Co-Curricular Activities at Selden Middle School

Please read below for a list of after school activities offered here at Selden Middle School.  Please refer to the Selden Middle School Calendar for the dates and times each club meets.  Students who stay after school for most clubs will take the 3:40 After School Buses home.  These buses are different than their normal buses.  

Art Club

The Selden Middle School Art Club focuses on the exploration of the visual arts through creative experience.  During our after school meetings, members of the Art Club participate in a variety of unique projects.  Activities may include stone sculpture, a school community project called “The Selden Post Secret,” studio drawing, photography, ceramics, crafts and paper making.  In past years, grants have allowed the students to enjoy the benefits of working with experts from the Heckscher Museum as they learned printing techniques.  Students also investigate future career paths in group discussions with visiting professionals in the field of Art.  The Art Club atmosphere fosters peer relations among art enthusiasts of all artistic skill levels and is comprised of interested students from all grades.

Best Buddies 

Best Buddies is a club at Selden Middle School whose goal is to offer opportunities for friendships between students with and without special needs.  The club meets twice a month and students participate in fun activities such as Lego building contests, board games, crafts, and balloon popping games!  Come and bring your friends to join us at the informational meeting in September and see if Best Buddies is for you!

Chamber Orchestra 

Chamber Orchestra is a select group that performs more difficult music than regular orchestra.  The group consists of 6th, 7th and 8th grade members.  Membership is based on an audition performed towards the beginning of the school year.  There is a mandatory ½ hour a day practice regiment attached to membership.  We rehearse once a week from 5:30-7:00.  There are only two excused absences permitted per year.  Students must also maintain an average grade of 85 or higher in orchestra to remain in the group.

Drama 

The Selden Middle School Musical Production consists of cast members and backstage crew members.  All students are welcome to audition.  Rehearsals take place after school until 4:50, from October thru January.  A mandatory pre-audition will be scheduled for early October and auditions will follow.  Once the cast has been selected strict attendance is mandatory.  We give several performances near the end of January which are open to the community.

FLL Robotics Club 

FLL (First Lego League) Robotics is a club that requires students to work together, value teamwork, learn about the problems facing the world around us, and search for solutions to solve some of these problems. It is similar to a high school robotics competition league using Legos as the medium.

Like any other team, we want to excel in our sport.  This requires focus, full attendance, and participation in practices and competitions. Positions are limited due to the large turnout and popularity. Each practice will require a commitment that starts out meeting one to two times per week for two hours, after school, from 2:30pm-4:50pm.

Gay Straight Alliance/LGBTQ  

GSA’s provide a safe space for LGBTQ and heterosexual students who want to support each other. GSA’s provide students a venue to discuss various issues, learn and teach about the effects of homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism, and create educational programs and events.  GSA’s provide the needed support for all students who want to create safer and more supportive school environments.

G.O. Activities/Student Government 

The Selden Student Government Organization is open to students in all grades. Our goals are threefold:

• To make our students more aware of the power of representative government...
• To empower them to become leaders, not followers...
• To enable them to serve the student body, the school and the community for the better of all!

Our club is loosely modeled after our national government.  Each year, the student body elects a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. There is also an appointed executive cabinet, including a Chief of Staff, Advisors, and Communications Liaison.  Representatives are elected and appointed from each class and form our Student Assembly (Congress). This assembly meets bi-weekly to achieve our goals.  Each representative chooses a committee on which to serve based on interest; some committees are: Spirit Committee, School Issues Committee, Environmental Committee, Sports Committee, Charity Committee, Creative Committee, and Fundraising/Events Committee.  Representatives collect suggestions from their classmates and forward them to the appropriate committee.  The committees choose which ideas to pursue, and create proposals to make the ideas a reality.  Student government has served our school, for example, by purchasing courtyard benches, planting a tree in our courtyard in honor of Earth Day, and planting gardens to beautify our building.  It has served our students by sponsoring activities such as a holiday door extravaganza, a Super Bowl football decorating contest, and spirit events. And it has served the larger community by fundraising for charities such as Smile Train, Helping Hands for Haiti, and others.

Home and Careers Club 

The Home and Careers Club is an excellent opportunity to connect with and make new friends in a fun, friendly, positive environment.  Students will participate in a variety of Nutrition, Community Service, Wellness, Sewing and Career projects and activities.  The Home and Careers club meets twice a month, after school and is open to students from all grades.

Instrumental Chorus 

The After School Instrumental Chorus provides students in band and orchestra an opportunity to sing in a choral music ensemble. This ensemble rehearses once a week after school and performs as a part of Selden Middle School's Winter and Spring concert performances.

Language Club 

The Language Club is designed for any 7th or 8th grade student who wishes to further experience diverse languages and cultures.  The club offers opportunities for fun, creative activities.  Students will see and experience language through travel, food, fashion, films and more.  The Language Club meets twice a month.

Literary Magazine – Who I Am 

The purpose of the Literary Club is to foster and enhance the growth of students through writing and appreciating literature and music.  Students work to create, improve, and fuse prose, poetry, and music.  The club meets approximately three times per month on Wednesdays.  We are open to enrollment throughout the course of the year by students of all grades, and have high expectations for student behavior and performance.  Meetings are held with the expectation that students will use the time to produce and perfect their creations.  At the end of each meeting students are given performance time to share their work with peers.  We typically host at least one after school poetry jam and proudly produce an annual publication spotlighting students’ artistic accomplishments.

