Student Clubs, Activities, and Hiking Challenge

Newbery and Caldecott Challenges: Sponsored by the Friends of the Library and Stephanie Howell

Odyssey of the Mind

Safety Patrol: Grade 5

After School Enrichment Classes are offered for the Fall, Winter, and Spring. The class offerings vary, although there are some repeating sessions. Examples of Enrichment Classes include:

• Clay Club
• Chess: Beyond Basics
• Collaborative Play
• Engineering with Zaniac
• Mindful Kids Yoga
• Creative Dramatics
• French Club

Odyssey of the Mind

After School Enrichment Classes are offered for the Fall, Winter, and Spring. The class offerings vary, although there are some repeating sessions. Examples of Enrichment Classes include:

• Clay Club
• Chess: Beyond Basics
• Collaborative Play
• Engineering with Zaniac
• Mindful Kids Yoga
• Creative Dramatics
• French Club

Young adolescents are exploring their interests, deepening their passions, and developing a variety of skills. It is a joy and a responsibility for us to support this type of growth by offering well-rounded enrichment activities beyond the classroom.

Our "Deep Dive" program offers students opportunities to engage deeply in an area of interest (weekly for the course of eight weeks) and rotate seasonally. Deep Dives are active, creative, and generative experiences that strive to foster meaning, purpose, and connection. Each offering is designed to provide Middle School students with an opportunity to support their overall growth and development in four key domains:

• Academic and Cognitive - provides a space for students to explore interests in math, geography, science, and humanities through activities that focus on cognition skills.

• Arts and Creativity - provides a space for students to further their interests in photography, ceramics, theatre, and other activities designed to foster the creative process.

• Service and Civic Engagement - provides a space for students to engage more deeply with our local, regional, and global communities through activities designed to emphasize the importance of service and civic engagement.  

• Outdoor and Place-Based - provides a space for students to develop a sense of connection to place through outdoor activities like trail building, tree identification, orienteering, climbing, and other outdoor sports.  

Here are examples of Deep Dives based on those offered in winter 2020:

Cartography/Map Making is an opportunity for students to create a beautiful and accurate two-dimensional representation of the earth’s countries and their political boundaries. Through close attention to detail and thoughtful design, students will gain a new appreciation of the nations of our globe and their relative proximities.

CDS News Network is an opportunity for students to create a variety of news segments, including interviews with students and teachers that highlight various aspects of life in Stephens Hall. Students will ultimately produce and deliver CDS News to the rest of the MS community. 

Film Techniques is an opportunity for students to learn and develop video production skills. Students will learn many different cinematic techniques and shot types, and how to edit organized clips using video production software like iMovie and Final Cut Pro. 

Library Leaders will practice and grow their leadership skills to help improve and promote the Young Adult library’s space, collection, and programming. They will envision upgrades to the library space--how it’s organized and furnished. They will help determine which books fit which genre, select new titles for the collection, make bulletin boards, and create book displays. 

Math Club is an opportunity for students with an interest and affinity for mathematics to get together in a stimulating environment to grapple with thorny math challenges. Students will gain a greater appreciation for the creative side of math and strengthen their problem-solving skills.

Musical (Ensemble) is an opportunity for students who would like a role in a musical production.

Odyssey of the Mind is a team-based creative problem-solving challenge. Members present their creation at a regional competition and also have the opportunity to progress to competitions at the national and international levels.

Outing Club is held indoors during winter at the Smoky Mountain Adventure Center, a local rock climbing gym. Participants will develop their top-roping and bouldering skills in a safe, climate-controlled environment. 

River Rats is an opportunity for students to partner with Riverlink and participate in lessons on watersheds and stream anatomy, habitats and biodiversity, and water chemistry and human impact. Students will apply their knowledge to create a functional, three-dimensional watershed demonstration table for Stephens Hall. 

Spanish Club provides an immersion experience in Spanish for students interested in improving their language skills and learning about Latin and Hispanic culture. The club will explore music, dance (Zumba in Spanish!), and food. They will spend time off campus--both via virtual tours of Spanish-speaking countries (using Google Cardboard), and in Asheville at a few local spots. 

Varsity Jazz Ensemble is a musical avenue for students to perform standard jazz tunes and explore related styles. This ensemble is open to all musicians who play at an intermediate level on any orchestral or band instrument. 

Cats for Our Community is an opportunity for students to design a project that supports those in need through service and partnership with local non-profit organizations(s). Students will identify a need, design a plan to address it, and execute their plan. 

Ambassadors – Serve as guides, buddies, spokespersons, and resources for new prospective students and families.

Black Student Union – This group serves as a forum for communication between students and faculty, with an aim to advocate the needs of students at CDS while empowering, teaching, discussing and exploring the Black experience.

Climate Club - Raising awareness for climate change and engaging in meaningful discussion/conversation around this important issue

Debate Team – Trains and competes against other schools in multiple speech and debate categories.

Honor Council – Elected members serve to uphold the Honor Code in the CDS community.

Literary Society – Shares the magic of the written word with poetry and prose, producing a bound collection of work in the spring each year.

French Club - Discussing novels, movies, and other topics in French in order to gain a better understanding of French culture and language in a relaxed atmosphere

Girl-UP - Ignites the empowerment of girls, both in our own community and adolescent girls in developing countries.

GSA - Group that allows for those who identify as LGBTQ or those who support/know those who identify as LGBTQ to discuss and share experiences.

Investment Club - Gain practical knowledge and experience making high level, strategic decisions in the world of finance and investment.

Mahjong - Learning the ancient art of this tiled based game that stems from the Qing Dynasty. An opportunity to test your skill and learn something fun.

Math Team – Learns, trains and competes regionally with other math teams of all skill levels.

Newspaper – Participants work together in various roles to produce The Scratching Post, Carolina Day's Upper School newspaper.

Political Union - Participants learn about and engage in discussion/debate regarding current events in a moderated and fact checked environment

SLAMM (Society of Literature, Art, Music, and Media) - a student club that produces the school’s annual literary magazine.

Ski/Snowboard Club – Trains and competes against other schools during the winter season.

Social Dance - Create an opportunity for people to learn how to dance in a judgment free environment

Social Justice Club - Discusses issues that are pertinent to adults and teens alike, and puts forth school-wide awareness programs for local and national issues.

Sports Management Club - Interested in a career in sports management, the behind the scenes of athletics? This is the club for you. Any grade 9-12 students can participate, athletes and non-athletes alike. This is the opportunity for anyone who has an interest in helping out a team or the athletics department throughout the year. Make important decisions on your school’s spirit and representation in athletics, all while collecting volunteer hours.

Student Government – Elected representatives plan activities, promote school spirit, and support community service and school-based cultural events. 

Theatre – Puts on award-winning productions for the CDS and Asheville community.

Yearbook – Participants work together in various roles to produce The Silhouette, Carolina Day's PreK–12 yearbook. 

*Students may start new clubs each year if they obtain faculty sponsorship and have at least four members.