At St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, we offer our students a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities to keep them engaged throughout the school year. As students progress through the three campuses, the opportunities for them to showcase their unique interests and talents increase. On the Upper School campus, students are able to take over all aspects of the leadership positions of the various clubs, with teachers merely acting as advisors.
Lower School
Lower School students have the opportunity to participate in a range of extracurricular activities. Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts meet once a week after school hours. Private art, fencing, ceramics, keyboarding, individual tutoring, gymnastics, and a science club are just a few of the after-school activities that have been offered recently.
The Fifth Grade Leadership Program is designed to provide leadership opportunities for students within an engaging, student-centered learning environment. Not only do students learn leadership skills, but they also lead division-wide initiatives related to a particular topic. Some of our most recent committees have been creative writing/literary magazine, FLOW (Future Leaders of Our World) multicultural group, global service learning, newspaper, and environmental sustainability.
Middle School
The Middle School provides opportunities for students to shine outside of the classroom. During these years, students gain more independence and are encouraged to pursue their own budding interests. In-school activities include an award-winning literary magazine, student government (S.C.A.), and clubs. Unite Now in Tolerance and Equality (UNITE) is a student organization that promotes understanding and celebrates diversity. Our popular three-day mini-courses, which occur before spring break, combine hands-on field trips and classroom discussion to provide students the opportunity to delve deep and learn about the topics in a unique, unforgettable way. Some of the more recent courses topics have included The Artist’s Journal, Chesapeake Journey, Joy of Cooking, D.C. Excursions, and Claymation.
Service Learning is also a key tenet of student life at the Middle School. Students regularly make sandwiches in the morning prior to school for Martha’s Table. Other projects have included volunteering at a food bank, visiting with local senior citizens, and sending care packages to U.S. troops stationed abroad.
Upper School
Students in the Upper School can choose from a variety of extracurricular activities to complement their academic classes. Depending on their passion, students can showcase their leadership and creativity by participating in Student Council, sponsoring a club, helping to produce the school yearbook or annual literary magazine, or exploring interests in the performing arts.
Many of the clubs are community-service oriented, with participants organizing fundraisers for various charities. One of the clubs, Pro-Vita, organizes a trip over spring break to visit Romania to help at an orphanage. All of the clubs are student run and demonstrate the wide range of passions at our school. Here is a sampling:
Language: French, Latin, and Spanish Clubs
The Arts: Arts Club, Drama Club, Design Club, Movie Club, Boys and Girls Dance, Handbell Choir
Singing: Gospel Club, Mantet, Sextet
Academic: Math, Model Organization of American States (O.A.S.), Model Judiciary, and Science Clubs
Politics: The Young Democrats and Young Republican Clubs
Technology: Movie-Making and Video Game Design Clubs
Literary/Writing: Writer's Club, “Fire & Stones” Literary Magazine, “The Voice” Newspaper, and Yearbook,
Service Clubs: GUILD, Our Little Roses Orphanage, Red Cross, Pink Ribbon, Pro-Vita Romanian Orphanage, and Save Darfur Clubs
Others: Environmental Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Jets Club, Spirit Squad, Unity Through Diversity, and the Weather Club |