Co-Curricular Activities

Academic Challenge Bowl is a club for trivia minded middle school students using a game show format with buzzers to answer questions about many different categories including science, history, geography, math, sports, and more. This club is moderated by Ms. Hendrick.

The staff of the Accolade designs, produces and distributes the yearbook for the school community. Staff are assigned responsibilities for taking photos, producing sections of the yearbook or managing orders/distribution. Editors do significant work organizing work efforts and producing content which may be more time consuming particularly before deadlines. Students interested in the photographic arts or interested in graphics design or publishing are encouraged to join this activity. Interested students should contact the moderators to express interest in participating. This club is moderated by Mr. Maxwell, ’75 and Ms. Pilato.

The McQuaid Jesuit Arrupe Society is intended to be the focal point for student social justice activities. Father Arrupe famously challeneged Jesuit students to be “men and women for and with others.” Arrupe Societies, named in his honor, in secondary schools and colleges and universities around the world have been formed to carry forward this message of Jesus.

The Arrupe Society sponsors outreach to men and women who have experienced homelessness, veterans, visits to the House of Mercy, St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality,and other homeless shelters, the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, etc.

Camera Club members take pictures are various events throughout the school year. Some of their work is used on the school’s website as well as marketing materials.

The Campus Ministry Board (CMB) is a student-led organization open to all students in grades 9 through 12. The goal of the organization is to develop the bond of brotherhood among McQuaid Jesuit students, especially by finding God in all things. The CMB leads a wide range of activities, including school Masses, the Rosary Group, Jar Wars, Pope Francis Week, Thanksgiving Interfaith Prayer Service, McQuaid Madness Charity Tournament, Midterm and Final Exams Study Breaks, etc. This club is moderated by Mr. Drahms.

The Cannonball Club is a made up of a group of McQuaid Jesuit students who have expressed an interest in learning more about the Catholic priesthood. This club is moderated by Mr. Drahms.

Chess Club is for fun, learning, camaraderie, and friendly competition.

Chess Team competes in the Rochester Interscholastic Chess League as well as against teams from other schools about one Thursday a month.

Both the club and team is moderated by Mr. Whelehan, ’96.

Students of all grades compete against each other and students from other schools in one of the world’s oldest games. This club is moderated by Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Smith.

This club gives students an introduction to Chinese history, traditions, modern life, food, music, and entertainment. Students are encouraged to ask questions, participate in activities, and keep an open mind.

This club is moderated by Ms. Yang.

This club focuses on refurbishing computers for charities and talking about computer topics.

This club is moderated by Mr. Simkins.

Students collaborate to find ways in which to make McQuaid Jesuit more environmentally friendly and to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. Club members also educate the McQuaid community on strategies for living a more sustainable life. Recent endeavors include added recycling bins around the school and water bottle refill stations in the cafeteria and in the hallways.

Club activities also will include a cooking program where students learn meal preparation skills and menu planning that reflect the benefits of eating locally grown, organic, vegetarian foods.

Students interested in the possibility in forming an Envirothon team are encouraged to join as well. This is a state and national competition that challenges students in field skills and data collection, and in environmental problem solving.

This club is moderated by Ms. Kaidy.

Lego Robotics is a registered First Lego League team which works toward a goal of learning about the world, robotics, and each other. Our team builds science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Students should consider joining this club if they have an interest in robotics, Legos, or engineering or if they like to solve problems, especially ones involving concepts in the STEAM realm.  This club is moderated by Mr. Orr, ’01.

The IgKNIGHTer is the name of the school’s FIRST FRC robotics team open to all high school students. The principal activity of the team is to conceive, design, build and operate a competition robot during the months of January thru March. Non-build related opportunities are available to those interested in working on the team’s website, Chairman’s video or business operations. Off season activities include hosting a water engineering contest and a Qualifying Tournament for elementary and middle school students involved in Lego Robotics. The team is sponsored by Delphi Corporation, Xylem and the Xerox Corporation and is supported by professional mentors who volunteer their time to help students with the build process. This is the logical starting point for students interested in engineering or computer careers or for those looking for a solid team experience outside of athletics.

Visit the team’s official website for more information.

This club is moderated by Mr. Maxwell, ’75 and Ms. Yang.

This club is for those interested in all things francophone as well as the culture of French-speaking countries.

This club is moderated by Ms. Hickman.

The McQuaid German Club is a group of German fanatics who love the German language and culture.

This club is moderated by Frau.

Habitat for Humanity is a club that Partners with Flower City Habitat for Humanity to participate in local builds and help with fundraising.

Students must be willing to occasionally participate in build days or other similar events and help with the annual Pie Sale in the Fall and Hike for Habitat in the Spring.

It is an opportunity to have a hand in directly improving living conditions for others in Rochester. Also, it can be the beginning of lifelong involvement with Habitat for Humanity.

