This school year, the district has added 1st period clubs for 7th & 8th grade students. The clubs allow students to choose from a wide variety of options — depending on what interests them — while also working in smaller group settings. Check out the spotlights below on the Team Sports and Theater clubs, the first spotlights of a series highlighting the district's clubs.

Team Sports

For Feras Jiham, playing soccer is the perfect way for him to start the day.  

“It gets me energized and ready to go for the rest of the day,” said Jiham, an 8th grade student. “It’s my favorite sport.”  

Jiham is one of several students participating in the district Team Sports club, a collaboration between Mr. Madden and Mr. Uram. Students use collaboration, communication, and empathy to explore a number of different sports.  

Using sports as a vehicle to explore these concepts can be effective, Mr. Madden said. It’s also just a great way for students to begin their day, jumpstarting their minds and bodies with physical activity.  

“This is a great way for them to start the day. This has been a pleasant surprise. The students enjoy it. Me and Mr. Uram collaborate together and we thoroughly enjoy it,” said Madden, the district's gym teacher.

“It’s a natural caffeine. It’s how you get your body moving. If you wake up and drag yourself into work or class, you might be tired for the whole day. This way, they're waking up immediately at 9:00 a.m. so that they’re ready for class at 9:30 a.m.”  

While students are largely exploring soccer in quarter one, Madden said the primary sport that they explore will change from quarter to quarter, depending on student interest.  

“There’s a large group of students that are interested in soccer,” said Madden. “It’s based on what the students like. If the students wanted to play basketball or another sport, they could do that. It just has to be a team sport.” 

Theater

For Adam Ryan, teaching theater and drama is very much a passion project.  

Hearkening back to his days as a student, Mr. Ryan always enjoyed theater, and the creativity and improvising that comes along with it. In the 2023-24 school year, that passion manifested itself as Mr. Ryan’s Theater class. This school year — as the district has changed its elective structure to smaller clubs — Mr. Ryan is once again leading a Theater class.  

“I’ve always loved theater and drama. It’s a lot of fun. Seeing everybody develop and break out of their shells is really great,” said Mr. Ryan.  

“We explore the areas of theatre starting with Ancient Greek. We go over comedies, tragedies, satire, fiction, and nonfiction. We really try to make the most of our time. We do improv, skits, and try to get the kids up in front of the class and acting and stepping out of their comfort zone. It’s a nice way to start the day.”  

While Mr. Ryan leads the class, he noted that his students are vocal about what they’re interested in, and he helps let them steer the ship, giving them voice and choice in how the club is shaped.  

He hopes his students can gain a similar love and understanding that he has for theater and drama, but above all he hopes to empower his students, showing even the most timid students that they too can get in front of their class, be themselves, and thrive. In a technological age — where students are naturally less and less comfortable with public speaking — these goals are more important than ever.  

“Some kids are really comfortable getting in front of the class, while others maybe are more comfortable directing or writing the script,” said Mr. Ryan.  

“I hope the kids gain a sense of confidence that they’re able to get in front of their peers, think on their feet, have fun, and experience new things.”