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Student Organizations & Opportunities

Involvement in extracurricular activities can be an avenue to growth for students. Southwood offers many clubs and organizations for students to join. While some have open participation, others have membership requirements. We invite you to explore the offerings of our student organizations and opportunities.

Student Organizations

Campus Life

Campus Life combines healthy relationships with creative programs to help young people make good choices, establish a solid foundation for life, and positively impact their schools.

Southwood Campus Life is open to any students in 7th - 12th grade. No sign up is necessary and anyone can join at anytime. At the beginning of the school year, a Campus Life representative will hand out information during lunch and the club fair. Campus Life meets on Fridays throughout the school year during homeroom.

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eSports

SHS eSports focuses on Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and is open to any student who attends SHS and is in 7th - 12th grade.

eSports meets on Mondays from 4pm to 5:30pm and on Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm in Mr. Dale's classroom. Competitions are occasionally held outside of the aforementioned hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Joining is as easy as coming to one of the Monday or Wednesday practices and talking to Mr. Bowyer and the rest of the team about your interest in becoming part of the club.

eSports offers an outlet to those who have a different skill set and passion than traditional athletes. Specifically, mastering Super Smash Brothers requires a combination of hand-eye coordination, critical thinking skills, and timing. Top tier players have the opportunity to earn college scholarships and the very best can even earn a living playing/streaming the game.

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Fellowship of Christian Athletes

FCA is an opportunity for students to grow in their faith, learn to lead small groups, and create stronger friendships with their peers. Students and adults lead devotions, scripture reading, games, and discussions about the Christian faith.

FCA meets every Friday morning from 7:30-7:55 in the library. Anyone in grades 7-12 are invited to attend. A student does not need to be an athlete to join, nor do they need to sign up and are welcome to join any week.

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National FFA Organization

FFA

FFA's mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. At Southwood, we develop these facets through various career development events such as contests centered around soils, entomology, forestry, poultry, and dairy, as well as school and community service events. Additionally, students develop their leadership capabilities through public speaking, quiz bowl, and job interviews. Each student is encouraged to find the events and contests that interest them. FFA is a student-led organization, and each student's FFA experience is unique as they make it what they want.

FFA is open to Southwood students in grades 7-12 if they have an agricultural course that year. FFA is active year round, meeting most Fridays during homeroom throughout the school year. When preparing for various contests, additional meetings may be scheduled for a few evenings. There are $14 dues each year.

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National Honor Society

Juniors and seniors with a minimum grade point average of 9.0 are invited to apply to the National Honor Society during the spring semester. A faculty committee reviews the applications and then decides who is admitted. In order to be selected, students must have proven academic success in addition to having participated in many extracurricular and community activities, leadership roles, community service, etc. National Honor Society is an esteemed accolade to list on college and scholarship applications as it is a nationally recognized program that denotes one’s excellence in the fields of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

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Robotics Club

Students in grades 7 - 12 are eligible to try out for a Robotics Team. The SHS daily announcements will give students information on when tryouts are and the deadlines for submissions. Interested students will be asked to complete the assigned tasks and submit a short video.

The SHS Robotics season typically begins in August, with competitions continuing through February or April, depending on how far the teams advance. The teams participate in three to four events per season, which typically take place on weekends. Participants meet for practices after school from 3:15 - 4:15 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. Additional practices may be scheduled leading up to competitions.

A Robotics curriculum is offered to students in grades 9 - 12, so these students receive class credit for their involvement in Robotics. High school members meet during homeroom Monday through Friday.

The SHS Robotics program allows students to understand how things work. Students develop more complex skills as the games become more complicated. Robotics also promotes valuable life lessons about perseverance and determination when faced with challenges. Not only does our robotics program help to establish science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, it also works to build on students' team-building skills as they work together to complete challenges.

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Student Congress

Student Congress is an opportunity to get involved. It is composed of many students who want to build community and create school spirit. Student Congress provides leadership opportunities to make a difference within our school.

Student Congress is active all throughout the school year. Activities include planning homecoming activities, supervising and volunteering during the school blood drive, hosting a high school semi-formal dance, and many other school activities.

Any high school student in good academic and disciplinary standing is eligible to apply. An application for membership is required, as well as elections for officer positions, which occur at the end of each school year.

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Bible Study

Bible study’s primary goal is motivating students to become proactive in their faith and aid them in gaining a better understanding of God’s word, the Bible.

Bible study is intended to be engaging and thought provoking.

Bible study takes place on Mondays during homeroom in the library and is open to all students in grades 7-12. Everyone is welcome to attend and can join at any time.

