These Alle-Kiski Valley clubs put the cool in back-to-school extracurricular pursuits
Move over, traditional school clubs.
Creatively different and cool clubs are popping up in Alle-Kiski Valley schools.
Digging in the dirt, jamming on a guitar, running a marathon or competing against peers in video games are just a few examples of extracurricular activities mixing up club choices on campus as the school year begins.
Kids of STEEL
Acmetonia Elementary School
Allegheny Valley School District
A running club for students in grades 4-6 dubbed Kids of STEEL is growing at a steady pace.
Club sponsor and teacher McCall Emerick serves as the primary running coach alongside Tammy Berardone and Jennifer Woitas.
“I wanted to bring this program to Acme to help gets kids and myself moving,” Emerick said.
About 25 kids participate. The club culminates with participation in the annual Kids of STEEL Marathon in Pittsburgh.
“The program helped me to reach the goal of running a mile,” said seventh grader Alexis Chase, who joined when she was in sixth grade. “I liked the program because I was able to hang out with my friends after school and learn new things about how to run and pace myself.”
Bucco Buddies
Burrell middle and high schools
Bucco Buddies was created to promote inclusion in the Burrell School District.
Special-needs students interact with other students with a reverse inclusion approach, with regular education students visiting teacher Hannah Cress’ room to interact with her students.
Board games and cards are popular, with Pictionary, Hangman and Uno often played.
Students frequently meet outside to have lunch with their Bucco Buddies (the district’s mascot is a Buccaneer.)
Students volunteer at Knead Community Café every Friday during the school year, and the program encourages bonds with the special-needs students, Cress said.
The program began in the middle school and has since expanded to the high school.
Stand Together
Deer Lakes Middle and High Schools
There’s strength in numbers, and Deer Lakes School District has implemented Stand Together, a club encouraging students to communicate and collaborate together over issues concerning their own or someone else’s behavioral health.
Stand Together is a student-to-student initiative to engage and educate peers about mental health, promote inclusion and empowerment, and take action against stigmas related to substance abuse or mental health disorders.
The club is offered at the middle and high schools.
On-campus events vary, with many of them taking place during lunch.
Busking Club
Fox Chapel Area High School
Student musicians of all skill levels and interests comprise the in-house performance powerhouse dubbed the Busking Club.
Busking is the playing of music in public, usually in the street, for donations.
At Fox Chapel Area, the busking takes place at several school-hosted functions throughout the year.
Performances by the buskers include the annual Fox Fest, Homecoming Carnival and Sing to Spring.
Monthly musical performances in the cafeteria are the newest addition to on-campus collaborations.
“The rehearsal times we have in our practice room are my favorite memories,” senior Alex Balazs said.
Anyone in grades 9-12 is welcome to join, and members don’t have to audition.
“It allows people to display their talents that may go unseen,” said Duncan MacGregor of O’Hara. “It’s fun to collaborate with people in rehearsal and musically communicate.”
Jack Lynch, president of the Busking Club, said he often fields questions from students about what the club is about.
“I just tell ’em it’s a good group of students that hang out after school, and there’s not a select group,” Lynch said. “Everyone comes from a different place, but we all come together for music. Everybody gets along.”
Vocalist Michah Shelley of O’Hara has been singing since he was a child. He said the club allows him to express himself in a way choir doesn’t.
“I hope to take away from this the ability to keep music in my life, one way or another,” Shelley said.
Junior Wyatt Muller of Fox Chapel picked up a guitar when he was 4.
“This club is welcoming. It’s diverse. Playing music is joy and love. And if I didn’t have busking, it would make it a lot harder to get the music out there.”
The club always includes “Free Bird” and Led Zeppelin songs in its annual set list, which usually consists of 10 to 13 songs.
Interested students are invited to join during club week at the beginning of the school year.
“A lot of us join by networking, and it’s easy to join,” Balazs said. “If you don’t come to club fair (when club offerings are introduced), you can join anytime.”
Student Ambassadors
Freeport Area Middle School
The middle school is rolling out a new club this year, the Student Ambassadors.
This team will be considered building leaders, Superintendent Ian Magness said.
“Members will have an active role in welcoming new students and creating and maintaining a positive and supportive learning environment,” he said.
Whether that be assisting new-to-the-district students with making connections, or helping to plan monthly themed lessons and assemblies, Magness said the ambassadors will be looked upon to make the middle school a place where everyone feels safe, welcome and connected.
Other roles of the ambassadors will include:
• Creating greetings and activities during homeroom periods.
• Acquiring and announcing the daily morning news.
• Assisting with schoolwide events such as orientation, Open House and Move-Up Days.
“The Ambassador Program will be a group of student leaders who represent their school,” Magness said.
Video Game Club of America
Highlands High School
Highlands leaders have their thumb on the pulse of all that is new and sought-after.
The high school will launch a Video Game Club of America this fall, giving students time to kick back and make connections outside the classroom.
“We have an amazing music department and great sports program, but that doesn’t reach all of our students,” club liaison Kristen Gettens said. “This is a way to give all students a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
“We have to think of their social and emotional well-being, not just academics.”
The district was awarded a grant through the state Department of Education to kick-start the club. Included in the package is a Nintendo Wii starter kit with games and controllers, board games, an iPad and a Padcaster Studio Kit.
Students can get their game on during certain lunch periods in the library.
Principal Mike Toole credited teachers with coming up with creative ways for students to explore their passions.
“As a staff, we’re committed to continuing to create these opportunities for our student body,” he said.
Gettens, the school’s library media specialist, said the club provides an opportunity to build community.
“It’s great to know you are not alone, and to break some stereotypical norms,” she said.
