CLUB/ACTIVITY									DESCRIPTION/DETAILS
DRAMA CLUB   Crystal Handchen Advisor ext. 6499									The purpose of the Drama Club is to give students the chance to participate in a live school production, to critique their own performance at the cast party, to attend at least two Broadway productions and to acquire knowledge about the workings of the theatre.       The core of the Drama Club is its annual production.  Students are included in various capacities which range from acting to student directing, technical work and ushering duties.  Students must maintain standards set forth in the school planner for participation in this extracurricular activity.      Students who are interested in becoming involved are encouraged to pick up an application packet from the drama advisor in the fall.  These packets include audition information and a questionnaire which will be used during the audition process.
ROTARY INTERACT     Sarah Dunne Advisor ext. 6389									This is an organization similar to the Junior Rotary Club at the high schools. It is a community service organization that meets once a month after school. This year our members volunteered to baby-sit at the PLC and Veterans Memorial Elementary School. We also put together food baskets and gifts for needy families during the holidays. We went to a local nursing home to sing Christmas carols. This organization works very closely with the National Junior Honor Society. This spring we joined other school organizations for the 3rd Annual Walk for ALS in memory of one of our secretaries. This is a great club for people interested in becoming a member of the National Junior Honor Society and is an ideal way to fulfill required community service hours.
INTERGENERATIONAL CLUB   Catherine Essner  Advisor ext. 6403									The Intergenerational Club is made up of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at VMMS and senior citizens from the community. Members meet once a month during the school day to do various activities that aim to bridge the gap between generations. The students benefit from these seniors’ life experiences and the seniors get a chance to interact with middle school students. They both gain an appreciation and better understanding of each other. The students apply for the Intergenerational Club by filling out an application during the month of September. It is a very popular club and there are many applicants for membership so students are encouraged to apply early and maintain all standards set forth in the student planner.
MUSIC   Kristen Murdock Advisor ext. 6714									Music is a wonderful way for students to develop character and a sense of work ethic. Veterans Memorial Middle School offers a number of music classes for our students.             Being a member of chorus or strings class allows students to gain experience as vocalists or instrumentalists and an appreciation for many forms and styles of music. Students learn musicianship, instrumentation, composition, solo and ensemble singing and playing. Students have and opportunity to showcase their talent in the winter or spring concerts as well as other scheduled public performances. Being part of the chorus or strings program will be an invaluable experience for participating students. Any student wishing to sign up for chorus or string ensemble should speak to Mrs. Strouse or visit the guidance office. Chorus- Chorus class meets everyday during school hours. Students may elect to take chorus for a minimum of two consecutive marking periods (1 & 2 or 3 & 4) in place of a regular encore class (art, computers, home economics, or foreign language). Students may also elect to participate in chorus for the entire year in place of a regular encore class.   Strings (violin, viola, or cello)- Strings class meets everyday during schools hours. Students may elect to take strings for a minimum of two consecutive marking periods (1 & 2 or 3 & 4) in place of a regular encore class (art, computers, home economics, or foreign language). Students may also elect to participate in strings for the entire year in place of a regular encore class. Students are responsible for renting their own instruments and bringing them to class everyday. General Music class meets everyday for 10 weeks. This class is designed for students not participating in chorus, strings, or band. Students acquire a broad range of musical knowledge that they can implement, adapt, and apply to their own musical experiences as music participants, music listeners and as music consumers.
