Margate Middle School

Clubs & Organization

ACADEMIC GAMES
Here at Margate Middle School, we participate in the AGLOA (Academic Games League of America). In Academic Games, students aim to outthink each other in the areas of mathematics, social studies and language arts.  Students who earn qualifying scores in local competition will compete at the state and national levels.  Students travel one Saturday a month (October through February) to compete against schools in their region.  Then in March, the season ends with the National Tournament. For more information contact Ms. Greenwood.

A.S.P.I.R.E. CLUB
Meets weekly at 3:50 PM in Room 143. Contact Ms. Miranda for more information.

ASPIRING AUTHORS CLUB
Margate’s Aspiring Authors is an exciting club that permits students to unwind from rigorous classroom instructions by reading and/or writing in a relaxing environment. The club meets twice a month in August to February (second and last Tuesday of every month) and once a month after FCAT (3/23, 4/27, & 5/25).The sponsors are Mrs. Spence and Mrs. Williams. Meetings are held in room 167 beginning at 3:50 PM. The club benefits are: you have an opportunity to collaborate with peers to make a difference in your school, explore a variety of themes and genres that are most important to you, good experience for high school and college,
and refreshments are served.

BASS-GUITAR CLUB
Have fun with your bass or guitar! Join our Bass-Guitar Club and enjoy playing and networking with other Rock players. This club is purely to have an opportunity to play with others who have the same musical interests. To participate, you will need to have an appropriate instrument. Bring an amp if your instrument is electric. We will be meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. School staff and parents are invited as well……sponsored by Mr. Petro, room 127.

BOOK CLUB
Book Club is open to all who enjoy reading. Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 3:50 PM in Ms. Barth’s room 123.

On November 20th, 33 Book Club students went to see New Moon at Trademark Cinema in Coral Springs. After reading New Moon and discussing the novel during after school meetings, the students were excited to see the much anticipated sequel to Twilight. They arrived at the theater, grabbed their popcorn and dashed into the theater to pick the best seats. As soon as the movie began, the theater grew quiet and for 2 hours and 2 minutes not one student moved from their seat, eyes glued to the screen. After the movie, all the students walked next door to Sophia’s for pizza and soda; taking over the restaurant! And for an hour all you could in hear in Sophia’s were arguments about why the book was better and what was left out of the movie. It was amazing to hear all 33 students discussing not just the movie they had watched but the book they had read as well!

BOOK CLUB – PARENT & CHILD
Last year several parents agreed to read a novel with their child over the summer, and on Thursday, November 4 our Parent-Child book club met for the first time to discuss the experience over Papa John’s Pizza. Five families joined by Mr. Williams, Ms. Barth and Mrs. Robertson enjoyed an evening of positive discussion. Our parents said that they had never shared an experience like this before, but all family members agreed that reading the same novel at the same time as their child provided the perfect opportunity for discussion. One family that was reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld said that they normally would not have picked up teen literature to read, but found that the novel was full of issues relevant to their daughter’s life that they were able to openly talk about. Some of our students gave such wonderful book talks about the book they had read over the summer that they ignited a desire in the other students present to read that book. All five families agreed to read another book together between now and January, when we will meet again.

If you are interested in joining our Parent-Child Book Club all you need to do is pick up a book for you and your child, and then enjoy some quality time together. If you are need of novels, or plan to attend our January 26th discussion group please contact Ms. Barth. We hope to see you there!

BUILDERS CLUB
Motto: Building Leaders

Vision: To develop competent, capable, caring leaders through the vehicle of service.

Mission: Builders Club is an international student-led organization providing members with opportunities to perform service, build character and develop leadership.  The Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school students (ages 12 to 15), with more than 40,000 members worldwide. 

Core values: 

• Character building: The ability to do the right thing, even when it might be the unpopular choice.
• Leadership: The ability to listen, communicate, serve and guide others.
• Inclusiveness: Accepting and welcoming differences in other people.
• Caring: The act of being concerned about or interested in other people or situations.

This past year the Builders Club participated in many school and community service projects.  For example, the club collected pop-tops for the benefit of the Ronald McDonald House Charity,  collected box-tops for the benefit of our own school programs,  helped stock food on the shelves of a local food bank and collected over 70 boxes of food for the holiday season that were distributed to families in need by our very own Margate Police and Fire Departments.

