WMS Clubs and Activities
The Westchester Middle School Activities Program is primarily an after school program designed to bring students in grades six through nine together in less structured, informal settings. Trips are usually conducted on Fridays following dismissal, and our destinations are varied. Trips are occasionally restricted to one particular grade, but most are open to all interested Middle School students. The first trip of the year is usually to an area entertainment center where students can play mini-golf, ride go-carts, and enjoy laser tag games with friends. The School takes advantage of its proximity to New York City by offering students the opportunity to take trips to Broadway shows, professional sporting events, cultural institutions, and museums. Each trip usually includes a dinner at which students can socialize with their peers, and all trips are chaperoned by Windward faculty members. The costs of the trips vary, and stipends are available to subsidize families in need.
Trips that take place during the school day have an educational component and generally reflect the students’ social studies or science curricula. In past years, sixth grade students traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the Museum’s vast Egyptian collection. The Museum of the Moving Image is usually the destination for a seventh grade trip, while eighth graders might visit the Tenement Museum, 9/11 Museum, or Museum of Natural History in New York City. The ninth grade often takes an overnight trip that relates to a particular theme the grade studies during the year. The School also reserves time for each grade to take a year-end trip in June; these trips aim to be both educational and fun. Past destinations have included the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum; Medieval Times; and a tour of an anthracite coal mine museum in Pennsylvania, among others.
Windward also offers a variety of clubs. The offerings are usually generated by student interest and meet either during recess or after school. Recess clubs meet one to five times each week while after-school clubs typically meet from 3 P.M. to 4:30 PM one day per week. Past clubs have included a meteorology club, art club, ping-pong club, chess club, duct tape club, history club, and cooking club. These clubs may meet for the entire year or for a three month period. Other clubs are established by the Guidance Department from time to time in order to address issues pertinent to particular groups of Windward students.
Students are encouraged to speak with Mr. Steiker, Director of Activities, if they wish to start a new club.