ART CLUB
ART CLUB is open to all grades and activities vary from term to term. Students can expect to experience and create with different artistic media and techniques that are not usually covered in the 2D and 3D art classes.
DRAMA CLUB/TECHIES
The Middle School Drama Group was founded in the 1991-92 school year. Membership is open to students in all grades. Student members are involved with all aspects of a theatrical performance, including set design, props, lighting, programs and publicity. However, cast parts for a performance are by audition only. Play rehearsals are held after school, with performances in the evening. This group is funded through grants from the Bettendorf Schools Foundation and Iowa Arts Council.
TECHIES is closely aligned to the Drama Club. TECHIES are the technical crew that takes care of props, sets, backdrops, lights, publicity, programs, and set changes.
MUSIC
Middle School offers a number of extra-curricular instrumental and vocal performance groups:
HONOR CHOIR
Honor choir is open to any sixth grade choral student who is enrolled in chorus. The group rehearses before school (at 7:30 a.m.) on Wednesday and Fridays. There is an Honor Choir in both seventh and eighth grade. Auditions are held in the spring of the previous year. Groups meet before school on Tuesday and Thursday.
JAZZ BAND
Jazz Band is a performance group comprised of seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra members interested in learning basic jazz, rock and pop style elements, along with improvisation. Students must possess sufficient skills to effectively participate.
Jazz Band typically begins in September and runs through the end of April. Instrumentation will be determined at the director’s discretion. The group rehearses Monday and Friday mornings before school. Appearances at selected Middle School functions and concerts with the HS Jazz Bands fill out the performance schedule.
NEWSPAPER
The Paw Print Press is the school newspaper. It is published online, on average, quarterly throughout the school year. The newspaper staff is open to any seventh or eighth grade student interested in the journalism field. This is a yearlong commitment. The staff meets daily during Teacher/Advisor time and, on occasion, before and after school. Members are expected to write a minimum of one article per issue or an average of one article per month. Articles submitted for publication must meet guidelines established under Board Policy 504.3 Student Publications. Sign up information is published in the school announcements in the spring.
SCIENCE CLUB
The Science Club, under the direction of the science instructors, offers students an opportunity to have fun doing personalized science activities. These activities include rocketry, chemical reactions, physics, Olympiads, dissection and other scientific challenges. The club meets approximately once a week throughout the school year. There is a one time $1.00 charge for this club with the exception of Rocketry and dissection, which carry a minimal additional charge.
STUDENT COUNCIL
Student Council represents the student body at Middle School. This is a service-oriented group. Members serve on a variety of permanent and temporary committees. Students sponsor, organize, and work on many activities including our annual Middle School Food Drive, an all-sixth grade skating party and two seventh and 8th grade dances. In addition to these committees and events, members also volunteer to work at preregistration and registration activities, and open house.
Four students from each house, sixth through eighth grades, are elected during the first three weeks of the current school year to serve on the council as a class representative. In addition, four officers are elected from the seventh grade class in the spring. The four elected officials take office the first day of their eighth grade school year.
YEARBOOK CLUB
Bettendorf Middle School has been given the opportunity to have a large input in the creation of our school yearbook. The yearbook is produced digitally with software on the Internet. The yearbook club is open to 7th and 8th grade students who are interested
in developing a yearbook based on activities and events throughout the school year. The yearbook club members meet after school on Thursdays (3:00 to 4:00) from early October through March.