Koziol, and stage managers Debbie Spanedda and Allison Koziol. According to Ms Kristopik, the club offers its members a sense of accomplishment from working together toward a common goal, and having a creative outlet to express themselves.

“It was an extremely successful club,” Mrs Kristopik said.

At Hawley school, PTA member Susan Burbank’s Garden Club has no trouble filling its 25 spots. In fact, the club has a waiting list. Although the first meeting was not until October 2, Ms Burbank already had a game plan for this year.

“We take care of a special garden at the back of Hawley School,” Ms Burbank said.

The group meets in the fall and members weed the garden from the summer overgrowth and harvest the seeds from the sunflowers that had planted in the spring. In the spring they take walks in the woods and learn about species of animals around them. Along with tending to the garden, the students go on scavenger hunts and do crafts such as make bouquets of wild flowers, according to Ms Burbank.

This year, 51 Middle Gate Elementary school students are participating in Middle Gate’s physical education teacher Laura Cooper and art teacher Jean Walter’s Walking Club.

“The focus of the club is fitness. We hope to get students into the habit of exercise when they are young,” Ms Cooper said. The club gives students the ability to see the benefits of a healthy lifestyle early, so they can hopefully translate that knowledge into leading a healthy adult life as well, according to Ms Cooper.

At Head O’ Meadow, students are excited for fourth grade so they can participate in the school community team, according to the school’s secretary Laurie Martinelli. Club members work to donate and give back to their community.