Each year the Builders Club starts the year with executive elections first thing in August.  Regular members, and any new possible members, should come to meetings in room 112 held on the first Monday of each month to check about event details. Mr. Bass is the sponsor.

On November 9, 2009 Ms. Barth took her 5 DFYIT officers to the leadership conference held at the Sheraton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale with other middle and high school DFYIT clubs. There the students participated in activities designed to build leadership skills, as well as team spirit. They learned the expectations of each of their positions and brainstormed creative ways to bring the drug-free message back to our school.

On May 15th, 25 students traveled to the Signature Grand for the annual DFYIT awards. The kids dressed in their best outfits, and were stunned when they walked in to a beautifully decorated ballroom! The ceremony began with the normal recognitions and thanks, but that was the only regular moment.

There were 12 awards given out, and Margate DFYIT brought home 8!!! That’s right, 8 awards including Advisor of the Year, School of the Year, Most Community Hours as a school.  Alexis Williams won Vice President of the Year, Amber Eversley won Community Representative of the Year, Virginia Manfra won Historian of the Year, Deaundra Ceasar won Most Community Service Hours for our school, and Veronica Alba took home the award for the Most Outstanding DFYIT member of the Year.  After the awards were presented our students were treated to a delicious lunch, which was excellent timing because we were exhausted from all the up and down of receiving our awards. During lunch the students enjoyed a HIV/AIDS Awareness play that all the students in the ballroom not only enjoyed but could really relate to. Finally, it was time to dance! All of our students made their way out to the floor and showed all the other schools how it was done….

FUTURE EDUCATORS (FFEA)
The Florida Future Educators of America was established to help students explore careers in education and to recognize and respect those who choose education for their career.  New members are always welcome.  This club meets every first Tuesday of the month in Portable 1, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM. For more information contact M. McNally or Ms. Morden.
The club’s objectives are as follows:

HUMAN RELATIONS COUNCIL (HRC)
The Human Relations Council is a club that promotes unity, peace and tolerance among all of the different races and cultures, not only here at Margate Middle, but across the world. The HRC program provides support for youth led-initiatives that aim to create peaceful learning communities where diversity, non violence and respect are celebrated. Meetings are held on each 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 3:50 PM in foom 252. Ms. Thompson is the sponsor.
The HRC supports an environment of positive human relations by:

- Advocating the belief that all individuals should be treated with respect and dignity
- Creating and implementing school-wide activities that promote diversity
- Providing leadership in moving toward a spirit of unity and social justice
- Demonstrating a positive attitude of teamwork and cooperation

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY (NJHS)
The National Junior Honor Society strives to create an enthusiasm for academic scholarship, render service to the surrounding community, promote leadership, nourish character development, and advance the work of the NJHS among all members.  Members participate in community service projects while promoting academic achievement and the importance of knowledge in the lives of students.  Membership is by induction in May of each year.  Meetings are the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in the Media Center at 3:50 PM. Ms. Barth is the sponsor.

Requirements for joining the National Junior Honor Society:

• At least one semester of attendance at Margate Middle School.
• Maintain enrollment during the second semester of 7th, and 8th.
• Achieve a grade point average of at least 3.5 for the most recent semester.
• Maintain a positive disciplinary record at Margate Middle School
• Respect must be shown to teachers, staff, and other students in school and the community.
• Involvement in school and community activities is required.
• After an invitation has been extended, an information packet must be completed and turned in for consideration.

Requirements:

• The student must perform appropriate community service and uphold the five ideals of the Nation Junior Honor Society.
• Every fall, four officers are elected. The former officers will mentor the new officers in their duties. The four offices are:  President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer.
• Officers meet one more Wednesday each month and attend county officer meetings at Plantation High School one Thursday a month.
• The student must maintain at least a 3.5 Grade Point Average.
• Students may only miss two meetings and must have a way home on time after each meeting.

ROBOTICS CLUB
The mission of the Robotics Club is to provide a learning environment conducive to developing academically and technologically students.  Robotics Club promotes team and skill building opportunities. Although students works as teams each individual make contribution in the creating and building process.   The Robotics club started out with 13 members the first year, and now the team has expanded to 16.

We participated in the First Lego League this year and won first place for best robot design.

The club meets twice a month on Tuesdays, the club sponsors are Mr. Daniel & Mr. Mejia.

