Clubs & Organizations
We offer a wide variety of clubs and organizations for your girl to grow emotionally, socially and physically. All clubs and organizations are supervised by Elms faculty and staff and we openly welcome all Elms students to join! Clubs and organizations are a great way for the girls to create friendships and make memories.
Academic Challenge is open to students grades 6-12 with a passion for learning. Academic Challenge is a competition in the style of a quiz bowl that challenges two competing teams on their knowledge of history, literature, science and other subjects. Students meet once a week and have semi-regular tournaments throughout the fall.
Art Club is for those with a creative spark. Art club allows for students to express themselves and relax after school, as well as experiment with new art mediums.
Coalition is the student body government and includes a representative from each class and club and all class presidents. Members meet regularly to air student concerns and work toward solutions. Developing leadership is an important mission of the Elms and Coalition. Students participate in formal leadership training during the school year. Coalition sponsors the Freshie Mixer and fundraisers throughout the year. Leadership is taught, modeled and expected at every level at the Elms. There is an emphasis on the leadership disposition of women that is collaborative, as opposed to hierarchical, and is focused on social justice.
Students who hold elected positions as class, club and Coalition officers are enrolled and evaluated in a Leadership Course. Student leaders meet with their moderators routinely to plan and implement activities. Through a more formal process of evaluation, student leaders set leadership goals each semester under the mentor-ship of their moderator. Their semi-annual evaluation includes an assessment of their progress toward those goals as well as in leadership sub-categories such as inclusiveness, problem-solving, strategic planning, communication, teamwork and stewardship of resources.
There is a Coalition representative from every class and club. Coalition provides meaningful and fun activities for the entire school such as the annual Elms Olympics and Freshman Welcome Week. Coalition also serves as a forum for new ideas and collaborative problem-solving.
Two leadership workshops are offered each year. Over the years, topics have ranged from consensus building and delegation to personal and team mission statements.
Every leadership position at the Elms is filled by a young woman. There are more than 60 elected student leadership positions.
Elms students participate in Junior Leadership Akron, Stow-Munroe Falls Youth Leadership program, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), the National Youth Leadership Council, National Youth Leaders State Conference, National Youth Leadership Forum (medicine, law and national defense) and other opportunities as they arise.
Seniors serve as big sister role models for the ninth graders.
Students serve on retreat teams to plan and facilitate younger students’ retreats.
Drama is a fine tradition at the Elms. One production is staged each year. Dedication, discipline and many rehearsals result in quality high school theater. Our talented students enjoy opportunities in all aspects of theater, from performance and stage management to lighting, scenery and costume design. Middle school and high school students may participate in Drama Club which feature improvisation exercises and acting experience.
Elm Leaf (Newspaper and Online Magazine) is open to students in grades 7-12. The school newspaper, the Elm Leaf, is published seasonally throughout the year. The Digital Edition is the online branch of the Elm Leaf and serves as a natural and modern extension to the long-standing student platform for creative and journalistic expression at the Elms. The online format allows for expedited, flexible and media rich content. The student reporters, editors, photographers and artists carry out each step of newspaper/magazine production, from decisions about story ideas and photo assignments through page design.
Elms Ringers’ are a bell and hand chime group that is open to students in grades 6-12. The Elms Ringers’ learn how to use bells and hand chimes and require no prior music experience. This club meets once a week after school. The girls ring at special events and liturgies.
Encores Show Choir is an auditioned and choreographed vocal group. The Encores rehearse three times weekly in preparation for holiday and spring concerts, an all-school talent show, community events including holiday club meetings and fundraising events. The Encores visit and perform at area nursing and assisted living facilities during the holiday season.
Environmental Club is where students meet to discuss specific topics such as deforestation and plastic pollution. During these meetings, a student will share information about a topic and ways to help the cause. A major accomplishment for this club was holding a plastic bag drive at the school, where students collected 250 bags to be recycled.