This club is moderated by Mr. Galambos, ’90.

The Investing Club learns about picking individual stocks, choosing mutual funds, and what bonds do for our economy. We will also organize and run a stock picking contest. If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of investing this is the club for you!

This club is moderated by Mr. Purtell.

The McQuaid Italian Club is a group of Italian fanatics who love the Italian language and culture.

This club is moderated by Ms. Hickman.

This group is for beginning to intermediate jazz students who want to get together and play a variety of jazz style music.

This club is moderated by Ms. Franca-Shelley.

This group is for intermediate to advanced jazz students who want to get together to play a variety of jazz style music. The group occassionally performs for charity events outside of McQuaid.

This club is moderated by Mr. Karnisky.

The team, comprised of eight members, participates in the Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science sponsored by the Junior Engineering Technical Society. The test consists of questions representing college freshman-level engineering coursework. It offers students the opportunity to see how engineering touches numerous aspects of our lives. Students are chosen by recommendation of math and science teachers.

This club is moderated by Mr. DeBaise.

Kennings is McQuaid Jesuit’s Art and Literary magazine that highlights the work of talented writers and artists, of all kinds, within the McQuaid community. The magazine is a bi-monthly digital publication from which the editors choose the best-of-the-best at year’s end to turn into a hard copy periodical. All students are welcome to join. Any student looking to learn how to publish a magazine should join. No artistic or writing experience is necessary.

This club is moderated by Mr. Lendeck and Ms. Brosman.

The Knights for Life are McQuaid Jesuit’s focal point for all life issues. The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death. To support this position, educate their peers, and promote advocacy, the group sponsors the annual Break for Life Conference. This popular conference draws over one hundred students each year and addresses a variety of life issues, including but not limited to abortion, capital punishment, the environment, poverty, migrant issues and euthanasia.

This club is moderated by Mr. Drahms.

Magic Club is a group that teaches and plays Magic: The Gathering. Magic was the first trading card game produced. It can be played by two or more players in various formats, the most common of which uses a deck of at least 60 cards containing no more than four of a single card, with some exceptions. For more information on the game click here.

This club is moderated by Mr. Guadagna.

Masterminds is an academic challenge competition with other schools in a College Bowl format. Four students on each team compete for two seven minute periods.

This club is moderated by Mr. Morales.

This is a club exclusively for sixth graders to have fun with higher level math. This club is moderated by Ms. Hendrick.

The “McQuaid Ballers” program is run in conjunction with students from Hillside Children’s Center. The goal is to provide “mentoring,” and general community to the boys at Hillside by playing basketball for an hour, then sharing pizza and discussion for an hour.

The club is primarily for juniors and seniors who want to help others who have much less, and demonstrate control, respect, care, and proper community involvement to students who are in need of proper behavior modeling such as this!

This club is moderated by Mr. Brady.

The Middle School Campus Ministry Board (MSCMB) is a student-led organization whose main focus is the spiritual growth of the middle school students at McQuaid Jesuit. Open to all students in grades 6 through 8, the goal of the MSCMB is to develop the bond of brotherhood among McQuaid Jesuit students, especially by finding God in all things. The MSCMB leads a wide range of activities, including class Masses, the Middle School Walk for Justice, movie nights, fundraisers, making bagged lunches for the homeless, visiting St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality, etc. This club is moderated by Ms. Hendrick.

The Middleman Messenger is a student-run newspaper for the middle school. Students are involved with all aspects of the newspaper including writing and publishing articles, taking photos, and laying out the paper. This club is moderated by Mr. Simkins.

The Mock Trial team provides students insight into the area of the law known as “trial practice” in a competitive setting against other high schools. It is a great opportunity for students interested in the law or in developing advocacy and public speaking skills.

This team is moderated by Mr. Ruhlmann.

Model U.N. is a student directed activity. Participation and the level of that participation are determined solely by the student membership. In a typical year, three weekend conferences are attended. Membership is open to all students in grades 9 through 12.

This club is moderated by Ms. O’Brien.

The Physics Through Literature Club explores interesting physics topics that aren’t necessarily included in the curriculum, ranging from the role of light in impressionist paintings to the rise of drones and real life invisibility cloaks.

This club is moderated by Mr. DeBaise.

The Science Club is for students who share an interest in many aspects of science and in particular, chemistry. The group puts together a science show for middle school students that feature chemistry experiments both in the lab and outside. The club plans on bringing in outside speakers who can relate science to the “real world” and sharing science videos.

This club is moderated by Dr. Rogalskyj.

