School Clubs and Academic Teams

Club Name

Location

Information

Sponsors

Meeting Day

Time

Academic Bowl Team

Room 1001

We will be holding try outs on Monday, September 9 and Thursday, September 12 at 8:15 in room 1001.  Students must attend one of those two days in order to be considered for the team.  Practices will be on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:15 beginning the week after fall break in the same location.  The team will compete in a county competition and regional competition-dates will be announced at a later time.  We are hoping to have 7-10 members on our team this year.  We have a great time and look forward to meeting all those who are interested at the try outs.

Courtney Jasman

Weekly – Monday & Thursday

7:45 AM-8:50 AM

Art Club

Room 2403

Art Club is an after school club that meets once a month starting in September-March. Art Club is open to all the grade levels. This is a great place to explore your personal interests in art and get some hands on experience with art tools and materials if you art not in art class or just want more art in your life!

Art Club Application

Connie Strickland

Melissa Christensen

1st Thursday of Month (November-April)

4:15 PM-5:30PM

 Chelsea Quillian

Sara Lawson

Valerie Hultquist

Drama Team

Cafe

DRMS performs a musical each year.  The cast includes performers who will sing and dance.  There are also opportunities for students to participate behind the scenes as crew members.  Try-outs are held in December and the performance is usually after Spring Break in April.  Practices, retreats, and dress rehearsals will be conducted after school.  This is a great opportunity for students to share their talents and meet new friends.

Tim Christian

3 Days/Week - January-April

4:15 PM-6:00 PM

Fish Club

Chorus Room

Focuses on positive messages of hope. We have guest speakers, games, snacks, and fun!  The club is open to all students in all grades; and there is no fee.   

Kristy Allen, Amy Thomason, Day Craig

Weekly - Thursday

8:15 AM-8:45 AM

Friends Club

Room 2510

The Friends Club at Dean Rusk Middle School is made for students who want to make a difference in the environment of their school surroundings. Students who are members of the Friends club believe that there is no such thing as differences, inequality or intolerance. The Friends club is for exceptional 7th and 8th grade students that want to share their time, talent, compassion and joy with other Dean Rusk students.

The club will come with responsibilities that include but are not limited to:

1. Attending meetings regularly
2. Spend quality time with students in and out of the classroom setting, not to leave the campus
3. Create crafts and play games with students
4. Assist teachers in various activities with students

Kimberly Wagoner

Amy Day

Last Friday of each month 

8:00-8:45 AM

First Lego League Team

Room 2104

The basis of FLL is a robotics tournament in a cheerful atmosphere, where kids and youngsters need to solve a tricky “mission” with the help of a robot. The kids are researching a given topic within a team, they are planning programming and testing an autonomous robot to solve the mission. The FLL Teams take the opportunity to experience all steps of a real product development process: solving a problem under time pressure with insufficient resources and unknown competitors. FLL is a small microcosmos of real business life in all its respects

Teresa Hutto

Taylor Bennett

Weekly - Monday (September-March)

4:00 PM-6:00 PM

National Jr. Beta Club

Cafeteria

The DRMS Chapter of the National Junior Beta Club is an academic honor club for students who maintain As in all academic classes and achieve a Proficient or Distinguished Learner score on the Georgia Milestone End of Grade Assessment. Students are expected to demonstrate excellent behavior and citizenship and have fewer than 5 unexcused absences. Invitations are offered to prospective members after the third grading period.  Students who would like to transfer from other schools should see Ms. Harper in room 2807 for a transfer application.  Annual dues for inducted members are $10.  New member dues are $25. Membership dues are used to pay national membership fees and fund local service projects and reward activities. Meetings are held once per month and students are expected to complete a minimum of 12 service hours. Service hours can be completed at school or in the community. Junior Beta Club service projects at school include, but are not limited to a Thanksgiving Food Drive, running the School Store, maintaining Lost & Found, appreciation days for various staff members and clean up days. For more information about Junior Beta Club, please contact Ms. Wallace at amy.wallace@cherokeek12.net or Ms. Harper at misty.harper@cherokeek12.net

Lead – Amy Wallace, Misty Harper

6th –Jennifer Jones

7th – Andrew Carwile, Alison Alderfer

8th - Amanda Coleman

8:00 AM-8:30 AM

4th Wednesday of Month

Optimist Club

2510

Optimist International is a worldwide volunteer organization made up of more than 2,500 local Clubs whose Members work each day to make the future brighter by bringing out the best in children, in their communities, and in themselves. Jr. Optimist is a nationally recognized club that serves its school and its community.