F.A.S.T. (Faith And Spiritual Team) members meet with the liturgical director to plan Masses, Friday Word and Communion services and other prayer and para-liturgical services for the Elms community. Students participate in various ministries during Mass and throughout the year.
Forensics (AKA Speech and Debate) is when members develop a lifelong interest in communication skills, critical thinking and writing, literary interpretation and public speaking. Students compete in Ohio High School Speech League and National Forensic League tournaments throughout the year. This rigorous competition produces numerous state qualifiers, district champions, state finalists and national qualifiers. The Elms team is proud to claim a National Quarter Finalist in 2020, a National Semi-Finalist in 2001 and a National Champion in 2000.
Glory Girls are for students in grades 6-8 who are in charge of raising and lowering the flag with the start and end of each school day.
History Book of the Month Club is for students in grades 7 and 8. They read works of historical fiction about various time periods in American history, such as colonialism, European and Asian immigration, WWI and the Civil Rights movement, just to name a few.
International Club is open to all students in grades 6-12 who are interested in French, Latin, Spanish or other world cultures. The club broadens the students’ understanding of various global traditions. Students are engaged in activities related to French, Latin or Spanish culture, as well as the culture and heritage shared by our students or our exchange students through PowerPoint presentations, dance, music, cuisine and crafts.
Just Write is open to students in grades 9-12. This competition for writing requires participants to write in a variety of different genres, like classic horror, fantasy and historical fiction.
Middle School Student Council is open to students in grades 6-8; officers are elected annually. Officers meet monthly to discuss student concerns, plan Middle School events, including dances and Middle School pep rallies.
Music Ministry is open to all students in grades 6-12. Members provide music for our all-school liturgies.
Power of the Pen is open students in grades 7 and 8 and provides a creative outlet for young writers. Students share their original works and explore various writing styles and techniques. Competitions occur at local, district and regional levels with a statewide competition at the end of the year.
Robotics Club is open to students grades 6-12. Students learn to code and work with machines.
Science Olympiad is open to students in grades 6-12. This is a regional, state and national science competition in which school-based teams of up to 15 students compete in 23 events across various science fields. Students prepare for and compete in events spanning fields such as astronomy, anatomy, chemistry, entomology, geology, physics and mechanical engineering. The Science Olympiad program is a wonderful opportunity to involve students in all disciplines of science and continue their learning well beyond that of the classroom.
Ski Club is an 8 week season, starting in January and ending in February. Open to students 3rd grade and up (must be 8 years old by January). The club ventures weekly to Boston Mills in Peninsula with trips to Brandywine and over night trips to Holiday Valley. Membership includes all ski and snowboard rentals and gear (boards, boots, poles, helmets), lift passes and weekly group lessons.
Social Action Club is open to all students in grades 6-12. Social action and responsibility is vital to the growth of women in leadership. All students are encouraged to participate in some aspect of the Social Action Club. Student interests and activities include AIDS awareness and support of the Community AIDS Network of Akron, food and clothing drives, recycling, respect for human life from the unborn to ending the death penalty, working at area soup kitchens and food pantries, hunger awareness, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and other activities as issues of social justice arise.
Spirit Club - Lower School is open to students in grades prek-5 and takes place on Friday’s during aftercare. Club members are involved in increasing spirit in the school community by creating banners, posters and crafts for events such as school holidays, sporting events, Catholic Schools week, Teacher Appreciate Week and so much more!
Spirit Club - Upper School is open to students in grades 6-12 and sponsors two fundraisers, pep assemblies, a Halloween Party, a Christmas Hallway Decoration Contest and Spirit Week. Club members provide support for the athletic teams and recognize student and staff birthdays. The goal of the Spirit Club is to increase school spirit, participation and attendance at all extracurricular activities.
Writers Circle provides an opportunity for students who are passionate about creative writing to share their work, receive feedback and offer suggestions to one another. This group meets once a month to share their projects with each other.
Yearbook (Egress) is a club where students learn a variety of skills needed to produce the yearbook including professionalism, news writing, editing, photography and desktop publishing