Math Team 

The Math Team is a club open to all students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. The purpose of the club is to prepare students for the annual Math League contest held in February each year and we do it right here at Selden Middle School! Each contest consists of 30 - 40 multiple choice questions that get more challenging from the first question to the last. The club is for students who want to be challenged by math and delve deeper into their understanding of math concepts previously learned. The contests are timed so calculators are allowed to be used. At the twice monthly meetings we will work on Math League contests given in the past to prepare for the real contest in February.

National Jr. Honor Society 

The National Junior Honor Society is comprised of a select group of eighth grade students who throughout their MS career have exemplified the highest level of leadership, citizenship, character, service, and scholarship. The rigorous process is open to students who will be entering 8th grade and who have maintained high honor status for the last 2 quarters of 6th grade and the first three quarters of their 7th grade experience. An invitation to apply will be given out to academically-qualified 7th graders in late spring and, if chosen by the faculty advisory committee, candidates will be inducted into the society in June. 

During their eighth grade year, students meet on a monthly basis and must complete a minimum of 16 hours of community service.  Throughout the year, students partake in activities such as a clothing drive, a book drive, collecting Box Tops for Education, a holiday/toy drive, two fundraisers, competing for awards and scholarships, creating decorations for the eighth grade dance, helping with the school food drive, and many more school related activities. Students must participate in scheduled activities in order to acquire points which are needed to maintain their status in the society.

Plant Club (Environmental Club) 

Students will have the opportunity to explore Long Island ecology.  Students will learn how scientists gather and record data, test water and soil and the importance this testing plays in preserving our natural world.  Activities may include but are not limited to invertebrate / vertebrate studies, water testing and soil testing.  Students will also learn how certain species act as environmental indicators to the overall health of the ecosystem.

Select Vocal Ensemble 

Select Vocal Ensemble is a select group of singers who are interested in a more in-depth choral learning experience.  Select Vocal Ensemble focuses on the learning of more challenging music and subsequently, acquiring a greater refinement of skills.  Any Selden student in good standing is invited to audition for this ensemble regardless of grade level or music ensemble enrollment.  The group meets on Thursday nights, in the Selden Middle School auditorium, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., so transportation is not provided by the school. Typically, the group performs a concert in May featuring a large selection of popular music/chart toppers.

Service Club 

The purpose of the Service Club at Selden Middle School is to enhance our student’s experience in two ways, service to others and school spirit.  We are involved in several projects that span the school year.  “Seen by the Wolverine” is a project where students throughout the school are rewarded for “doing the right thing”.  When it comes to involving the student body, we take the lead.  Our annual Walk-A-Thon promotes school spirit and fitness.  Funds raised go towards a charity or a project of their choice.  We participate in Newfield High School’s Homecoming by marching in the parade and encouraging other student groups to become involved, as well.   Pencilgrams, sold for Valentine’s Day, are always very popular with our students.  Each year, we sponsor and plan College Awareness Week and the Suffolk County Bias Crimes Unit presentation. This year we began a Pen Pal program with senior citizens through the Retired Senior Volunteers Program (R.S.V.P.) of Suffolk County.  We have also taken up the challenge of recycling school supplies and redistribute items to the student body over the course of the school year. 

Spelling Bee 

The purpose of our Spelling Bee is aligned with the Scripps National Spelling Bee charter:  “…to help students improve spelling, increase vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.”  All students participate in the first round by taking an initial exam in their classrooms.  Each classroom winner then participates in the school-wide competition with the top three competitors continuing on to the regional semi-finals.  The competition continues at the Long Island Finals and culminates at the National competition in Washington, D.C.

Stage (Jazz) Band 

Jazz Band is a select instrumental ensemble that students in grades 6-8 are invited to audition for.  Students who are selected for the ensemble are required to attend weekly rehearsals.  Rehearsals take place in the evening, after school and sports, to allow students to become well-rounded in their endeavors at Selden Middle School.  The Jazz Band performs at one of the Spring Concerts and usually performs between 4 and 5 pieces.  These pieces cover non-traditional band music styles including but not limited to: rock, swing, Latin, funk, groove, and pop.   The Jazz Band may also perform at other events during the school year.

Yearbook Club 

The purpose of the Yearbook Club is to design and produce the Selden Middle School Yearbook.  Our yearbook is a legacy to Selden Middle School’s history and a tribute to the positive activities and happy memories shared by students and staff.  Students are involved in a wide variety of activities associated with advertising, layout, production and distribution of the yearbook.  Meetings are held once a month after school and occasionally during free periods.  All students are welcome to join.

Yorker Club 

The Yorker History Club is a Social Studies club formed in conjunction with the New York State Historical Association.  It is open to students in all grades, and generally meets twice per month throughout the school year. The Yorker Club's goal is to enhance students' interest and fascination with history.  Our club's activities may include quiz bowls and jeopardy tournaments, charades and other games, mini plays, mock trials, historical re-enactments and more, depending on the specific interests of the students attending.

Youth for Humanity 

The goal of Selden’s Youth for Humanity is to create opportunities for youth to become aware of humanitarian issues, build a community of compassion and gain the attributes of leadership.  Youth will be made aware of humanitarian issues and crises both globally and locally and given the time and guidance to develop ideas, programs and solutions.  In a democrat setting with two adult advisers to guide the youth, members will work to develop and set meaningful and achievable goals that address the club charter.