Clubs and Organizations at Santa Catalina Upper SchoolLife at Santa Catalina offers a broad extracurricular component, including opportunities in the fine and performing arts, student government, community service, and sports. Clubs and organizations provide students with the opportunity to forge and strengthen friendships and develop self-confidence. Students broaden their cultural exposure, contribute to school and community life, and discover new interests and talents.
The variety of clubs and organizations at Santa Catalina School is truly astounding. Pick from those below, or create your own. Accents Do you love to dance? Accents was created in 1997 by Santa Catalina students to give advanced dancers the opportunity to expand their technique. Members of Accents choreograph and organize their own pieces. They frequently showcase dance numbers in ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz, hip-hop, tap and flamenco. Accents performs and competes with other high school dance groups/teams around the Monterey Peninsula. Accents and ecco! (the student run a cappella group) collaborate in an original show each spring. Amnesty International Make your voice heard! Amnesty International is an organization founded to help free prisoners of conscience who are not given their rights according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Through letter writing and the signing of petitions, Amnesty attempts to affirm that declaration and tries to help raise social consciousness. Members of AI believe that every human being has basic rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. They work to ensure that people around the world can execute these human rights. Big/Little Sisters Big sisters help ease the transition into freshman year. Each freshman has a small group of seniors who will show you around campus, make you feel welcome and will answer all of your questions about life as a Catalina student. Throughout the year you will develop special friendships with these seniors who will look out for you as you find your own place at Santa Catalina! Brit-Lit Club Explore the world of Harry Potter and other great books! Brit-Lit is a club whose members devote their time to reading and discussing books by British authors. Special attention is placed on the Harry Potter collection of books. BURRITO Founded in 1999, BURRITO stands for Brazen Underground Really Random Improv Troupe Organization. BURRITO is a group that meets weekly to create shows that promote laughter and fun. Every year, BURRITO, along with Lady Rhythmics (our student run percussion group), organize and run an original show. Catalinan (Yearbook) If you really want to be involved in the spirit of Santa Catalina, apply to be a member of the yearbook staff. Whether you are interested in photography, editorial organization, layout design, proofreading, writing, typing, art, or even business, you should check out the opportunities that the yearbook has to offer. Students work from the beginning of school in September to make the yearbook the best it can be. The yearbook staff reveals the dedication and theme of the yearbook to the faculty and student body at the end of May. Community Service While discovering a lot about yourself at Santa Catalina, you will find that it is equally important to reach beyond yourself and help those around you. One way to do this is to volunteer in the surrounding community. Students visit the elderly; help with child care at the Salvation Army Day Care Center and the Monterey Boys’ and Girls’ Club; spend time with the mentally handicapped; write to legislators in support of important issues; and help migrant farm workers and their families in Monterey County. All of these are extremely rewarding and offer a meaningful way to contribute to the community. Cougar Boosters The Boosters Club works to pump up the students and faculty for sports games and highlights the excellence of the sports teams and other programs in the Santa Catalina community. The Boosters Club was founded in the fall of 2001 and they hold rallies, bake sales, and other fundraisers to support Catalina athletics. Go Cougars! Debate Club The Debate Club researches and formulates arguments about controversial issues that surround us in day-to-day life. Members draw random topics from a bag; in this way, students are not necessarily arguing their personal views. Monthly formal and public debates help students to hone skills in organization, understanding of opinions different than their own, rhetoric, public speaking, logic, precision, patience, listening, and respect. Ecco! ecco! is a student run a cappella group. Auditions for new members are held at the beginning of each school year. Their repertoire contains a remarkable spread of musical genres, from “oldies” to pop and more. Once a year, they perform a joint concert with our dance troupe, Accents. Whenever possible, ecco! performs locally and at Santa Catalina. En Guard En Guard, the fencing club, meets weekly with an instructor to learn the fundamentals of fencing. Santa Catalina has purchased fencing equipment and the club is looking forward to a successful future. In the past, they have demonstrated their outstanding skills at Assembly. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) The FCA is a nationwide organization focused on the spiritual guidance of students. Here at Santa Catalina, the FCA has a bible study group, which usually meets each week. Anyone is welcome and athletes are especially encouraged because they have competitions against other FCA groups in the area. Helping Hands Helping Hands is a community service club that travels around the Monterey Peninsula, performing vocally and instrumentally for the community. Most performances are held at various convalescent and retirement homes around the area. The club’s main goal is to spread their love of music to others in the community. Lady Rhythmics Founded in 1999, Lady Rhythmics is a percussion group similar to Stomp. They have been known to create amazing beats and rhythms with the help of various household items such as brooms and buckets! Lady Rhythmics choreographs an original show each spring and, on occasion, performs at Santa Catalina sporting events and other activities. The Lamplighter (Student Newspaper) Each year, student editors and writers produce seven issues of the Santa Catalina student newspaper, The Lamplighter. They report general school news as well as special news from each class level. The Lamplighter also includes local, national, and international news as it applies to students; editorials and opinion pieces; science and technology; entertainment, sports, and humor. All students are invited to apply for staff writer, photographer, and illustrator positions; there are places on the staff for everyone. MOSAIC (Literary Magazine) MOSAIC includes poems, short stories, drawings, and photographs created by students (and on occasion, faculty). Throughout the year, the editorial staff collects submissions and then reviews them to determine which to publish. MOSAIC is printed and distributed in May. Operation Smile Operation Smile is a national organization dedicated to providing reconstructive surgery and related health care to children and young adults in developing countries and the United States. Members sell baked goods, speak in assembly, and offer collections