Want to be more involved, have fun with friends, and make memories? Here is some info below that may interest you!
ACES:
Sponsor – Mrs.Otto
ACES is an academic competition in the STEAM areas. Students are nominated by the teachers to be a part of the Academic Challenge team, or ACES. Last year, the team competed in an online regional here at school in February. Some students had scores that qualified them for the sectional competition in March at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, which was an in-person, paper/pencil test. Students will be competing in one or two academic areas against students from other schools. This regional competition will be held during the school day. Advancement to sectional and state competition can be accomplished as a team, or as an individual. This could affect students by it being an academic competition and they must adhere to eligibility and testing guidelines. If students are continuing your education after high school, this looks great to scholarship committees, colleges, and employers. This will be fun and the materials and experiences will prepare students for higher education.
Art Club:
Sponsor – Mr. Ingram
Anyone interested in being creative should consider participating in art club. It is not run with required events or meetings. They will be offering a Dee-Mack shirt design this year as a fundraiser with student participation in the design process. Mr.Ingram would like to have some students lead a “design your own pancake” morning for students as they come into the building one day this fall as well. (This would involve students using condiment bottles with colored batter to draw their own cartoon pancake). Mr. Ingram is also going to seek student support to help create bowls for a food bank fundraiser event known as the “Empty Bowls Project”. Handmade ceramic bowls are sold along with a simple meal of soup and bread to raise money for local food banks.
Band:
Sponsor – Mr. Gordon
Questions were answered by Alexandra Peterson on behalf of Mr. Gordon. Band is a group of people that play instruments to make music as a whole, which can celebrate different things and it teaches someone how to be a musician. Someone should join a band because it’s really fun and a community that students can be a part of and it makes music a career possible which also opens a lot of opportunities. Activities that band is involved in are marching band, pre-game and half-time at football games, town parades, and concert bands where students perform at concerts. Last year they did how to Train your dragon music.
Book Club:
Sponsor – Mr.Mac
Book club gathers to discuss books in general, and anything fun they have been reading.
Students should join because it’s one of the few places to talk with like-minded readers, and is a great way to get recommendations for books students may want to read. During our meetings they play games, do scavenger hunts, write stories, have snacks, and just enjoy ourselves while talking about books.
Choir:
Sponsor – Mr. Gordon
Questions were answered by Anna Wells on behalf of Mr.Gordon. Choir is a class students can take all 4 years of high school, students will have 3-4 concerts and will sing at graduation. Students should join because students learn different music and singing techniques, and students make new friends. Activities they do are concerts, singing at graduation, and a memorial day event.
FCA:
Student Sponsor – Lincoln Rassi and Andrew Sauder; Sponsor – Mr.Krause
Questions were answered by Lincoln Rassi on behalf of the FCA. FCA stands for Fellowship of Christian Athletes but our club is not just made up of athletes. Every Monday they meet at 7:30 for a student-led lesson on a passage from the Bible that they chose. Sometimes it is a video or devotion, or they just lead it solely themselves. The club is open to anyone and I would highly encourage any Christians who would appreciate some encouragement to start their week to join as well as anyone who is curious about Christianity and/or faith in general! They would love to have anyone! They have a couple events such as an FCA Night at a Peoria Rivermen game or Meet You At the Pole, which is a morning of prayer around the flagpole.
FCCLA:
Sponsor – Ms. Sands
FCCLA stands for Family, Career, Community Leaders of America. They are a student leadership organization that supports families and communities. This year they will have our sock and hygiene products drive October 27 – November 5. This will be a class competition and the class that donates the most socks and hygiene products will win a prize. They are also going to try to get others in the community involved in collecting. They will visit the Dream Center and work behind the scenes at the Hope Store on November 6 when they deliver our socks and hygiene products. People should join FCCLA if they love helping others. If it makes them feel good to be a part of a group that helps others, this is the group for you! Some ideas for the year include a carnival, an advice booth during Hope Week, and a reception to honor people who are making a difference in the school.
National Honor Society:
Sponsor – Mrs. McLemore
National Honor Society is an organization that promotes scholastic excellence, volunteer service, leadership, and character. Students can apply for membership only after receiving an invitation during their sophomore or junior year when their cumulative, weighted GPA is at least 3.50. NHS members serve the school and community by volunteering for a variety of local service projects and hosting fundraising activities like Paint Your Spot, the Spring Volleyball Tournament, and selling Valentine carnations in order to support Make A Wish Illinois. Students who receive an invitation to join NHS should become part of the club because membership in NHS promotes and develops leadership skills and encourages students to give back to their school and community.
Scholastic Bowl:
Sponsor – Mr. McLemore
They are an IHSA sponsored competition where students compete against other schools in the region in an academic “quiz”, kind of like the cross between a game show and an exam. Questions range anywhere from physics and calculus to pop music and sports. People are encouraged to join because it’s a good way to test yourself, both your knowledge and your speed/strategy. Plus, they have fun (and eat McDonald’s on Thursday nights.) They go to a couple of invitational tournaments and exhibition matches, and are hoping to host a “trivia night” fundraiser. Our season goes from January to March, with practices starting in November.
Student Council:
Sponsor – Ms. Putney, Mrs. Uner
The club entails bettering the school and doing things to promote a positive culture throughout the building. The student council is always looking for students who want to step up and be a leader in the school and bring new ideas to the table to help support the positive culture of the school. They are responsible for homecoming, football concessions, Hope week, blood drives and other small events throughout the year
Technology Club:
Sponsor – Mr. Mac
Tech club is a club that meets and does technology related activities. They meet and do technology related activities, usually involving computers, engineering, programming or hardware. When asked by Mr. Mac why people should join, he stated “It’s a blast; they have fun and learn new things alongside like-minded tech savvy people.” things they have done sessions focused on coding a website using HTML, how to write and read binary code, created video games, done photo editing with Photoshop, puzzled through escape rooms both real and digital, and have taken field trips to see tech related movies like Mario Bros. and Minecraft, and much more. They also host quarterly video game tournaments and game rooms during field days.
Drama
Sponsor – TBD
Questions were answered by Ms.Hammond on behalf of her being assistant director. The drama club puts on a play in the spring every year, usually don’t start till January which is when auditions and play is announced also. There are more than just acting positions available,like making sets and setting up, hair and make up, student director, and costume roles. This is a good place to be creative and get out of your comfort zone. Students should join drama club because it’s a really open place to try new things and is generally a lot of fun. For the past 3 years they have always done comedy plays and spent a lot of time in rehearsal. She stated that she’s laughed harder than ever before during rehearsals. Every year they put on a play in the spring.
We encourage people to look into the clubs that spark your interest. There are a lot of good options and something for everyone!