Clubs & Activities

Cathy Van Treese

Assistant Principal

Once you've signed up for a club or activityPlease fill out the participation form linked below and return to your sponsor along with payment (if required) online through Family Access!

Click on the form below or download here.

First page of the PDF file: ClubActivityParticipationForm

A classroom setting with students and a teacher, surrounded by educational materials and decorations on the walls. — *2025-2026 Model UN*

A group of young people gathered together smiling with cupcakes they baked and decorated — *2025-2026 Baking Club*

Something for every Spartan!

Shepard offers many different activities for our students. Involvement in clubs and extracurricular activities is a great way to learn new skills, improve upon areas of strength, and make new friends. Click through the list below to learn more about each and find our to how to get more involved.

If your child is participating in a school-sponsored club or activity, you must fill out both pages of this form and submit it to the school office or club leader.

Our Offered Clubs and Activities

Baking Club

Contact: Mrs. Ashman
Grades: 6th-8th

Season: Sept. - May

The Shepard Baking Company is a unique Club which will stir our students’ culinary curiosity and creativity. Our student bakers, The Marshmallow Squad, will meet every other Tuesday after school. Students will bake, cook, and learn responsibility in the kitchen. Importantly, our hope is to engender a collaborative and inclusive community to share culinary ideas whether a “rookie baker", a contender for The Kids Baking Championship, or a student baker who simply dabbles on the weekend.

Recipes are predetermined collaboratively by the student bakers and teacher. Each weekly recipe will be posted (with ingredient list) on Google Classroom a week in advance. The club will require a signed parent/guardian permission form to be submitted before a student may enter the kitchen.

In addition to some good old-fashioned baking fun, our hope is to partner with community philanthropic partners to pay it forward, and demonstrate that “baking is love” (well, isn't it?). We will also have guest teacher chefs sharing their own signature dishes (fun!). Toward year’s end, we hope to create a Shepard Baking Company Recipe Book inclusive of all of our delicious culinary endeavors. There is considerable buzz about this delicious new club! The Shepard Baking Company will be the place for renewed friendships, community connection, and just a whole lot of fun. Contact Mrs. Ashman for all the club news.

Chess

Sponsor: Mr. Alex Rummelhart
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: None required, but a love of chess, games, puzzles or logic is helpful
Season: October-March.
Meeting Days: Every Monday after school

Description: Chess club is a great club for anyone learning about the “game of kings” or for expert players looking for competive opportunities to hone their skills. Here we learn the game, discuss strategy and tactics, apply our learning to help grow our minds, and of course play each other in friendly matches and tournaments.

For more information, email Mr. Rummelhart.

Chamber Orchestra

Choir

Director: Dr. Christine Printz
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: None required, but a love of music
Season: September-May
Meeting Days: Every Tuesday afternoon from 3:05-4pm and Friday morning 7:10-7:50am

Description: Choir offers students the chance to express their passion for vocal music, learn quality choral repertoire, and improve vocal technique through ensemble singing. As an extracurricular, year-long commitment, choir provides individual and team skill development with performance opportunities including Winter and Spring Choral Concerts, Deerfield High School Choral Concert, holiday caroling, IGSMA Solo & Ensemble Contest, and ILMEA Junior Honors Chorus. Students interested in joining choir can contact their middle school music teacher for more information.

SMS Choir is made up of 6th through 8th grade students who sing and perform 2-4 part choral literature of many different styles and genres. Students have input on our rehearsal and performance song choices throughout the school year.

Visit the Chorus website.

Concert Band

Crochet

Debate Club

Sponsor: Barb Mastin
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: Interest in debating important topics.
Season: October - December
Meeting Days: Tuesday mornings

Description: The Spartan Debate Team is a competitive debate club that works collaboratively to research and develop arguments on a wide range of topics that impact our world today.

For more information, please reach out to our club sponsor, Barb Mastin.

Dungeons & Dragons

Sponsor: Katie Wolfkiel
Season: September - May
Meeting Days: Every Friday

Description:

In D&D, students create their own characters and join a group directed by a Student-Led Dungeon Master (DM). The DM narrates a story, and the players work together to overcome challenges, solve puzzles, and defeat mythical monsters. The game is played using dice to determine the outcomes of actions, adding an element of chance and excitement.

Beyond the dice rolls and dragons, our club helps students develop crucial skills. They learn to communicate effectively, think critically, and collaborate with their peers to achieve a common goal. D&D also encourages reading, math, and creative writing in a way that feels like pure fun.

E-Sports

E-Sports

Sponsors: Mr. Jon Wolfe and Mr. Steve Brown
Prerequisite skills: none
Season: Fall (9/17 - 12/13) Spring (2/10-5/2)
Meeting Days: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Description: Electronic Sports is a collective term for organized competitive video gaming, where individuals use video game consoles and PC's to play popular game titles against other esports teams around the country.

Geography Bee

Jazz Band

Director: Mrs. Emily Dykema, Band Room 407
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: None required, but a love of music
Season: September - May
Meeting Days: Tuesday mornings, 7:15 a.m.

Description: Jazz Band offers students an opportunity to explore many different styles of music including jazz, swing, rock, funk, and latin. This club is by audition in September and is open to students currently enrolled in the band or orchestra programs at Shepard.

For more information, email Mrs. Dykema.

