Upper School extracurricular activities include a broad range of clubs meeting on Mondays during lunch periods, after-school activities, competitive athletics, and performing arts options. In each activity, students are encouraged to make a serious commitment to the groups they join, to volunteer to take on responsibilities, and to work toward positions of leadership. For specific information about activities, please see individual activity pages herein.
CSC INITIATIVE
Individual clubs volunteer to lead lunch-time discussions on important, local, national, and international issues which are relevant to their group. These seminars are in keeping with the final sentence in Marymount’s mission statement: In sum, Marymount seeks to educate young women who continue to question, risk and grow—young women who care, serve, and lead—young women prepared to challenge, shape, and change the world. (“CSC” refers to “challenge, shape and change.”) Each club researches a topic, phrases questions for discussion, and suggests plans of action. For example, the Finance Club, in partnership with the Economics class, led discussions on the budget deficit, the national debt, social security, and currency; the National Honor Society focused on the film “Hotel Rwanda” and on genocide in the Sudan; and the Environmental Awareness Club chose the topics of global warming, damage to the environment, and ways to protect the environment.
Attendance for Extracurricular Activities
1. Attendance is mandatory at all meetings of clubs, athletic practices, and games. If there is a genuine conflict, for example, between an after-school club meeting and a game or a make-up test, the student must speak with the moderator or coach ahead of time. Study Center, detention, appointments out of school, and babysitting are normally counted as unexcused absences.
2. A student who has three unexcused absences from a club in one semester or from a team in one season is removed from the club or team. A team member loses credit for the term and attends a weekly physical education elective; a club member is assigned one period a week of school service for the remainder of the year. The student may not list that club or team on her college profile for the year.
3. An additional, delayed practice time for teams on Thursdays allows students to participate in both clubs and sports. However, students may not join activities whose meeting times conflict.
4. Students assigned to Study Center or Detention must attend on the day assigned. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the club moderator or coach that she will be absent or late to the activity that day. If there is a specific issue, she should speak with the Dean of Students.
Excused Absences from Athletics
Excused absences include unavoidable medical appointments, verified by a note from a parent or doctor that is counter-signed by the School Nurse, and other exceptional conflicts explained in a note from a parent which is counter-signed by the Divisional Head, Dean of Students, or the Athletic Director. Coaches may not excuse a player from a practice or team event without a counter-signed note. Parents are strongly encouraged to schedule all appointments after practice or on days when there are no practices or games.
Athletics and Drama
In the Fall and the Spring, students may not join a sports team if they wish to participate in a drama production that semester. They must choose one or the other.
Students who are in a winter sport may participate in the Spring Musical, but they may not have any of the leading roles, and they must come to rehearsals 2-3 times per week during the sports season. It is imperative that all students in a winter sport let the director of the musical know of their sports commitment before trying out for a part.
Upper School Fundraising Practices
Funds raised from club-sponsored bake sales, social events (dances and special events), and nonuniform dress days are pooled to support the education of approximately 200 students each year at schools affiliated with the RSHM mission in Zimbabwe and, if desired, one other charity selected annually by Student Government.
In response to a local, national, or international emergency, students may raise money to help those in crisis. Recently the school raised funds to help the people in Darfur and to support Catholic Relief Services and the American Red Cross in their responses to the 2005 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina respectively.
To avoid overwhelming the community with requests, individual students or small groups are asked not to solicit support in the school for their own particular causes.
Exceptions are made for clubs with specific missions:
- Amnesty International raises funds to support this world-wide group.
- CAMBIAS and the Finance & Business Club may raise funds to participate in the KIVA microloan program which supports people around the world who are trying to start their own businesses.
- Campus Ministry sponsors school-wide participation in the Cystic Fibrosis Walk each year and raises funds toward the outreach projects at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- The EnviSci Club may raise funds to support a cause related to environmental preservation.
- Women In Action may raise funds to support women’s causes; e.g., the school participates in programs to support breast cancer research.
Clubs may not raise money unrelated to charitable donations; e.g., to buy a club t-shirt or food for a party.