2022-2023 School Year
CLUBS/ACTIVITIES
Below are descriptions of clubs and activities offered after school. Multiple school-wide announcements are made before all tryouts and reminders about club meeting dates/locations are given beforehand. If you have any questions about a club, please contact the club advisor.
SPRING MUSICAL PRODUCTION
Winter/Spring Meetings (October-April):
Auditions for the 2019 Spring Musical will take place late October (Date TBA). Meetings throughout the production process will specifically concentrate on rehearsing for a full musical production.
Overall Requirements:
All who attend are welcome! Regular attendance at meetings is required; repeated absences will result in a student not being permitted to continue in the club. All who attend auditions for the musical will be cast as a character role or ensemble based on the audition. Rehearsals during tech weeks and all performances are mandatory. Students must have a signed permission slip from parent/guardian in order to participate in the spring musical. Students must also arrange their own transportation home.
Advisor: Mrs. Karen-Ann Kaelin-Panico: [email protected]
SET PAINTING - Winter 2019-2020 for 6-8 two hour sessions, one evening per week. Students and parents are invited to volunteer to paint the sets for our annual spring musical under the direction of Mrs. Karen-Ann Kaelin-Panico, our Theater Director. All materials and color schemes are provided. Students earn Community Service hours for their volunteer time. Attending all sessions is not required. This is a really fun activity for parents and students to enjoy together. For further information or to volunteer, please contact [email protected]
STAGE CREW Do you love theatre and productions, but would rather work behind the scenes? Our Stage Crew students learn about (and become responsible for) controlling the sound and lights for all plays, assemblies, chorus and band events in the auditorium. Our Stage Crew kids are the backbone of our productions! Some meetings will be held after school, and students will be asked to attend evening events when applicable.
The first meeting will take place in early October. Please listen for announcements.
Advisor: Mr. Dave Buonocore and Mr. Fritz Reissig
MODEL CONGRESS/MODEL UN - At Buzz Aldrin, Model Congress and Model UN students learn debating techniques associated with Parliamentary Procedure. Model Congress is held in the Fall/Winter with a concentration on Congressional issues, and Model UN is held in the Spring, with a concentration on world issues. Students may participate in either or both. The Model Congress/Model UN competitions take place at Montclair High School. Five or six weeks before each competition, students meet for 1 hour after school, three times a week, to prepare. Students are NOT required to attend all of the meetings and may choose the days which fit into their schedule over the 5/6 week period. It is requested that one of the days be during the week prior to the competition in order to create placards and hand in permission slips.
Once topics are assigned by the high school team, students choose from a list of committees, and then research the topics at home. Meetings are used to perfect Parliamentary Procedure, and rules of the debate.
A list of meeting dates will be posted with hand-outs outside of Room 212 once we know them. Announcements will be made and starting dates will appear in the Principal's Bulletin once they are known.
All are welcome; first meeting date TBA. Meetings are from 2:15-3:15 PM.
Advisor: TBA
ROBOTICS CLUB- Learn to build and program Lego MindStorm robots, research and present a solution to a problem, and work together with a team to compete on a regional and state level. Did you ever want to be an innovator, a creator or just a person who builds really cool things and discover solutions? Learn to problem solve and collaborate as a team and design a robot to successfully complete specific challenges, and present a solution to a challenging problem of your team’s choice. Make use of your knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math as well as expanding your knowledge of these subjects. First meeting date and try-outs TBA in September. Meetings will be held 3 to 4 times a week in room 205.
Advisor: Ms. Sandy Egan and Mr. Tim White
E.T.C. CLUB (Engineering, Technology and Computing) – The E.T.C. club offers an open invitation to ALL! Students are able to attend any of the scheduled E.T.C. Club meetings throughout the year. In other words, students are NOT required to attend EVERY meeting. Instead, they may pick and choose which days to attend depending on their schedule and interest. ETC is an opportunity for curious minds to collaborate and share ideas, as well as explore different activities and topics and possibly participate in competitions. The club ordinarily meets one-two times per week (schedule to be announced in December). Classes meet from 2:30-4:00 PM in Room 205.
Advisor: TBA
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD is a fun, yet competitive, middle school science team competition in which students compete in events pertaining to various scientific disciplines, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Science Olympiad will meet after school on Mondays, until 3:30 pm. For more information about Science Olympiad in general, check out: NJscienceolympiad.org
Tryout date-TBA
Advisor: Mr. Jeff Lawton
GSA: The GSA is a student organized school club that aims to create a safe, welcoming and accepting school environment for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. It provides a supportive environment for LGBTQ students as well as those questioning of their identity, and children of LGBT families. It allows LGBTQ and straight students to cooperatively address issues that affect all students, as well as, build a supportive school community that works to make a safer school environment for all students.
Advisor: Mr. Joe Turner
YEARBOOK- The Yearbook Committee is responsible for creating the yearbook for the school year. The committee will get started with a kick-off meeting in early October to decide on some key parts of the book, such as the cover, page layouts, and possible theme. The class photography is split up between the committee members, but we are looking for a key student who excels in photography to take on the role of taking most of the candid photos and covering events throughout the year. Meetings will be on Wednesdays from 2:15-3:00 PM , and we will probably have 1-2 meetings a month. Days may be added as deadlines need to be met. A letter and announcement will be sent home with the actual date of the kick-off meeting.
Advisor: Ms. Jessica Eden-Mintz
ROGATE-(7THAND 8THGRADE STUDENTS ONLY) ROGATE stands for Resources Offered for Gifted and Talented Education. Rogate is a national gifted and talented program for middle and high school students that teaches students basic research and critical thinking skills, which apply to all subject areas. Students must qualify for Rotate based on their academic performance, class participation, and their ability to work collaboratively with others. Rogate offers multiple activities including SAT Prep, where students can take classes after school to learn strategies and content on the SAT College Entrance exam. Additionally, students who participate in Rogate are eligible to take the SAT exam. Rogate students are also invited to participate in local math and ELA competitions such as MathCounts. Finally, Rogate students attend various field trips including attending college lectures. Students are selected for Rogate by their house teachers on basis of their outstanding academic performance in all subject areas.
Advisors: Ms. Diana Grassi and Ms. Dana Glaser
BUZZ ALDRIN NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY– Students are nominated for the NJHS based on their academic achievements, leadership qualities, and outstanding character. NJHS’s focus on service, leadership, and character helps students build the skills and relationships that will ensure success throughout their academic years and beyond. Nomination letters are sent out during the first marking period based on grades from the prior school year. Only current 7th and 8th grade students are eligible for participation. Students must meet the following criteria in order to be inducted
● Achieve and maintain straight A's based on overall final grades for the school year. (*with the possibility of one B in an elective course and an 87%+ in accelerated math)
● Earn a total of at least 25 hours of community service both in school and in the community. These hours must be documented and confirmed by a parent or adult leader.
● Acquire two letters of recommendation that speak to the student’s character and leadership abilities. These letters can come from teachers, coaches, religious leaders, etc.
The induction ceremony will be held in mid-May.
Advisor: Ms. Kate Megdanis and Ms. Christin Joseph
REVISED: 9/15/22