Lunch Bunch

Sponsor: Meghan Wilmot, Erica O'Brien, and Tara Seiden
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: Desire to help others who are looking to enhance their socialization and meet new people
Season: Year-round
Meeting Days: Tuesday during lunch period

Description: Lunch Buddies is a great way to get involved at Shepard DURING the school day. This is a lunch group that meets year-round as a way for students to increase their socialization and communication skills in a small, inviting environment. We eat, converse, play games and laugh a ton!

Model UN

Sponsor: David Komie
Location: 208
Season: September 3 - ends mid-October
Meeting Days: Wednesday mornings, 7:15 a.m.
Fee: $15

Description:

Interested in current events and global issues? Love to debate, make speeches, and negotiate? Then Model UN is the club for you. With help from the DHS Model UN club and several amazing Shepard alumni, our school will participate in a Junior Assembly of Model United Nations. This will take place on October 5 and 6 at the Deerfield Village Hall & Public Library.

Our club meetings will help us prepare for this cool event, which is the first of its kind for Shepard!

Junior Assembly of Model United Nations Conference: Oct 5 & 6 at Deerfield Village Hall & Public Library

Peer Leaders

Sponsor: Meghan Wilmot, Erica O'Brien, and Tara Seiden
Location: 309
Season: October - May
Meeting Days: Flexible based on schoolwide events, but always after school from 3:00-3:30 p.m.

Description:

Peer leaders is a club for students interested in helping create a positive environment at Shepard. Students help mentor other students, organize and plan school-wide events that focus on the Spartan Pride, and welcome new students.

Rubik's Cube Club

Sponsor: Jacob Kelzer
Start: November 5, 2025
End: May 27, 2026
Meeting Days: Wednesdays from 7:15-7:45am

Rubik's cube club is a great place for anyone wanting a place to challenge their brains while hanging out with friends! We welcome students of all levels and experience. This club can teach you how to solve, learn new algorithms, attempt time trials, race your firends, try different cubes, make mosaics, and so much more! Come join us on Wednesday mornings!

SMS News

The SMS News (Video Broadcast Journalism)

Sponsor: Kevin Crowe

Prerequisite skills: none

Season: September - May

Meeting Days: Fridays 3 - 4pm

Description: The Video Journalism Club offers students a chance to film, edit, and present news from around the school, called the SMS Student News. Students become reporters highlighting events, activities, games, projects and anything else of interest occurring at Shepard. Students choose topics, record the stories, write the script, edit the footage and release the news to the school community.

Visit the SMS News Youtube Channel

Spelling Bee

Sponsor: Mrs. Bonni Solomon
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: Classroom bee winner
Season: November/January

Description: All students participate in an in-class spelling bee. One winner from each room will then compete in the school bee and be given a packet of words from which to study. We follow the rules of the Scripps bee and the winner of the school bee will go on the regional competition.

The School Competition will be announced and livestreamed. Student spellers will meet in the Shepard Learning Commons.

Student Council (Stuco)

Sponsors: Mr. Brown & Ms. Bergman
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: Students should be leaders, collaborative, and eager to help Shepard be the best possible school.
Season: September-June
Meeting Days: Every other Wednesday morning, 7:15 a.m.

Description: Student Council, also known as StuCo, is a leadership club that gives students a voice in our school community! Open to all grade levels, the club is dedicated to making a positive impact by organizing school events, promoting school spirit, and giving back through community service projects. Members have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, collaborate with peers, and represent their classmates. Whether you're passionate about planning community-wide events, raising awareness for important causes, or helping to improve our school, Student Council is the perfect place to get involved and make a difference!

Tea Club

Ultimate Frisbee

Sponsor: Alex Rummelhart
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: A love of frisbee and a desire to learn a new sport!
Season: Fall and Spring

Description: Ultimate club has many activities: we learn the rules of the game and how to play, we learn different types of frisbee throws and catches, we run fun drills to practice, and we play games of ultimate. We meet once a week as long as the weather is nice enough to play outside. Come join in the fun!

Yearbook

Sponsors: Lisa Odden and Mrs. Layne
Student ages: 6th-8th Grade
Prerequisite skills: Editing, writing, layout, photography, and organizational skills are all welcome!
Season: Mid-October to Mid-April

Description:

Join the Yearbook Club! Capture Memories, Create History! Be part of the team to turn unforgettable moments into a timeless masterpiece. The Yearbook Club is looking for creative minds, photographers, writers, and designers to help make this year’s book the best one yet!

Why Join?

Be creative: Express your unique style through design, photos, and storytelling

Capture the Moment: Be the one behind the camera, documenting school events, sports, and all the fun!

Learn Skills: Gain hands-on experience with photography, writing, editing, and graphic design.

Build Friendships: Work with a passionate team and make lasting connections!

For more information on getting involved, email: Lisa Odden and Mrs. Layne

Two students are engaged in a game of chess at a classroom table. — *2025-2026 Chess Club*

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In This Section

Clubs & Activities

Cathy Van Treese

Something for every Spartan!

Our Offered Clubs and Activities

Baking Club

Chess

Chamber Orchestra

Choir

Concert Band

Crochet

Debate Club

Dungeons & Dragons

E-Sports

Geography Bee

Jazz Band

Lunch Bunch

Model UN

Peer Leaders

Rubik's Cube Club

SMS News

Spelling Bee

Student Council (Stuco)

Tea Club

Ultimate Frisbee

Yearbook

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Links & Resources