We have more than 50 different clubs in Upper School, and the topics range from knitting, to sports analysis and broadcasting, to the Science Olympiad.
In Lower School, our 5th and 6th Grade students may choose to join the Lower School Guild, an extra-curricular choir for students with a passion for singing and who seek additional performance opportunities. All of our Lower School students may participate in after school enrichment classes, from coding to acting to crafting and beyond.
By Middle School, opportunities for extracurricular involvement greatly expand, with options ranging from geography and math meets to Model UN to student government.
In Upper School, our students may get involved in these clubs and organizations at any level. They can sample offerings and discover what activities they like and are passionate about advancing. In so doing, NCS students learn new things, develop their talents and grow, and meet new people or find that they see their peers in a new way.
Our students organize the clubs and recruit members, create agendas, and pursue goals. This way, clubs represent the diverse interests of our current student body and have the flexibility to focus on issues of current interest, as well as longer-term issues.
There are student organizations that have been around for years, while others are newly organized each year. Essentially, our clubs and organizations are open to student creativity and interest.
Faculty sponsors help our students to organize fundraisers, social and academic events, and even competitions, depending on the focus of the club or the organization. The sponsors also help students go into the D.C. community through student-organized field trips to lectures, movies, and rallies.
“I’m involved in the Ethics Bowl Club, where we debate with other schools in the area about ethical scenarios, and I’m the crossword editor for our school newspaper. I participate in a few STEM activities, particularly through the Girls Who Code Club. Recently, we hosted a successful hackathon where we led workshops and engaged with lower schoolers in fun, hands-on STEM experiments. Along with the hackathon, I’m a part of a volunteer group that meets with seniors in my community, teaching them how to use technology. These experiences have inspired me to study data science here at NCS and in college.” -Upper School student
NCS students also produce four publications:
| Discus: (Grades 9 - 12) |
| The Discus is the school newspaper. Articles are solicited from all students. In producing the Discus, the student editorial staff learns what is involved in publishing a newspaper, such as interviewing, investigating, writing and editing articles, creating photography and graphics, and distributing. |
| Half-In-Earnest (HIE): (Grades 7 - 12) |
| This year-end publication collects prose, poetry, artwork, and photography submitted by NCS students to the editorial board. Students involved with HIE meet after school to edit submissions. |
| Independent: (Grades 9 - 12) |
| This student newspaper covers news of the Cathedral schools and is a joint effort between St. Albans School for boys (STA) and NCS students. It receives no school funds, but is financed by subscriptions and by donations. |
| Mitre: (Grades 9 - 12) |
| The Mitre is the NCS yearbook. The staff works throughout the year to plan and to produce the book, which is distributed at the end of the school year. Each issue reflects the life of the school that year, with special emphasis on the senior class. The publication is financed by subscriptions and by ads, and each student receives her own copy. |
Rose Castle Society
NCS students took a school trip to the United Kingdom to visit the Rose Castle Foundation where they learned about negotiation, reconciliation, and peace making. These students were so inspired by this work that, when they returned to the States, they wanted to create their own club to continue these efforts to transform worldwide conflict. By exploring strategies to build peace, as well as the 12 habits of a reconciler and a peacebuilder, our club members are able to apply their techniques of reconciliation here on the Cathedral Close.
“While a lot of our reconciliation work centered around resolving conflicts between two external groups, I was able to take a lot of the tactics we practiced and translate them to my own inner strife.” -Upper School student
“We the People”
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This is a student-led club that takes part in a national competition. The competition allows teams from across America to compete by responding to questions, and the responses are evaluated by a team of knowledgeable judges. The questions focus on U.S. history and political philosophy, as well as the U.S. Constitution and the structure of the government. Students conduct research to understand the questions and then give their own perspective in responding to questions from the judges. The NCS Team has been the D.C. champion for the past 5 years and has represented D.C. in the national competition. The NCS club is the only student-run “We the People” club and the only all-female club in the nation.
“My favorite club is ‘We the People.’ I'm currently a co-president with another senior in my grade … I've helped build the club as I've progressed through high school … I love talking about policy in the world … We are the only all-girl competing team in the whole country, and we have also made it to nationals every year that I've been part of the team.” -Upper school student
Project Pink Tax
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After watching a YouTube video that detailed a lack of menstrual-hygiene access for unhoused women and how that can result in life-threatening infections, two NCS students, now alumnae, began an initiative called Project Pink Tax. Their goal was to increase access to menstrual-hygiene products for those in need, while also bringing awareness to the burden of “period poverty.” This youth-led 501(c)(3) initiative has provided low income communities with over 115,000 high quality menstrual products.
“It is an amazing feeling to see the accumulation of period product donations, as they remind me each day that I am in fact making a difference in the lives of so many people.” -Alumna
“This experience showed me the importance of fighting for and supporting those who don’t have the privilege of financially covering basic human needs.” -Alumna
What clubs and organizations might you like to join or to start? Discover NCS, and find your passion.