AMS Clubs and Academic Teams
| Activity and Sponsor | Grades | About | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Sign Language Club Cathie Gebhart 9gebby@gmail.com | 6, 7, 8 | Have you ever wanted to learn a new language? ASL Club is an inclusive club that practices American Sign Language. | TBD |
| AMS Space Club Katrina Williams katrina.williams@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 High school as well | AMS Space Club is a student-led organization with Mrs. Williams as the advisor. Past events include SpaceSTEAM collaborations with local, national and international community partners; Artemis 1 Orion Spacecraft technology demonstration; proposals to NASA related activities such as Artemis Moon Tree Seedlings, High Altitude Balloon TechRise Challenge, ARISS-Amateur Radio on the International Space Station and much more. | Mondays from 3:45 until 4:45 (whenever school is in session). |
| Battle of The Books Carissa Danielson carisa.danielson@ames.k12.ia.us Jen Gabrielson jennifer.gabirleosn@ames.k12.ia.us Cathy Stoermer cathy.stoermer@ames.k12.ia.us | 6,7,8 | Students team up to read and answer trivia questions over a selection of books throughout the year. In April teams “Battle” it out in a tournament against other Central Iowa schools earning points by answering questions about the books on the list. | 6th Homeroom 7th/8th WIN |
| Builder’s Club Erin Bettazza erin.bettazza@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Students learn about community service and leadership | second and fourth Wednesdays 7:40-8:30am |
| Cemetary Club Di Sheldon dianna.sheldon@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Keep cemeteries clean for future generations. Learn how to clean headstones and raise sinking stones so that other generations can enjoy them. | No physical meetings- Join via Google Classroom. code- fq35hw6 |
| Chess Club Carisa Danielson carisa.danielson@ames.k12.ia.us Chess Club Google Classroom | 6, 7, 8 | “Initially, every chess grandmaster was a novice.” | Wednesdays 4:00-5:00pm and Thursdays during lunch |
| D&D Club Caleb Conner caleb.conner@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Students choose a day Monday through Thursday that they can play. Students are split into Group 1 and Group 2 and meet every other week between 4 – 6. Everything they need is provided and Mr. Conner teaches all students how to play and will be able to answer any and all questions students or parents have about D&D and the club. Informational meeting will be after school 4-4:30 on September 17th in the auditorium. All interested must come. | Monday – Thursday from 4:00 – 6:00 All Year |
| Drama Club Emily Harris emily.harris@ames.k12.ia.us Gabbie Silva gabbie.silva@ames.k12.ia.us Dani Schon dani.schon@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Learn about theater and try out for the school play. | M, W, F 4:00-5:30pm |
| Dungeons and Dragons Club Eon Lyles eon.lyles@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Wednesdays 4:00-5:30pm | |
| E-Sports Dan Andrews dan.andrews@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | After School Daily. First season (Mario Kart) begins in January after Winter Break | Open to 6th-8th grade. We play Mario Kart 8 during the winter season and Super Smash Brothers during the spring season. Our Competition Teams are decided in a try-out format but ALL students who are out for the team will get to play on intramural teams and practice/compete against other AMS students. |
| FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Dagney Paskach dagney.paskach@ames.k12.ia.us AMS FLL WEBSITE | 6, 7, 8 | International robotics competition that gives students the opportunity to build and program a LEGO EV3 robot and design an innovative solution to a real-world problem. | See website for details |
| Japanese Exchange Program Ellie Caldwell ellie.caldwell@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | We meet several times during the year to learn about Japanese language & culture. We also have a pen pal program with Koshu City in Japan and a summer trip that kids can go on. | Various meetings days/times throughout the year for a pen pal program and summer trip. |
| Journalism Club Brad Grout brad.grout@ames.k12.ia.us Co-leader: Chantal Eulenstein (high school senior) 885922eul@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Various days, usually mornings, 7:30. | Do you like to write and report on events, happenings, etc? Do you enjoy asking questions? Interviewing? This may be the place for you… See our website: https://sites.google.com/ames.k12.ia.us/the-whirlwind/home |