National Junior Honor Society   Janet Suriano Advisor ext. 6901									2012 NJHS Description  This is an organization that is chartered by the State of New Jersey.  The qualifications are very stringent and students must meet multiple requirements to be considered for acceptance into this organization.  A faculty council selects students using the following criteria: high standards of scholarship, service, leadership and character. All students who meet the academic requirements are encouraged to apply. Your application is scored on a rubric and will be reviewed by a committee. This will determine your acceptance status.  Please note that the application process is a lengthy one and highly competitive. However, please still try and apply even if you are currently in process of meeting some of the NJHS standards.  For example, let’s say you only have 17 hours of community service you would still earn some points under the service section of the application, and if the other areas of your application are strong you may still be admitted to NJHS. It is always good to try and if you aren’t selected this year you will have gained valuable experience by going through the application process. Again, it should be noted that the application process is a lengthy one and highly competitive. There are limited membership positions available. Consequently, an independent Faculty Council will closely evaluate all applications. This is a blind evaluation during which the students’ applications are assigned a tracking number and the faculty involved does not know the identity of the students.  Eligibility requirements for membership consideration are as follows:             1)      Students must have made the honor roll at least two out of the last four marking                     periods. For 6th grade applicants you must have made honor both first and second                     quarter this year at VMMS in order to apply. 2)      Potential members must meet high standards of leadership, service, citizenship, and character. This means that students must have a clean record of conduct and behavior with regard to school and community rules, guidelines, and policies. Students may not have had any bus suspensions, GASP or out-of-school suspension or 2 or more central detentions in the previous four marking periods. 3)      You will have to have completed at least 25 hours of documented, verifiable community service. You will need to submit a letter of recommendation from a community service organization. It can NOT be a letter from a parent, relative, or neighbor. Also, please keep in mind that you may apply with less than 25 hours of community service as your application is scored on a rubric. 4)      You will need to submit three letters of recommendation from VMMS faculty that have had you in class.  Two of the three letters must be from an academic teacher. You will be provided recommendation forms with your application for the teachers to fill out. 5)      Once you have completed this portion of the application you will be invited to participate in the last step --- the essay portion. Applicants will attend a writing session held during the school day in the VMMS multipurpose room, during which they will complete a standard five-paragraph essay. Only essays completed during this time will be accepted. Essays completed outside of the scheduled essay period will not be accepted.
NEWSPAPER   Valerie Abramo Advisor ext. 6200									This student newspaper is produced and distributed quarterly.  Students may choose to participate by writing articles, taking photographs or typing and editing stories for production and delivery.  Students earn activity points for their participation and are awarded honors at the Club banquet in June.  Meetings are usually held once per quarter with the entire staff while smaller meetings with grade level editors occur more frequently.  Students are required to participate in one fundraiser which is held in the early fall.  Information on joining this activity will be posted on VMTV early in the school year.
7th & 8th  Grade MATH TEAM    Barbara Rizzitello Advisor ext. 6806									The 7th and 8th Grade Math Team is a competitive team that is open to all 7th and 8th grade students who find problem solving challenging and fun!  The team meets after school on a weekly basis to work on practice problems, discuss strategies, and explore new topics.  All team members compete individually in Math Olympiad and the SIGMA competitions, which are given on a monthly basis.  All team members also participate in annual NJ Math League Competition.  The team is represented at the Math Counts Competition, which is held yearly at Ocean County College. Participation in this contest is limited by the rules of the competition and our representatives are selected according to ability (demonstrated by performance in other competitions).  We participate in a second selective competition hosted by Ocean County Math League at Georgian Court University during the later part of the school year.
6th Grade MATH TEAM   Valerie Abramo Advisor ext. 6200									Teachers are asked to select their top 3 math students who are interested in participation on this competitive team.  The top 30 students are kept after the first competition and go on to compete in the following:          Math Olympiad – 5 times a year – 5 question to solve in 30 minutes – possible 25 points.             SIGMA competition – 5 times a year – 8 questions in 45 minutes – possible 40 points.  This is a national competition.             New Jersey Math League competition – Once a year.  Students across the state compete for a possible 40 points.             Ocean County Math League – Once a year.  Students across the country compete – possible score 30.             Practice meetings are held 1-2 days per week and are extremely important to the students’ success in the competitions.
