EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
LaGrange Middle School is proud of the range of extracurricular activities it offers to students. The activity period enriches the school curriculum by making available a wide variety of activities in which a student can participate. Each student also has the opportunity to join the many new clubs open every year. It is possible for students to request any new club or activity if enough students are interested in it, a faculty sponsor is available and if space and facilities can be provided. Students are encouraged to contact club or activity sponsors to obtain answers to specific questions they may have concerning the club of their interest.
The extracurricular activities programs and meeting days are identified early in September. Announcements of upcoming activities are made during morning and afternoon announcements, in selected classes and in flyers that are sent home with students.
All club activities are held after school at 2:10 p.m. Pupils’ request for club membership is not a guarantee that he or she will be invited to join. Experience has shown that more pupils apply than it is possible to accommodate.
The following narratives describe clubs and activities customarily offered during the school year.
BIRDING CLUB: Maintains bird houses & bird feeders to attract native birds. The club also participates in
bird watching to learn about the birds visiting and living on the LaGrange Middle School grounds.
BOOK CLUB: Students meet every few weeks to discuss a novel that has been chosen by the group. The
students reflect on the plot, themes, and characters of the novel, while also openly expressing their opinions.
CHEFS CLUB: The Chefs Club introduces students to the world of culinary arts! Students will learn basic food
preparation by making soups, candies, cookies, pies & much more! This club meets until 4:00 pm every week. All adventurous eaters are welcome.
CHESS CLUB: The Chess Club is open to all students who play chess or would like to play chess. Meetings are
held after school. Students take the 3:30 pm activity bus home.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: The Community Service Club is devoted to opening student’s eyes to the many
opportunities to help out in our community. Various projects include a homeroom change competition, a thanksgiving food drive, and a holiday card writing campaign.
CREATIVE WRITING CLUB: The Creative Writing Club is devoted to the art of creative writing. Members are
given the opportunities to practice and develop creative writing skills. A literary magazine for school wide distribution
in the spring will be written and compiled by the Club.
DRAMA CLUB: The Drama Club enables students to learn acting techniques. They do improvisations, skits
and then scenes preparing for a performance. Students are given the opportunity to work on scenery,
costumes and stage lighting. The club presents a play in the spring.
ENCORE CLUB: The Encore Club welcomes anyone who enjoys creative needlework including knitting and
crocheting. It provides a relaxed setting in which students and teachers are able to experience the satisfaction and
joy of handwork. The Encore Club also encourages its members to be involved in community services by donating
handmade projects to charitable organizations.
FIX IT UP CLUB: This club is for students of all grades who are interested in developing problem solving techniques through a variety of common everyday repairs and equipment maintenance. Examples of some of the projects the
students have worked on have been servicing a lawn mower, repairing lamps or sewing machines, building
mini-skate parks, picture frames and even fixing radio controlled cars. Students will not only encounter numerous
challenges but the experience /exposure will build on their understanding and background in the areas of physics,
biology, electricity and mathematics.
GET FIT CLUB: Students who get involved in the fit club make a commitment to better eating habits and
improvements in their activity and fitness level. Students do this by charting what they eat and the activities
that they get involved in, during and outside of school. Get fit cards are monitored by a fitness coordinator
(physical education teacher). Prizes are awarded to students who reach their goals.
GREEN THUMB CLUB: This club is a group of students committed to planting and
growing. The club participates in indoor as well as outdoor planting in and around LaGrange Middle School.
Any students interested in gardening, being outdoors, or who want to learn more about plants, can join this club.
HEALTH AND SAFETY CLUB: This club is for students who are interested in basic first aid skills, avoiding
health risks and making healthy choices. Students meet regularly to encourage a healthy lifestyle throughout the LMS community.
JAZZ BAND: Jazz Band meets every Wednesday from 2:10 to 3:15 pm. This ensemble consists of music students
who have advanced enough on their instruments to perform the music and who enjoy playing and learning about jazz. Membership is determined by the band director.
LEGO LEAGUE: Students work to research alternative engines and create a problem solving solution to this
dilemma. They create tasks from legos to be completed by a robot they design and program.
LIBRARY HELPERS: The Library Helpers Club is a group of students who help at various jobs in the library. Helpers work at the circulation desk, the file catalogs and other materials, they arrange chairs and tables, they shelve materials
and they help students at the computer. What are the requirements to join the club? A student should have completed all homework and research assignments and their work ethic, behavior and attitude should make them a role model for other LaGrange students.
MATH COUNTS: Math Counts students meet on a weekly basis to explore challenging math problems using a variety
of problem solving strategies. Meetings are frequently organized as a competition or in a game format. In January,
students have the opportunity to try out for the school Math team who will compete in a regional and state competition.
M.S.T. CLUB: The MST (Math Science Technology) expo is a chance for students to demonstrate their knowledge of Math, Science and/or Technology. Students research and create a display of their chosen topic. On the day of the expo, students present and teach their topic to onlookers without any judging.
NATIONAL JR. HONOR SOCIETY: Membership based on academic excellence, leadership, community service & character. Eighth graders are invited to join the chapter by a faculty selection committee.
NEWSPAPER CLUB: Open to all students interested in contributing to the school newspaper. Students learn reporting
and interviewing skills, paper layout, and how to write articles that reflect the interests of the LMS community. Reporters cover school events; write reviews, conduct surveys, report on sports or entertainment, profile staff members, & much more.
ORIGAMI CLUB: Learn the Japanese art of folding paper.
PAINTING CLUB: Students interested in different aspects of painting.
PUZZLES AND GAMES CLUB: Puzzles and Games Club is a place where students from all grades and programs can interact. Students participate in various activities (puzzles and games) that promote positive social skills and interactions.
SCHOOL STORE: The School Store is a place where students help other students by providing a variety of school supplies. The school store is open daily during the homeroom period.
SKI CLUB: Ski Club is an exhilarating experience for both new and experienced skiers. LMS joins AMS on five
Saturday trips to ski mountains in Vermont and other areas. Coach transportation and discounted lift tickets are paid
for by the students. Lessons are provided for new skiers on the first two trips. For students who don’t own their equipment, discounted ski rentals may be rented seasonally. Most trips depart on Saturday at 6:00 a.m. and return approximately
at 7:30 p.m.
SOCIAL STUDIES CLUB: The Social Studies Club is open to all students in grades six, seven and eight. The club
focuses on social studies and geography skills with games, videos and other activities. The high point of the club year is participation in the school round of the National Geography Bee.
STUDENT COUNCIL: Sixth and seventh grade homerooms elect one representative and one alternate to be on Student Council. Eighth grade students volunteer to be on it. Some of the activities the Student Council is involved in are Spirit Days, School Dances, after school trips, fundraising, and food drives.
STUDY CLUB: Study Club is open to all grades. Students who are interested may stay after school to receive additional support in improving their organization and study skills.
YEARBOOK: Yearbook Club is the student organization that works to create our book of memories for the year. From artwork to computer skills, typing and organizing, many different jobs are required to make this successful. Time, willingness to work and dedication are what it takes to belong to this club.
WALKING CLUB: The Walking Club is open to everyone. We meet in early Fall and Spring, depending upon the weather. We often walk over to Stringham Park around the lake, usually a distance of two miles. Make sure to wear your sneakers.
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS CLUB: The Young Playwrights Club encourages students to create their own original one-act plays. Using ideas drawn from theatre games and improvisation, playwrights will develop characters and situations to be performed during a staged reading.