Provides leadership skills and experience

Helps our community through service projects

#BeTheChange

Paula Neubert  Jami Shade 

8:00 – 8:45 AM

Photography Club

Room 2602

Photography club will focus on the aspects of taking quality pictures with a cell phone camera and exploring ways to use photography apps.  Students will participate in challenges and contests with opportunities to have their work featured on the school news.  No photography experience or specific equipment is required to participate.   

Debbie Garner Betsy Jorczak Jennifer Schroter

 4th Wednesday of Each Month

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Reading Club/Tome Society

Room 1008

DRMS is a member of the Junior Tome Literacy Society, which promotes literacy activities among middle school students. Each year students may participate in one or more of the following events: schoolwide literacy project fair, Junior Tome Literacy project competition (if selected at the school level), Cherokee County Reading Bowl Tournament (up to 10 students may be selected), Junior Tome Society Online Bowl competition (up to 15 students may be selected), a Field Trip to TomeCon (optional for all students who submit at list one project to the schoolwide literacy fair), State Reading Bowl tournament at TomeCon (5 participants selected if our team qualifies).  All projects must be based on a list of 10 required books. Fees for Junior Tome Society are $25 per student. Fees are used to pay the Junior Tome Society membership fee, t-shirts for all members and purchase additional copies of books for students to read. Participation in the TomeCon field trip is an additional fee.  For more information about the DRMS Chapter of the Junior Tome Literacy Society, please contact Ms. Harper at misty.harper@cherokeek12.net or Ms. Robbins at tiffany.robbins@cherokeek12.net.

Misty Harper, Jennifer Evans

Tiffany Robbins, Paula Dangar,  Mark Diss

Weekly – Thursdays

8:00 AM-8:35 AM

Relay for Life/Pay It Forward

Room 1007

The Relay for Life/Pay It Forward Club provides service opportunities.  Our largest event is to participate and fundraiser for Cherokee County’s Relay event held in the Spring.  In addition, we participate in other needs as seen fit throughout our community.

Laura Malavenda

Last Monday of each month

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Rusk Reporters

Room 910

Students will be given the opportunity to plan, write, organize, and design the graphics for a school newspaper each season of the school year. Guest presenters will showcase unique newspaper skills and ideas.

Katey Yursis

Christy Vaccaro

1st Thursday of every month 

4:00 PM-5:00 PM

Spanish Club

Room 803

This club is for students in Spanish or any student who wants to learn about Spanish culture. During our meetings, we watch movies and discuss current events regarding Spanish speaking countries. We try to promote the Spanish culture by learning about differences and similarities to our own culture.

Veronica Rivers

Last Tuesday of each month

Starts September 4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Speech and Debate Club

Room 2612

Every Wednesday September - March

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM

Spirit Club

Room 2601

Spirit Club is a student led club with the focus of promoting school spirit during basketball season for our players and student body.  We will make posters and learn cheers so we can be a mighty Chief Nation. 

Lee Ann Owens

  Every Thursday afterschool until 5:15 during basketball season.  

Student Council

Lab 2103

Student Council allows students to share ideas, interests, and concerns in regards to our school and community.   We often help others in need such as raising funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital as well as work on helping others in our community.  It is open to anyone at Dean Rusk that would like to help make our school and community a better place.  

Amanda Collins,

Jenna Hanfland, Courtni Mitchell

2nd Friday of Month

8:00 AM-8:50 AM

Video Broadcast News

Room 2104

During School Hours

Walking Club

The purpose is to encourage students who are not runners to be active.  Students will meet after school on a Mondays to walk the perimeter of DRMS to encourage an active lifestyle.

Sebrina Horton, Amanda Chestang

Every Monday afternoon at 4:15

Yearbook Club

Room 1105

The Dean Rusk yearbook staff works very hard to create the DRMS yearbook. Our yearbook is 100% designed and created by the staff with support provided by the sponsors. Students that wish to apply to yearbook should be hard-working, self-motivated, creative, and fun-loving! Information on how to apply will be announced in mid-August.

2019-20 Yearbook Interest Information

Yearbook Club Application

Bonnie Jackson

Laura Herrera

2nd and 3rd Wednesday of Each Month

7:30 AM

4-H Club

Room 2702

4-H is about engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development. 4H stands for head, heart, hands, and health. In 4-H, we focus on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs. We want to “make the best better,” and we “learn to do by doing

Julie Glatzhofer

4:00 – 5:00 PM