Overview
Engaging, competitive, and well-organized clubs play a pivotal role in the development and success of students during their middle and high school years.
Menaul School clubs provide a platform for students to explore their passions, develop critical skills, and form meaningful connections with friends who share similar interests. When actively participating in clubs, students are exposed to a range of experiences that go beyond the traditional classroom.
Your student will learn the value of teamwork, leadership, and time management, while also gaining practical skills relevant to their chosen club activities. Middle Schoolers and Upper Schoolers both benefit from shared club time, learning to work with different peer groups.
- Club activities foster healthy competition, pushing students to excel and achieve their personal best
- The structured environment of clubs help students hone their organizational abilities
- Clubs enable students to balance their academic commitments with extracurricular pursuits effectively
- Engaging, competitive, and well-organized clubs empower students to discover their strengths, nurture their talents, and create lasting memories. All of this contribute to their growth and future success
Letters
Students have the opportunity to “letter” (receive a letter to be placed on an approved Menaul School jacket) in official clubs by participating fully for one full year or season. Every subsequent year/season during which the student participates fully, they will receive a bar for that letter.
Requirements to Letter
- Attend at least 80% of sessions within the year/season, unless excused by the advisor
- Must maintain a 2.5 GPA throughout the year
- Upon the recommendation of the club advisor(s), based on individual club criteria
Scheduling
If your student is in middle school, they must choose a club for each day and it will be treated as any other class in that attendance and participation is required, unless they are in academic pullout for the day. If your student is in upper school, their participation in at least one club is strongly encouraged but neither scheduled nor required.
Below are the club offerings for the upcoming school year, which will take place during Flex on the days specified:
School Year 2023 – 2024
Ms. Anderson – Wednesdays
Chess club is offered for middle school and upper school. Chess can be viewed as a form of exercise for the brain. Participants can begin playing at any age. Chess is an excellent example of an activity that requires a high level of sportsmanship and grit. Chess club has multiple competitions each year.
Mr. Noyes – Wednesdays
Art Club is offered for middle school exclusively. This club provides students who have an interest in art the opportunity to explore art and craft forms beyond what is offered in the general curriculum.
Mr. Garcia & Mr. Roark – Wednesdays
Student government is offered for middle school and upper school. The purpose of the student council is to give students an opportunity to develop leadership by organizing and carrying out school activities and service projects, as well as advocating for positive changes to the school community.
Coach Baca – Wednesdays
Business Club is offered for upper school exclusively. The mission of this club is to contribute to the preparation of a world-class workforce through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic, and technological skills.
Ms. Uranga – Wednesdays
Drama club is offered for middle school and upper school. This club nurtures the appreciation of theater arts by encouraging its participants to take on roles of actors, designers, stagehands, and audience members of one-act plays. Students will take part in the state One Act competition.
Mr. Hanna – Thursdays
A/V club is offered for middle school and upper school. The purpose of A/V Club is to teach students how to properly operate the audio, lighting, camera, and livestreaming equipment at school events.
Mr. Ferrara – Thursdays
Model UN is offered for middle school and upper school. It is a simulation of the UN General Assembly and its other multilateral bodies where students take on a simulated ambassadorial role while debating topics such as gender equality, climate action, global health, and more. It competes in the state competition each November and multiple other competitions throughout the year.
Ms. Kishbaugh – Thursdays
Pep Band is offered for middle school and upper school. In this club, students are encouraged to take their passion for music outside of the classroom and compete in statewide competitions, as well as to provide musical pep to school events!
Ms. Thordahl – Thursdays
English EXPO is offered for middle school and upper school. It gives students a place to study literature, poetry and creative writing samples in a relaxed environment, and to meet new people. Students will participate in the state English EXPO competition each February.
Mr. Bernstein – Fridays
Yearbook is offered for middle school and upper school. All activities involved in the yearbook club focus on the construction of the yearbook. Taking pictures, drawing layouts, cropping photographs, writing captions and completing the story of the year.
Mrs. Toledo & Ms. Acosta – Fridays
Science Olympiad is offered for middle school exclusively. The purpose of this club is to develop students’ interest and participation in the practical application of the knowledge related to different branches of science.
Mr. Hanna – Fridays
Esports is offered for middle school and upper school. In Esports, students play video games such as League of Legends, Mario Kart, and NBA2K23. Form a team and compete in competitions with students from across the state.
Ms. Bunn – Mondays during Flex
The Petroglyph Press is offered for upper school exclusively. This club is focused on the creation and publication of original student content in both literature and art.
Read our award-winning issue of The Petroglyph Review
Rev. Scanlon – Fridays
Chapel Club is offered for middle school and upper school. Students in Chapel Club will consider the major moral, religious, and ethical issues that our student community want to discuss. They will work to assist the chaplain in building strong messages that resonate with our student body, as well as supporting school service and mission work.
Ms. Rosario Medina and Mr. Roark – Fridays during Flex
Travel Club is offered for upper school and middle school. As an internationally focused school, travel club offers interested students the unique opportunity to explore international experiences in a club setting. For the 2024 school year, students are learning how to fundraise for and plan a trip to Puerto Rico.
Organizations
Student Council
Student Council exists to represent the students to the administration and to plan fun social activities for students. It consists of two elected members from every grade, as well as a Middle School Vice President, an Upper School Vice President, and the Student Body President. The group meets once a week to discuss students’ issues and to work on the next fun activity. In the past, Student Council has planned movie nights, game nights, dances, pep rallies, and various outings. Serving in Student Council gives students an opportunity to learn organizational and leadership skills and to work with students from other grades.
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest and largest recognition programs for high school students in grades 11-12 in the U.S. NHS honors those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The National Honor Society was founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Menaul School’s organization is the Gladys E. Brown Chapter of the NHS. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or better are invited to be reviewed for membership by a faculty council that selects members after reading their resumes and letters of recommendation. Members are inducted in a traditional candle-lighting ceremony.