Five Clubs Reinstated at Intermediate Schools

The district is reinstating five clubs at  and intermediate schools with a pay to play policy in place to fund a stipend for those clubs’ advisors.

An activity fee committee was established by the board to determine what could be done to bring back some of the clubs at the intermediate schools after they were eliminated through budget cuts in the 2010-2011 budget. A pay to play policy was already established for high school and middle school clubs last year.

"The committee was comprised of parents, teachers, board of education members and administrators from the intermediate schools and middle school," said Joe Diskin, principal of Eisenhower Intermediate School and chair of the committee. "The committee met on multiple occasions to decide on the activities that would benefit the children of this age and grade level, while considering the curriculum and initiatives of the schools."

As approved by the board of education at the July 26 meeting, the school newspaper, drama and environmental clubs, as well as the student council will be reinstated at both intermediate schools.

The Roots and Shoots Club will be reinstated at Hillside and the Marine Science Club will be reinstated at Eisenhower.

"The clubs that are being brought back first were based upon popularity and student interest from past years," Diskin said.

The board has established a pay to play policy for those clubs, requiring students to pay to take part. The money taken in will fund stipends for the advisors and the supplies needed to run the clubs.

According to the recommendation from the committee, drama club will cost $75; school newspaper will cost $50; Student Council will cost $25; the environmental club will cost $50; and the Roots and Shoots and marine science clubs will cost $50.

"The fee structure was based upon the stipend for the advisor position and the average number of participants in previous years," Diskin said.

For students participating in these clubs, the recommendation said, parents will pay the fees to the business office, and the information will be logged so advisors can ensure that students have paid.

Those students who participate in the free and reduced lunch programs will have the activity fee waived.

The recommendation says that the committee will meet again in September to discuss possible reinstatement of other organizations, namely the middle school intramural program; Odyssey of the Mind; and the student competitions club for spelling bees, geography bees and science bowl, among others.

In addition, at the future meeting, the committee will discuss a possible survey of parents and staff to determine what clubs they would like to see brought back, as well as other possible intermediate school clubs and activities to reinstate.

The committee members are Diskin, board of education member Jeff Brookner, board of education member Jill Gladstone, Gayle Faulkner, Laura Felegi, Michelle Giordano, Karen Hawkins, Jodi Hopfinger, Liz Lande, Jackie Loughridge, Lesley McManus, Rachel Merino, Terry Pennington, Ann Rock, Randy Schweriner and business administrator Peter Starrs.