Leadership Opportunities and Clubs Give TCS Middle School Students Choice and Voice

After a two-year hiatus, middle school (grades 6 – 8) leadership opportunities and clubs at The Children’s School are back!

Middle school students at TCS are seen, heard and celebrated as the “leaders of the pack” through opportunities like our Student Ambassador program and TCS Student Council, both of which extend beyond privileges and incorporate their feedback and opinions into school affairs, and through clubs that are centered around their interests.

“Too often society defers leadership opportunities to later grades, or even to adulthood, and then asks individuals to be a leader, as if being a leader is not a combination of nature and nurture,” said TCS Counselor and student council leader D’uana Revere. “If we want students to have leadership skills such as: the ability to manage time, work as a team, set goals, solve problems, defend positions, and make effective presentations, we have to provide them the opportunities to build upon those skills as early as possible.”

Leadership opportunities and clubs ensure that our middle school students feel seen and heard as they are starting to develop strong opinions that – when channeled appropriately – help them to become confident leaders in high school and beyond. 

Leadership Opportunities

Student Council
Student Council gives TCS middle school students an opportunity to act as a role model and to be a school leader. Members are the voice of their class and are  involved in planning social engagement opportunities, service projects, and advocating for their class. Student council members gain confidence, leadership experience, speaking capabilities, and presentation skills. 

Positions available for each grade-level (grades 6 – 8): 

  • President
  • Vice President 
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer 
  • Communication Coordinator

Student Ambassador Program
Student Ambassadors participate in admission events throughout the school year by  serving as student speakers or tour guides at on-campus events. Student Ambassadors are role models on our campus and they represent TCS in all of their actions and in every interaction with visiting students and parents. 

Clubs

American Sign Language (ASL) Club
American Sign Language (ASL) club is a place where students share the collective goal of learning and understanding ASL. The club meets to discuss deaf culture and learn how to communicate silently. Club members play games, sing (and sign) songs, and even watch parts of movies and TV shows. The members tackle a new topic each week from family to animals! At the end of the year, they will have a silent lunch where all members will enjoy an afternoon snack while communicating only through sign!

Crochet Club
Crochet club members learn to make things with their hands and a hook. The club includes members who have never done crochet before up to experienced crocheters who are looking for guidance on a complex pattern.

Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a pen & paper role-playing game. Club members take the role of a character in a fantasy or sci-fi world while working together, usually overcoming challenges placed before their characters by the Game Master, as a team toward a common goal. D&D promotes teamwork, creativity, memory building, and math skills. 

Music Production
In the electronic music production class, members learn how to create their own custom musical sounds using Ableton Live and GarageBand to write, record, produce, and edit their own songs. They also look at all types of music and focus on the type of music they’re drawn to create (hip-hop, electronic, video game music, etc). 

Photography
Photography club members explore creative photography around school, the midtown neighborhood and Piedmont  Park. Students use full-function DSLR cameras (provided by the school) to learn the basics of composition, creative camera settings, and photo editing techniques.