Here is a list of some of the extracurricular activities schools in the area will offer for students this fall.
STEM activities
STEM stands for science technology engineering and mathematics. Many schools in the area offer activities that range from robotics to machine building.
For robotics, students will build their own robots and utilize them to solve problems or compete in games. Most schools use VEX Robotics to teach kids through middle school and high school how to build working machines that can be controlled to perform tasks. Robotics competitions are held throughout the year where students can compete against other schools with their robots.
Schools that offer robotics as an extracurricular activity are Darby Middle School, Alma Middle School, Alma High School, Northridge Middle School in Van Buren.
Alma Middle School offers STEM games where students work on various projects to help solve a specific problem. This includes projects like catapults, people-powered vehicles, windmills, Rube Goldberg machines, and even graphic design. Teen Tech Academy at Alma gives students a more in-depth look into the world of STEM. This club focuses on robotics, coding, and investigative STEM activities.
Esports
Competitive video games have become a more common activity for schools all across the country.
By joining the Esports team at Northside High School, Southside High School, or Van Buren high school students can train and compete in video games like League of Legends, Rocket League, Smash Ultimate, Madden, and Smite.
Van Buren will start their new season at the beginning of the school year after finishing 32nd in the country at the end of their last season in June.
Media
Schools in the area offer chances for their students to participate in student-led newspapers and video production.
Chaffin Middle School, Alma High School, and Kimmons Middle School all have extracurricular newspapers that their students can join. Some schools offer journalism as a class, but Van Buren has a club called Quill and Scroll specifically tailored for journalism students. This is open for students in advanced journalism classes.
Southside High School not only has an online newspaper but also a student-led online broadcast where students can report on various events around their school.
For students interested in photography, Northside offers a club for students enrolled in the fundamentals of photography class.