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Art Club

Art Club meets on Mondays after school until 4:30 and focuses on encouraging students’ creativity and artistic capabilities. Art Club fosters creative thinking and motivates students to pursue high levels of artistic excellence by not only honing the skills they already have upon joining, but also developing new skills by introducing members to a variety of unique projects and mediums.

Art Club is open to high school students. Students must attend the first meeting of the year or speak with Mrs. Legg in order to join.

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Drama Club

Drama Club provides students with a creative outlet in which they can perform onstage alongside a cast of their fellow students. Drama Club hosts two productions every year, a fall musical and a spring play with three performances apiece.

The fall musical is open to junior high and high school students in grades 7 - 12 and the spring play is open to high school students in grades 9 - 12 only. An audition callout is sent through email before rehearsals begin for each show and the cast list is released shortly after.

Once casted, there will be a short window in which students may withdraw from the cast or request to be placed in the ensemble rather than their casted character. Once rehearsals begin, all cast members are expected to honor their roles and be committed to learning their lines. Drama Club requires its members to be dedicated to this prestigious art form and contribute their best efforts to the production via consistent attendance and directing their full attention to rehearsals.

Other positions are available in Drama Club, such as stage hands, who are an integral part of producing an excellent production.

Regardless of one’s role, the members of Drama Club develop close-knit bonds. Every cast for every production is different and has its unique experiences, eccentricities, and community, ensuring an unforgettable experience for every show. Previous productions include Clue, Into the Woods, Little Women, and Beauty and the Beast.

Questions?

Japanese Study Group

The Japanese Study Group meets after school until 4pm on Fridays. It is a student-led social group that focuses on aspects of Japanese culture. The group picks a theme that serves as the primary focus of that year. Past areas of study have been Samurai tradition, Sumo wrestling, Japanese folktales, anime, manga, and popular culture. Additionally, Japanese Study Group participates in many related activities, including a cosplay contest at the Purdue Fort Wayne Cherry Blossom Festival.

Meetings typically involve a short lesson and discussion. Members enjoy Japanese school games regularly and cultural snacks are welcome. Each semester is concluded with a movie watching party.

Students in grades 7-12 from Southwood High School may participate in the organization and there are no tryouts or fees involved, though there is an initiation video that all incoming members must watch before becoming a part of the group. Students are responsible for arranging their ride home.

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Academic Competitions

Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books gives students an opportunity to read award winning novels provided by the Troyer Memorial Library. Participants read these novels independently and then come together and work as a team to answer questions about them in battle rounds against other Wabash County schools.

Battle of the Books runs during the spring semester and is open to as many junior high students as who want to participate. The group meets regularly after school and has a one-night competition hosted at Southwood Elementary School. There is no cost to be involved.

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Community Student Groups

Crossroads Junior Board

The Crossroads Bank Junior Board of Directors program is a highly innovative program designed to introduce local high school sophomores and juniors to an extensive variety of banking, leadership and community service opportunities. Through this program, Crossroads Bank strives not only to encourage students to return to the local business community after college, but to strengthen the pipeline of talent for generations to come by offering creative opportunities for students to become capable leaders.

The Crossroads Junior Board is available to high school sophomores and juniors and is active during the school year, holding monthly meetings during lunch time. To participate, sophomores must complete an application. Representatives from Crossroads Bank and other local businesses will review the applications and choose two participants from the sophomore class who will serve on the board throughout both their sophomore and junior years of high school. Students will be notified by the school when applications are available, typically around March or April of each school year.

Juniors are encouraged to fill one of four elected rolls and conduct the meetings on their own as any adult board committee would do.

Board members are given the opportunity to learn about local businesses and participate in a service-learning program as well as community events.

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Square 1 Developers Business

Superintendent's Advisory Team

This Superintendent's Advisory Team meets monthly with the MSD of Wabash County Superintendent throughout the school year, usually for an hour at lunch time. Students in the 8th grade are notified of openings and given information about the application process in March or April of each school year. Interested students complete an application, which is then reviewed by the principal and leadership team of each building. One male and one female student is selected to serve on the team.

Participants are selected from grades 9-12. Members stay on the board for all four years during high school. Students who enjoy discussing ways to help the administration achieve the district goals should apply. During the meetings, the Superintendent shares updates concerning the School District, discusses potential new ideas, and seeks opinions (advice) from the students. Students must verbally share their thoughts during meetings with their own high school, and also during combined meetings with both high schools.

Team members get an inside look of the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County. Along with students from Northfield High School, they bring their celebrations, concerns, and questions before the superintendent. Special gatherings in the past have included community service activities, Indianapolis Colts Sports & Business Forum, and a Colts Football game.

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I have appreciated that Southwood has given me so many opportunities to better myself. The programs that they have truly helped me to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Not only that, but the programs give students the chance to express themselves, and get away from their worries for a little while.

Marissa Jones

Class of 2021