Gettens expects that students who participate will develop leadership skills, as the club will have an elected executive board and officers. There also will be a philanthropic element where students can give back to the community.
“All of this will be used to help students in our building cultivate relationships through gaming opportunities,” Gettens said. “Everything is student-driven, and I can’t wait to see where the club will go.”
Horticulture Club
Kiski Area High School
The Horticulture Club at the high school is a labor of love for about 30 students.
“We have a garden at my house. I think it’s relaxing, fun and I get to be with my friends,” said senior Cora Coleman, while watering a vibrant patch of zinnias recently at the large garden on the high school grounds.
A rooftop greenhouse serves as the winter spot for starting seeds, and the club meets year-round.
A garden schedule dictates which members pop in during the summer months to water, weed and tend to the vegetation.
Junior Nathan Uncapher joined to be with friends and to learn more about gardening.
“We grow from seeds. You have to take a lot of time with that,” Uncapher said. “My favorite vegetable is cucumbers.”
Matt Smith, assistant high school principal, noted the club is a natural fit for the rural area the district serves.
This year’s garden has corn, tomatoes, flowers, pumpkins and cucumbers.
Students pitch in as teams to hand-roll the compost barrel.
“You learn a lot from it, and it’s very interactive,” junior Eli Shultz said. “We come together often, and we all bond and it’s social.”
A back-to-school flower day and fresh vegetables are sold to faculty and staff, with proceeds going back into club expenses, Smith said.
“It’s a life experience for them,” he said. “A lot of people in this area do some type of gardening, and it gives our kids a chance to go out and learn about it.”
Art/Marketing/Design
Leechburg Area High School
The art club at Leechburg Area High School has taken cool to a new level.
Student-run, the club and class of about 25 members in grades 9-12 focus on campus beautification, the arts and, most recently, a custom products business operating the Creation Nation wing.
Creation Nation is a state-of-the-art education wing at the high school focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). It has a 3D printer, video production area, vinyl printer, wood shop and other advanced tools.
The first products and top sellers are the hand-poured soy candles, which sell for $10.
Student-inspired candle scents include watermelon, coconut soleil, Christmas in Leechburg, brown sugar fig and moon water.
“It’s cool because we get to try new things, get out of school and attend festivals and sell our candles, wax melts, resin jewelry, resin bookmarks,” said junior Sophia Charles of Leechburg. “You don’t even have to be artistic. I can’t do art, but I can be creative in other ways with this.”
To date, the students have earned hundreds of dollars selling their creations on campus and locally at festivals and stores.
Money earned goes back into the business and to finance art-inspired field trips, restock supplies and purchase new equipment such as a new Cricut cutting machine.
Club sponsor and high school art teacher Shayle Prorok said merchandise sales have increased almost 50% from last year.
Prorok is hopeful more students will join and explore their entrepreneurial interests this fall.
“I’m a shy person, so getting into art club helped get me out of my shell,” Charles said.
Interact Club
New Kensington-Arnold School District
The name of this student group says it all.
Led by gifted teacher Lorin Ervin, Interact Club members are inspired to make the world a better place, one interaction at a time.
Her students volunteer at the Back-to-School Bash in Roosevelt Park, the Christmas Gift Drive through the Salvation Army and the Trunk-or-Treat event at The River Church.
They collaborate with the school’s student council to collect canned goods and also send Christmas cards to local veterans and nursing homes, said Ervin, who taught elementary school for most of her career before transitioning five years ago to the gifted program.
“Having been born and raised in New Kensington, and as a Valley High School alumni, I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the community, especially during the revitalization that is happening,” Ervin said.
Freshman Sophie Harclerode joined the club two years ago. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of projects that put good into the community, she said.
“We help older people by making cards for nursing homes, and we have a big holiday dinner for kids and their families where we have games and face painting and really give them some Christmas magic,” said Harclerode, 14.
“That event is my favorite. I think everything we do makes the community better for everyone.”
In the schools, the club has volunteered to help with first-day orientations, football game ticket sales, a Red Cross blood drive, tutoring for elementary students and tours for alumni.
They sell Valley Viking Terrible Towels, with a portion of proceeds being used for a $100 award to a graduating senior for their commitment to community service.
Outside the district, students help at the Speed Family Blessing Box & Pantry, Greek Orthodox Church Food Bank and with community cleanup days.
“The students are learning a lot about how many different organizations are run solely on volunteers,” Ervin said. “They take away a feeling of pride and empathy, and they have mentioned to me how much they enjoy helping others in so many different ways.”
Friends of Rachel Club
PlumSchool District
Students returning to classes Wednesday were met with colorful messages of joy scribbled in chalk on building walkways — courtesy of the Friends of Rachel Club.
The motivational outing is among the countless acts of inspiration performed each year by members of the club that began just two years ago.
“Our goal is to spread kindness and start a chain reaction of smiles,” said high school social worker Eliana Jorgensen.
“The really cool thing is that it’s completely student-driven.”
The club is based on the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine school shootings in 1999.
It is an extension of the Rachel’s Challenge program, which many schools participate in as a way to combat bullying and make a positive impact on those around them.
At Plum Senior High School, club members have no shortage of ideas for spreading sunshine.
“We’ve done inspirational sticky notes through the building and hot cocoa sales to promote warmth and joy,” Jorgensen said.
High school Principal Heather Hibner said the club has worked with staff and administration to establish a culture of kindness and empathy “which has had a contagious impact on our student population.”
Last year, club members wrote anonymous thank-you notes and left them on administrators’ desks. The notes remained throughout the school year as a tiny reminder to be kind.
“We have an amazing group of up to 15 kids at a time who take the mission of how to treat others to heart,” Jorgensen said. “I’ve definitely seen smiles on many faces because of the things these kids do.”
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