Clubs and Activities

The instrumental music program arranges for individual instruction in classical music instruments during after-school hours. Instrumental music teachers adapt lessons to each student’s ability and age, building on what they have learned in music classes during regular school hours. Violin, cello and piano lessons are available for all Lower School grades. Starting in grade 3, flute and clarinet lessons may be arranged with the instructor’s approval. Study of the oboe, French horn and trumpet may begin in grade 4. The Spence Concert Ensemble, which meets once a week after school, is open to Spence Lower School students and to string and wind players who study outside Spence. Membership is by audition for students who can read music and are ready for a beginning ensemble experience. Additional fees apply for individual lessons.

Second Act offers children in the Lower School the opportunity to participate in a variety of stimulating, hands-on activities after school. Children may register for classes from one day to five days per week, with different classes offered each day. All Second Act programs are co-ed and open to students and siblings from other schools. Additional fees apply for Second Act classes.

The Middle School Chess Club is advised by a master-level player and is open to all interested Middle School students, regardless of their level of experience. Chess club meetings occur weekly and involve instruction and student-to-student play. Some club members participate in regional and national competitions.

The Middle School Environmental Club engages in specific projects that promote care and concern for the environment, animals and human communities. Recent projects have included conducting research on recycling at Spence, spreading awareness on endangered species, and raising funds to support several different environmental organizations. Through these activities, students become more aware of how their actions affect their local community and the environment as a whole.

There are two math clubs in Middle School: Grades 5/6 and Grades 7/8. Each club meets once a week. Club members work on engaging and challenging problems at each meeting. Additionally, students in Grades 5 and 6 participate in five Olympiads each year. Grade 7 and 8 students also compete in the Olympiads at their level, and travel to the NYC MathCounts competition each year.

MSNews (the Middle School Newspaper) is an activity run primarily by eighth graders who recruit reporters from their grade, and Grades 5 through 7. The Grade 8 editors complete the layout for two to three issues per term. All Middle School students are invited to submit age-appropriate articles that may include descriptions of student life, teacher interviews, short stories, poetry, and book, theater and film reviews. MSNews encourages students to write creatively and conduct research.

The Middle School Poetry Club meets weekly during Middle School lunch to share original poems composed by its members in response to a variety of themes and topics.
The MS Poetry Club sponsors various MS assemblies throughout the year. Assemblies from recent years featured poetry from the Favorite Poem Project where staff, faculty and students from all levels chose their favorite published poems, MS poetry contests featuring winners from Grades 5 to 8, and MSPC member poems.
The goal of the club is to cultivate poetic talent, foster a love for words and enjoy the variety of poems offered by members during club sessions.

Three elected students from each grade level of the Middle School form the Middle School Student Council. Students in Grades 7 and 8 are elected by their classmates for yearlong terms and students in Grades 5 and 6 students serve for half of the year, giving the younger members of the Middle School more opportunities to run for and serve on the Council. Council members plan and run Friday morning meetings for the Middle School, implement spirit-building activities and support Middle School initiatives. The Council meets weekly and is advised by the Head of Middle School.

The primary goal of this affinity group is to serve as a support educational and discussion group for African-American and Latina students at Spence. The group meets regularly to discuss issues of interest and concern to African-American and Latina students and serves as a sounding board for members and the majority community alike on issues of multiculturalism and diversity.

Amnesty International attempts to create awareness in the Spence community of the need to affect change for political prisoners held in countries around the world. The club’s goals are achieved primarily through letter-writing campaigns.

Arts and Crafts is for artists and non-artists alike. Students in Arts and Crafts have the opportunity to explore their creativity in weekly meetings. They work on individual projects such as tie-dye, graffiti, jewelry making, and much more. They are also involved in community projects like decorating the buildings for Election Day.

Through films, readings and discussions, Asian F.O.C.U.S. (Focus on Cultural Understanding at Spence) offers opportunities to learn more about Asian cultures and issues affecting Asian-Americans.

The Cultural Awareness Club is open to all students in the Upper School. Its purpose is to create a network of students who will share knowledge of their own and other cultures with club members and with the school community and to provide opportunities to learn about issues affecting various cultures and ethnic groups. The club sponsors films and events such as assemblies and trips to the theater. CAFÉ organizes the annual Upper School Bias Awareness Day.

The Cinematic Club focuses on variations of cinematic techniques. There are an infinite number of ways to convey feelings, ideas and action through film. One of the many aspects members study is why and how directors use certain shots and how those shots contribute to the overall film. Members watch independent, modern mainstream and short films that enhance their understanding of cinematic expression.

The Community Service club offers a combination of hands-on service opportunities, inter-club projects, speakers, and discussions to explore community service on a local and global level. The club continues to work with both new and old organizations with a focus on fostering deeper more meaningful connections with the broader community.

The Current Events Club provides a forum for Spence students to share their interest in the news of the day as well as in the long-term direction of domestic politics and international affairs. At weekly meetings, articles or video clips are used to prompt debate and give focus to group discussions. Presentations at school assemblies are designed to bring fellow students up to date about what is happening in the world and to transmit our enthusiasm for staying informed. The Current Events Club is open to all Upper School students. It strives to be as democratic as possible in its organization and procedures.

The purpose of this club is to heighten awareness of issues of environmental concern and organize students to contribute solutions to the problems discussed. The club sponsors Earth Week activities and an environmental assembly and provides general information about environmental issues.

The Gay-Straight Alliance is intended to form a community of caring students to address the issue of coming out, regardless of their own sexual orientation. This is a discussion group where attendance is neither recorded nor mandatory; rather, members are free to come as often or as sporadically as they would like. Topics of discussion include GLBT media influence, slang, sexuality biases in Spence classrooms, as well as personal accounts of bigotry experienced or (unwittingly) inflicted. All Spence students are welcome to simply drop into meetings at will.