for this cause. If you are interested in helping people with facial deformities attain proper and necessary surgery, please sign up. Pax Christi This club is affiliated with Pax Christi USA, which is a section of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement. Pax Christi commits itself to peace education, promotes peacemaking as a priority in the Catholic Church in the United States, and works towards a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. The club networks with the Northern California region of Pax Christi and seeks to be a visible presence of peacemaking on campus. They also help to sponsor the annual “24-Hour Food Fast” to raise money for Catholic Relief Services, the official overseas relief and development agency of the United States Catholic Community. “In a world that settles differences by armed violence or the threat of it, Pax Christi offers a nonviolent alternative. In a world that too often defines ‘justice’ as ‘revenge,’ Pax Christi dares to break the cycle of violence by fostering reconciliation…” –Pax Christi brochure Peace and Justice Club The Peace and Justice Club was founded in the fall of 2001. It serves as an umbrella organization for four distinctive social action clubs on campus. (See descriptions for Amnesty International, Pax Christi, R4, and UN Student Alliance.) These groups meet together and work together because they have common interests. When they share their vision, energy, and support with one another, they accomplish far more than what any of the groups could do alone. PEMDAS (Math Club) The purpose of the Math Club is to provide students with opportunities to extend their interests in mathematics and to provide a peer tutorial service to all Catalina students. Members of the Math Club participate in regular meetings. Activities include: solving puzzling math problems, organizing activities to celebrate mathematics on Pi-Day (March 14), participating in California Math League contests, serving as peer math tutors, and taking part in problem-solving sessions in preparation for the Monterey County Mathletics Competition held in May. All students are welcome to join the Math Club! R4 (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore) R4 is Santa Catalina’s Environmental Club. The goal of R4 is to educate students and other members of the community about the serious challenges that face the environment and what they can do to help create the positive change that is essential for our planet. They are in the process of revolutionizing the recycling program on campus and students will be at the center of this discussion. They are also working with faculty, staff, and administrators to help the campus become more environmentally sustainable for the 21st century. In addition, R4 members plan special activities for Earth Day to raise awareness of these issues. Santa Catalina Children’s Fund For the past 23 years, Santa Catalina students, administrators, faculty and staff have supported needy children from around the world through the Santa Catalina Children’s Fund. Through three agencies, The Christian Children’s Fund, S.O.S. Children’s Villages, and The Sisters of Charity, they support children in many underdeveloped countries and areas across the United States. Their monthly support provides nutritious food, schooling, medical care, and other community services. Whenever possible, they try to do more for our children. In recent years, they have supported several Zuni children in New Mexico as well as students in a Catholic school in Tanzania. Schola Do you enjoy singing but don’t feel that you are ready for a large choir? If so, Schola is for you. Members of Schola sing together at weekly masses in the Chapel. They practice songs once a week and the result is beautiful music for each weekly liturgy. Senior Prefects Prefects at Santa Catalina serve as strong role models for their fellow students. Prefects help supervise study hours, sort mail, and are responsible for dinner check-in and the supervision of chapel singing. Additionally, they help Residential Faculty maintain the well-being of the dorms. As strong leaders, prefects help foster an environment where fairness and kindness are valued among students. Spiritual Life Committee Santa Catalina embraces the true meaning of the world “catholicity” (from the Greek words, kata and holos, meaning “inclusive of everyone”) with an invitation and welcoming spirit to all of our students. We affirm and celebrate the religious diversity of our student body with grounding in our Catholic heritage and openness to truth. This group encourages all students to participate in the liturgy, community service opportunities, retreats, and prayer facilitating spiritual development. Students meet on a regular basis to discuss concerns and issues and organize various events. The Spiritual Life Committee is headed by a student elected Religious Coordinator and supervised by a faculty member from the Religious Studies Department. These activities provide an opportunity to students for greater participation in the spiritual life of the school. STAR (Student-Alumnae Organization) All three components of this organization enable girls to volunteer on behalf of Santa Catalina. Ushers are needed throughout the year for all of Catalina’s events and shows in the Performing Arts Center. Members of the Reunion Committee help prepare for and act as hostesses at the annual Alumnae Reunion Weekend. Tour guides serve as guides for campus visitors and prospective students and are the first link a new student has to Santa Catalina. The heads of this committee attend meetings of the Alumnae Association Board of Directors. STEPS Do you like hip-hop? Founded by an enthusiastic freshman in 2001, STEPS is a student run dance group with a focus on hip-hop dance. The club meets weekly to practice their routines and has several optional performances throughout the year. Dancers of all levels and abilities can join this club to enjoy the energy and rhythms of hip-hop! Student-Faculty Senate Are you interested in developing leadership skills? Do you have good ideas? Are you a good motivator? If so, you will probably want to run for a Senate office. Elected class officers or representatives lead weekly class meetings, help plan major events, and much more. These officers are the backbone of the Senate (and of the student body). Faculty serve as advisors and mentors for Senate members and are instrumental as links between students and the administrative team. If you want to become an effective force in school life, then Senate may be for you. United Nations Student Alliance This club works with the United Nations Association of the USA to broaden and deepen an understanding of the UN system and to promote efforts that advance the goals of the UN Charter through education and advocacy. UNA-USA consistently examines new global challenges with a determined sense of hope and opportunity. Student Alliance is a forum through which students take part in this examination and are presented with the opportunity to act as informed global citizens. They also work to encourage public support for strong US leadership in the UN. The club networks with the Monterey Bay chapter of the UNA-USA, the second largest chapter in the nation, and encourages students to participate in major local events sponsored by this group. |
