Club/Activity

Description

Art Club

6^th-9^th grade artistic opportunity for students to create objects using a variety of media in order to express themselves and also to place their art in DPS and community competitions and artshows.

Athletics

6^th-8^th grade fall, winter, and spring sports for boys and girls. Students compete in DPS league against other middle schools. 9^th graders will participate on sports teams at Montbello H.S. Outstanding opportunities for team-building and improvement of self-esteem.

Cartooning

6^th-9^th grade opportunity for students interested in cartooning to spend time with others developing their art skills and storytelling skills. Will eventually connect to the video game design major in the high school. Excellent way for students to get involved in cartooning in a community environment.

Cheerleading

6^th-9^th grade activity designed to build school spirit and to demonstrate dancing and cheering skills to the community. Will work, when possible, in conjunction with Montbello H.S. or the Early College drum line. Important club for pulling together the "new" school spirit.

Chess Club

6^th-9^th grade club that will teach students how to play chess. Students will learn strategies and logic and will take advantage of community opportunities to play matches against other chess players.

Community Service Club

6^th-9^th grade volunteer organization that will connect with needs in the community-such as picking up litter or reading to elementary school children-in order to teach Early College students about the importance of "giving back." Important for building relationships with other organizations.

Destination Imagination

6^th-8^th grade creativity club in which students will work together to solve posed questions. Club members will participate in competitions. Strong program for kids to "think out of the box."

Drama/Shakespeare Festival

6^th-9^th grade club for students interested in dramatic performance. Will help high school students prepare for either Montbello H.S. or Community College of Aurora auditions for their theatre shows. Middle school activity will focus on the annual Shakespeare Festival.

Drum Line

6^th-9^th grade club for students with an instrumental background to learn teamwork in a drum ensemble and to help build school spirit in conjunction with the Early College cheerleaders.

Environmental Learning for Kids (E.L.K.)

6^th-9^th grade outdoor recreation and learning activity offered by E.L.K. and the Division of Wildlife that takes students on field trips to-among other things-hike, fish, photograph, and birdwatch. Will be offered in conjunction with the wildlife biology major in the high school.

First Tee

6^th-8^th grade athletic activity designed to teach golf to young people. Can eventually help build a pool of golfers willing to participate on a high school golf team. Students will be transported to the nearby Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to work with the First Tee organizers.

Flyfishing Club

6^th-9^th grade outdoor activity that will teach students to enjoy this lifelong recreational sport. Pond near the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center will be used for orientation.

Hip Hop Dance

Students will learn modern dance techniques set to hip hop music. Will take advantage of community opportunities to perform. Highly popular with young women.

History Day

6^th-9^th grade effort to participate in districtwide and statewide competition emphasizing students' research and academic effort. Important academic opportunity for students to achieve.

MathCounts

6^th-8^th grade competitive club that teaches advanced problem-solving in a variety of mathematics disciplines; students will learn teamwork and responsibility and participate in competitions. Students of all ability levels are welcome. We hope to receive separate MathCounts resources for this club.

Mathematics Science Engineering Achievement (MESA)

6^th-8^th grade problem-solving club geared for low-income and minority students to get them interested in hands-on application of engineering skills. Competitive opportunities available. Will take advantage of community-based programs to expose students to various careers.

National Forensics League (N.F.L.)

6^th-8^th grade students will join the NJFL to learn rudimentary debate and will hold a series of competitions. 9^th grade students will join the Early College's NFL chapter and will attend speech and debate competitions throughout the Front Range. Help for the novices will come from East H.S.

Orienteering

Competitive map and tracking event that will be taught to the high school students during College 101 in preparation for developing a full-blown orienteering team in the next few years that will be offered in conjunction with the Wildlife Biology major. Primary locations will be around Early College campus and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

Running Club

6^th-9^th grade athletic activity designed to augment the cross country team throughout the year and to help develop lifelong skills for better health.

Semantics

6^th-8^th grade academic club. Will learn spelling rules and etymologies. Prepare to compete in DPS middle school spelling bees. Winners will proceed on to state competition.

Song Writing Club

6^th-9^th grade activity designed to provide more opportunity for students to be exposed to music at an advanced level. Can also encourage students to help build school spirit. The new high school will need a school song, and a competition for lyrics and melody is envisioned.

Student Activities Council (S.A.C.)

6^th-9^th grade council made up of representatives from each activity. Will meet 4x per year. Designed to give students another leadership opportunity. Will work on schoolwide improvements for after-school activities, primarily to boost participation and highlight student achievement. Will help orchestrate a student activities fair so students will learn what activities are available.

Student Council

6^th-8^th grade council for students interested in leadership and developing school-wide activities for their classmates. 9^th grade council, likely elected, will establish new traditions for the high school.

Yearbook / Computer Club

6^th-9^th grade yearlong activity to expose students to excellence in photography, writing, and project management in order to produce the Early College yearbook (and likely to help keep up the school's web site).