The Jewish Culture Club is open to all students in Grades 9–12. The club brings a greater awareness of the many aspects of Jewish history, literature, customs and traditions to the Spence community.

Joint Schools Activities (JSA) is an organization composed of approximately 15 private high schools in Manhattan and Riverdale. Parent and student representatives jointly plan a host of community service and cultural events annually. Spence's JSA club members attend monthly meetings at different member schools and participate in JSA-sponsored events. Participating in JSA is a great way to meet students outside of Spence and learn about club and social activities at their schools.

Literary Arts Magazine, which is published once a year, is a showcase for the literary and visual work of Spence students in the Middle and Upper Schools. The Upper School staff solicits, selects and edits entries and designs the publication in consultation with faculty advisors.

The purpose of the Math Club is to participate in math competitions and to educate the Spence community about current math issues.

Students participate in the Model Congress in November at the Yale University campus. Students assume roles as members of the House of Representatives or the Senate and write and debate legislation in both small committees and full sessions. The club provides students with a firsthand experience in the legislative process and improves their understanding of the United States government and of substantive social and political issues.

Approximately 20 students in Grades 9–12 participate in the Model U.N. held at a university in the Northeast each year. The student delegation is assigned to represent two countries and is responsible for research on these countries and preparing positions on a number of issues. In addition to giving members an opportunity to meet students from a wide range of schools participating in the Model U.N., the club helps them to become effective public speakers and fosters an understanding of the U.N. and world politics.

MRI (Medical Realities Introduced) is a club centered around medicine. The club aims to increase awareness of the medical world in the Spence community by hosting several speakers throughout the year. Students read and discuss medical articles and participate in engaging activities and simulations during club meetings.

The Music Club provides and opportunity for music fans within Spence to connect and share recommendations and exciting finds. By organizing meetings and dinners with mixtape exchanges, members have the chance to discover artists and bands and expand their musical taste. Students explore the music of other cultures and countries and view movies, documentaries and music videos during meetings.

The goal of the club is to write, share and critique poetry as a group.

More than 60 students in Grades 9–12 join the Red Door club each year, volunteering to give individual tours of the school to Spence applicants and their parents. Club members work with the Admissions Office to make prospective students and their parents feel welcome at Spence and to answer questions about the school. The club gives members valuable experience in presenting themselves and the school to applicants and their families.

Pervasion (n.): Pervasive + Invasion. Science Pervasion is a discussion club. At weekly meetings, club members read articles dealing with science and medical issues that directly affect our lives. The club hands out these articles prior to meetings so that members will be ready for discussion.

S.E.L.F. (Sensible Education for Life and the Future) provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge in dealing with the practical issues of everyday life and to acquire skills that will be useful and necessary for life after Spence. Topics cover basic financial knowledge, stress management, study skills, street smarts/self-defense, personal legal rights, reading maps, and writing formal résumés and cover letters.

S.I.A.S., or Sexuality Issues at Spence, is open to all students in the Upper School. S.I.A.S. works to increase awareness and knowledge of sexual orientation issues, homophobia and gender-related stereotypes in hopes of eradicating bias within the community. Meetings feature open discussions organized by the club. Related resources, such as videos and newspaper articles, are made available to the entire Spence community.

The Sound of Spence is a music club in which members will be introduced to music they do not currently listen to and share what they like. The club will also conduct fun community service events featuring music. This club hosts the annual Battle of the Bands.

*SPARK is a student newsletter that provides a forum to discuss and debate all sides of important political and socio-economic issues. A group of Upper School contributors (rather than one or two editors) edits the newsletter. Its articles are intended to reflect the opinions of its writers and not necessarily those of the Spence community. *SPARK is published four or five times a year.

The Spence Voice is a student newspaper published four to five times a year. In addition to providing news about school events, the newspaper addresses various issues of particular relevance to students’ lives. The newspaper staff—consisting of 11 editors and approximately 35 writers and photographers—is responsible for generating ideas for each issue and for supervising all aspects of printing and production.

S.W.A.N. is dedicated to increasing awareness of and support for women’s issues both inside and outside the school. In addition to regular meetings, students attend conferences and sponsor assembly speakers.

SpICE (Spence Introduction to Culinary Education) seeks to raise interest in the cooking, nutrition and different types of food, thus inspiring the community to eat well.

The Upper School Student Council is comprised of two elected representatives from each grade as well as a president from the senior class, a vice-president from the junior class, and a treasurer/secretary. The council meets twice a week, and the president meets weekly with the Head of School, the Head of Upper School, and the Director of Student Affairs. In addition to acting as the liaison between the Upper School student body and the administration, the council sponsors fundraising events, dances and a variety of activities to promote school spirit, including the annual Spring Fair.

TiR (This is Revolutionary) is a rock band. TIR that hopes to bring all kinds of music to the Spence community from covers to original songs written by its members. Students practice regularly and perform at assemblies.

Treblesome is a singing group that aims to sing songs from many different cultures and time periods. Members choose songs in a democratic fashion, translate those that are in other languages and learn about the origins of each piece added to their repertoire.

The yearbook staff is made up of approximately 20 editors selected from the junior and senior classes each year as well as photographers from Grades 9–12. Students work about five hours a week throughout the year, learning the mechanics of page layout, selling advertisements, and producing original artwork and photography. Student editors are expected to assume all responsibility for meeting deadlines and to supervise all aspects of production. Participation on the yearbook staff provides valuable experience in the mechanics of producing a major publication and fosters an understanding of what it means to work as a responsible and committed member of a group.