| Little Cyclone Leadership Council Maria Anderson maria.anderson@ames.k12.ia.us Susan Vernon susan.vernon@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Student leaders work together to build school spirit, develop connections among students and make AMS a great place! Focus is on leadership development and positive school culture. | Every Wednesday 4-5 |
| Magic The Gathering Club Caleb Conner caleb.conner@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Students can come to my classroom after school from 4:00 – 6:00 every Friday to play the popular and very fun card game: Magic the Gathering! I teach all students how to play and provide them with all the supplies they need. They are welcome to bring their own supplies but are responsible for them. Club starts on September 27th and will run through the whole year. | Fridays All Year |
| Math Counts Matt Mattocks matthew.mattocks@ames.k12.ia.us Lauren Booten lauren.booten@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Mathcounts is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person “bee” style contests. Students in the club will work through problem sets to practice. Our school’s team will compete at the chapter competition and possibly qualify for state. AMS has an amazing track record at chapter and sends many kids to the state competition each year. If you like math, this is the club for you!. | T and Th 7:35-8:25 or 3:50-4:40 |
| Math Olympiad Eddie McEwan eddie.mcewan@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | “Explore mathematical concepts while developing flexibility in solving non-routine problems with multiple solution paths” (MOEMS). | Begins October 9th. Wednesday before and after school. Morning: 7:45-8:15 Afternoon: 3:50-4:20 |
| Mock Trial Ellie Caldwell ellie.caldwell@ames.k12.ia.us Iowa Mock Trial Info GC Code: ov5xvmc | 6, 7, 8 | An interscholastic competition that teaches about the legal process, critical thinking, and public speaking by studying a case provided by the Iowa Bar Association and competing regionally with other schools to try the case in front of judges. | |
| Multicultural Club Emani DuBoise Neely emani.duboise-neely@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | The AMS Multicultural Club is for students who would like to learn, share, and embrace the different cultures represented in our school. We hope to see you there! | Homeroom- Biweekly |
| Muslim Student Association Steph Schares steph.schares@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Come meet and enjoy the company of Muslim Students! | Weds during HR |
| National History Day Steph Schares steph.schares@ames.k12.ia.us AMS NHD website | 6, 7, 8 | Annual project-based contest allowing students to read, analyze, and synthesize historical information. | Thursdays during Homeroom |
| National Junior Art Honor Society (NJAHS) Cappie Dobyns cappie.dobyns@ames.k12.ia.us Nin-JAHS WEBSITE | 7, 8 | Provides visual artists with opportunities to explore personal artistic and creative passions while utilizing their talents to serve the community, within a fellowship of creative peers. | See website for details |
| Prism Steph Schares steph.schares@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | A place to support, connect, and advocate within the LGBTQIA+ community. Weekly digital meetings are open to all grades. | Mondays during Homeroom |
| Science Bowl Spencer Esslinger spencer.esslinger@ames.k12.ia.us Traci Smith traci.smith@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Science Trivia challenge that promotes. scientific reasoning, teamwork and collaborative academic strategies. | |
| Science Olympiad Mary Glenn mary.glenn@gmail.com Kerri Marsh kerri.marsh@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | An interscholastic academic science team of 15 students competes in pairs in 23 different events for all disciplines of science and engineering. | |
| Student Ambassadors Jennifer Haglund jennifer.haglund@ames.k12.ia.us Emily Hackbarth emily.hackbarth@ames.k12.ia.us Matt Adams matt.adams@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | Help new students feel welcome. Ambassadors receive training each year to develop skills that help them connect with new students. | |
| Sixth Grade Art Club Heather Walker heather.walker@ames.k12.ia.us | 6 | We will do art activities, get to know other artists, and just enjoy some extra art-making time. All 6th grade students are welcome! You can join anytime. | Fridays 8:00-8:35am |
| Writer’s Den Susan Vernon susan.vernon@ames.k12.ia.us | 6, 7, 8 | A place to connect with other creators. Share your writing, read others’ writing, and meet new friends! Most interactions will be held asynchronously. | Tuesdays 3:45-4:45 |
| Yearbook Lisa Kirsch lisa.kirsch@ames.k12.ia.us | 8 |