The McQuaid Jesuit SIMBA Society is the student run fan section. The Senior leadership is responsible for organizing fan sections, tailgates, cheers, and dress themes for each major game, as well as creating original t-shirt designs for the fan pack at the start of each year, at least one other t-shirt release during the school year, pep rallies, and spirit week themes. The SIMBA Society considers all students at McQuaid Jesuit to be active members in the club, through their presence and support at major sporting events.

Come to the sporting events to join in with the SIMBA Society and see what it is all about. For leadership opportunities during your senior year, see Mr. Vernetti during your junior year (or earlier) to express your interest.

This club is moderated by Mr. Vernetti.

The Ski and Board Club is open to grades 6-12, and presents an opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard in a fun, safe environment at Bristol Mountain. We meet on six consecutive Fridays beginning the first Friday following Christmas break. Students will be dropped off by parents at school on the mornings of our visits, and any gear/equipment will be stored in the field house. After school, students may retrieve items from the field house and gather in Keenan Hall where we are picked up at 3 p.m. by a coach bus to head to the mountain.

There is a Ski Club Mailing List that is used to provide information and early notification about registration. Please contact Amy Sheffer to be added to this list.

This club is moderated by Ms. Sheffer and Mr. Pierri.

Spanish club is an opportunity for students to come together to learn and celebrate Hispanic culture. Students interested in expanding their knowledge of the Spanish language and culture should join.

This club is moderated by Ms. Martinez.

Speech & Debate teaches students to become effective researchers, persuasive writers, and confident communicators while empowering them to become engaged with issues of social justice and public policy in the world around them. In addition to Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debate, students have an opportunity to compete in everything from poetry to drama to humor to original oratory to extemporaneous speech.

This team is moderated by Dr. Ruppert.

No matter what you do in life, both in your career and education, public speaking is a pervasive and important skill. At some point in your life you will be asked to give some kind of presentation or speech in front of a large audience. By joining speech and debate you can hone your skills so you can clearly and confidently speak to your peers, teachers, and even your boss. The ability to speak strongly and convincingly is key to success in anything you do. In addition, being on the speech and debate team can help you achieve better grades and looks excellent on college and job applications. You will learn the skills to better research, write, think critically, present, and exercise time management. In addition, it’s a great way to have fun and meet new friends while getting a head start on becoming a varsity team member in high school.

Opportunities in addition to the MS “club” membership include:

• “Shadow” the varsity team at local tournaments to see and learn how to compete at a championship level.
• Scrimmage against other team members, possibly the varsity debaters for experience (if you are good enough and bit brave!)
• Earn the chance to sit in/on / receive instruction at varsity practices (usually 3:15 – 5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday) should you wish to pursue speech and debate more intensively than just the time the MS club meets.
• Complete in varsity tournaments that have a middle school component.

Visit www.speechanddebate.org/competition-events/ to become more familiar with speech and debate.

This club is moderated by Mr. Ruppert and Ms. Suter.

The St. Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry was founded in the spirit of St. Joseph of Arimathea who assisted with the burial of Jesus. Begun by Ian Gonzalez, ’16, the core belief is that no person should die without being prayed for or mourned. The seventh Corporal Work of Mercy clearly states we need to care for the dying and bury the dead.

Currently, McQuaid Jesuit juniors and seniors serve as pallbearers at the funerals of veterans and/or persons who have experienced homelessness. Student pall bearers pledge to serve with respect and dignity. Students learn to offer sympathy and support to others and offer hope in the face of death. Before and after serving as pallbearers, students gather for prayer and reflection with a member of the faculty/staff.

This ministry is moderated by Mr. Mulholland.

Students help design and build sets for school productions as well as learn how to set and control lights and sound.

This club is moderated by Mr. Karnisky.

The Bio-Diversity Project works to bring students into a partnership with the natural world. Through projects designed to educate about interconnected systems students work to help themselves and others relate on a deeper level with the environment and its parts. The Bio-Diversity Project deals with environmental and social justice issues through the various works chosen by the projects participants. Members also continue working with ongoing project endeavors such as care for McQuaid’s beehives and gardens.

This club is moderated by Mr. Lendeck.

The Lance is McQuaid’s high school newspaper. Members of the club work with students in the Journalism and Media Literacy class to create and publish four issues each year. If you are interested in current events or journalism and have a willingness/desire to conduct interviews, report on school news, and write articles at least once per marking period, this is a club for you!

This club is moderated by Mr. Hershel.

The Shield is McQuaid Jesuit’s first online-only publication, covering student interests in a range of areas from film and literature to music, video games, and more.

This club is moderated by Mr. Morales.

Youth and Government provides students the opportunity to participate in our democratic system by modeling legislators, judges, lawyers, journalists, lobbyists, and the executive branch in participation with other schools in Monroe County and New York State. Students participate in a mock NY State government held in the Legislative Chambers of the State Capital in Albany.

This club is moderated by Mr. Wegman.