SPIRIT CLUB   Valerie Abramo Advisor ext. 6200									The purpose of the club is to provide activities for the student at VMMS so they will become more involved and interested in school.  Students are informed over VMTV when a sign up meeting will be held after school.  Students are required to participate in the one fundraiser in September/October.  They may sign up for each month’s activity and earn activity points.  Students with the highest points receive honors at the club banquet in June.  Meetings are one per month:       Sept.  Fundraiser     Oct.    Halloween Writing Contest     Nov.   Crafts with 1st grades at VMES     Dec.   Toy Drive for Brick police                Secret Santa Program with                1st grade – VMES     Jan.     Crafts for club members      Feb.   Talent Show audition/practices     Mar.   Talent Show     April   Academic Contest: 6-7-8     May   Sponsor Civil War Programs     June   Sponsor 6th grade History Expo             and Club Banquet
STUDENT COUNCIL   Kelly Johnson Advisor ext. 7228									The VMMS Student Council is compromised of an eighth grade Executive Board and grade level homeroom representatives. The Executive Board is selected by the student body and by a council of teachers in an election held in early October of each year. The Executive Board works diligently throughout the school year to plan and provide a positive and spirited environment for VMMS. Meetings are held monthly to plan the year’s activities. The activities include pep rallies, spirit weeks, The Student-Teacher switch day, and this year, “The Madden Football Challenge” for PlayStation 2. The Student Council also demonstrates their strong sense of character by fundraising and donating for various causes. This year they raised money to “Save the Fish”, provide a care package of troops overseas, donate time to provide childcare, and much more. In addition, homeroom representatives play a key role in the production of these events. Each homeroom representative is responsible to relay the information to and from their class.
TALENT SHOW    Valerie Abramo Advisor ext. 6200									The VMMS talent show is an activity of the Spirit Club. Students may sign up with Mrs. Abramo to audition for the show. Announcements are made over VMTV in the morning. Auditions are scheduled for the following week. A group of 4-5 teachers scores them. The scores are then combined into an average score. The top 20-25 acts make up the show. The students that work the crew for the show are Spirit Club members who sign up for that month’s activity. Practices are run 2-3 weeks before the show, with one dress rehearsal night. The final show is performed one night in the spring and is not competitive.
VMTV    Wendy Battersby Advisor ext. 6233									VMTV allows selected students to participate in a daily broadcast TV news program. This participation id not limited to on-camera work, but also behind the scenes and special event work. Also, the students attend a trip to NBC studios in NYC for a tour and lunch in the city.             Through posters and VMTV announcements, interested 6th and 7 th grade students must obtain an application packet, which includes a teacher recommendation form. Upon receipt by the deadline, audition times are scheduled and the students actually audition in the VMTV studio on camera. Sixth grade students were included this year for the first time so they can continue the experience for two years. Selected students, usually about 25, are then in a VMTV class the last marking period of the year. In this class they learn anchor techniques, switching, camera use, and how to prepare power point presentations for the daily TV slides. They also get to re-dress the studio (redecorate it). This class prepares them for broadcast for the following school year. Toward the end of the summer, the broadcast team comes to school to practice and make sure all equipment is working. They begin broadcasting on the first day of school.             Students must maintain the standards set forth in the school planner for participation in activities.
YEARBOOK   Advisors:   Jennifer DeGruccio ext. 6363   Debra Fazio ext. 6418									The VMMS yearbook staff is comprised of student editors, photographers, and layout designers.  Working together, these students help capture the best memories of the school year.  Being a part of the VMMS Yearbook Club provides students with the opportunity to use their skills to create an exciting book used to visually express the relationships, activities, and achievements of the VMMS student body.  The Yearbook Club is an enjoyable and interactive club where students can be involved in all aspects of academic and character education at Veterans Memorial Middle School. The Yearbook Club meets at least two times a month to develop layout, pick photos that will be used in the book, and discuss creative ways to make the book better.  During our end-of-the-year party, members get an exclusive preview of the completed yearbook. In September, any student may sign up to become a member of the VMMS Yearbook Club.  Students must then attend at least one meeting a month and maintain at least a C average in order to continue being a part of the club.