SPANISH CLUB
The Spanish Club started this year with the purpose of promoting the benefits of bilingual education, and the understanding of the histories, values, and beliefs of students from a variety of backgrounds.  Through the Spanish Club students, families, colleagues, school administrators, and community members have opportunities to share and participate in cultural activities, community service, fieldtrips, and language learning experiences in and outside the school.

During the months of September and October students are involved in excited hands-on activities and special projects to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month.  Additionally, students get their preparation here to successfully compete in the annual Foreign Language Academic and Game Competitions among other Middle Schools in the district.

The Spanish club also promotes the participation of students in helping other less fortunate in the community.    Recently, for example, the Club sponsored a clothing drive for Kids in Distress.   The contributions to a good cause definitely straightened students’ sensitivity and tolerance among others. The Spanish Club meetings are on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month. Ms. Ruiz is the sponsor. New students are always welcome!

STUDENT COUNCIL
Student Council is an organization that promotes leadership qualities and leads schoolwide community service activities. Ms. Ragland is the sponsor. Student Council also acts as a liasion between the school staff and the student body. Our objectives include:

• to improve the general welfare of Margate Middle School
• to coordinate activities and services that are beneficial to the faculty, staff, students and community at large
• and to involve the community in school activities.

Student Council is a great way to get involved with Margate Middle.  There are several activities that we participate in during the year:  car washes, fundraisers, spirit week, holiday caroling, teacher appreciation week, and the end of the year field days for the entire school.  Student Council works hard to promote school spirit and to make MMS a great school.  Our goal is to promote leadership qualities and lead school wide community service activities. Officers are elected in September by the studen body. Anyone interested in general membership may attend monthly meetings. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month in Room 194 promptly at 3:50 PM. All grade levels are welcome and we encourage students who want to be actively involved in a variety of activities to attend our meetings.

Student Council Sponsored Spirit Week April, 2011, for the entire student body. Each day focused on one unique trait! Here is how the week went!
Monday – MultiCultural Monday. Everyone is to dress in their native clothing, according to School Board rules. Tuesday – Twin Tuesday – Dress like someone else here at school. Can dress like students, teachers or staff. Wednesday – Way Back Wednesday. Dress like the 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s, or retro. Thursday – Team Jersey Thursday. Support your favorite sports team by wearing their jersey or colors. Friday – Be True To Your School Friday. Wear your SPARTAN tee or the colors blue and gold.

Twenty Student Council members went on Saturday April 2, 2011,  to Nova High School to participate in what is called “Wacky Olympics”.The purpose of this event was to raise money and awareness for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Each middle school paid $50. per team and each high school paid $100. per team to be entered.

Each team designed their own t-shirts to wear there and we tie dyed ours. All teams participated in a variety of silly events such as the Chicken toss, Balloon sit and pop relay, Blanket chariot relay race, Softball carry and the Styrofoam cup stack, just to name a few. A great time was had by all. It was wonderful to see thirty four high schools and six middle schools join in a day of wacky games to raise money for the cause. Over $4,000.00, an event record, was raised and will be donated to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. This was was wonderful opportunity for middle and high school students to give up their Saturday for a fantastic cause.

Eleven Student Council members were given an extensive tour of inner workings of the City of Margate for our annual “Margat Government Day” 2011. These students were taken to the city commission chambers where they took on the roles of Mayor, Vice Mayor,  City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Manager. They were able to discuss and vote on issues that concerned the city in a mock commission meeting. From there, the students were given a tour of the Police Dept., Fire Dept., City Works Dept., Utilities Dept. , Water Treatment Dept., and were also treated to a lunch at Calypso Cove. These students left with a greater understanding of how the City of Margate conducts its business and how it serves it’s citizens.

Plus – Sold Boo Grams to Students for Halloween
During Basketball Season, members sold concessions at all home games.
Members also Provided an Ice cream social for all faculty and staff for teacher appreciation.

STUDENT RIGHTS COUNCIL
Ms. Thompson and Mr. Singer are sponsoring this new club.  It’s called the Student Rights Council and our purpose is to teach citizenship and to promote civic responsibility. Our council members will work to sponsor and create new legislation, while working with our local politicians. Council members will also participate in a mock judicial review trial that will enhance their knowledge of our Constitutional amendments. Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month beginning at 3:50 PM in the Media Center.

TV PRODUCTION
Students work to create, produce, direct, and host the WMMS morning show which is broadcast into all classrooms on a daily basis.