Art Club

Sponsor: Bjana Lunde

Art Club is open to all students interested in exploring their artistic abilities beyond the exploratory curriculum. Students will engage in a variety of art activities/projects if they choose to participate in the club.

Band

Sponsor: Michael Kasper

Concert Band is a curricular class meeting during the school day with performances and trips occurring outside the school day. Students enrolled in band class will develop skills and knowledge while investigating the affective experiences unique to music. All students are welcome in band class.

Battle of the Books

Sponsor: Nicoll Blomquist

Battle of the Books offers passionate readers a chance to extend and explore their love of reading. Students read from a list of 50 books designated by the district. The DMS team will consist of five students and one alternate. This team will compete with the other middle schools in the district. During the meets, students are quizzed on their comprehension of the books. The season kicks off in the fall when the new list is made available. Tryouts for the team take place in January. Battle of the Books competitions begin in April and finish in early May.

Bella Voce

Sponsor: Mona Roy

The Dundee Middle School Choral Department offers an auditioned treble vocal ensemble called Bella Voce open to 7th and 8th grade girls who are enrolled in chorus. This ensemble focuses on select treble voices performing more challenging 2 - 4 part music of various styles. Bella Voce performs at all DMS concerts as well as within the community, at festivals, and contests. Rehearsals are once a week on Tuesday mornings from 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Auditions and rehearsals begin in September and end in May.

Beta Club

Sponsor: Karrisa Werner and Sue Sullivan

The Dundee Middle School chapter of Junior Beta Club is a part of a national honorary organization designed to provide recognition and leadership experiences to high achieving students. To be eligible to join, a student must be on super honor roll for three-quarters in a row and have shown outstanding merit in citizenship. Beta Club meets once a month to discuss, plan, and implement upcoming activities, such as the annual teacher breakfast, pumpkin-grams at Halloween, and sponsoring a dance. Student ideas for projects and activities are welcome, as one of Beta Club’s main goals is to provide a pleasurable, self-enhancing experience to its members.

Board Game Club

Sponsor: Zack Schamrowski

Board Game Club (BGC) is an afterschool activity for all students. In BGC, we enjoy one another's company while playing various board games. BGC takes place after school and will now run throughout the whole school year.oard Game Club's weekly sign-up sheet is located outside Mr. Schamrowski's classroom door (room 146). Be sure to sign-up early as there are only 32 seats open per session. There is no requirement to attend each meeting, but all who come to a session must have a Gaming Contract completed.

Bracelet Club

Sponsor: Kelly Frieders and Colleen Wess

Bracelet club is an afterschool activity, limited to the first 30 students. Meetings are held on Fridays from 3:40-5:00 p.m. Students will enjoy time with friends while crafting bracelets.

Buddy Club

Sponsor: Open Position

Information on the Buddy Club will be available at a later time.

Cardunal Council

Sponsor: Katherine Medcalf and Stephanie Rahimi

Cardunal Council is the student government body of DMS and is open to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. Any student interested in joining may become a part of Cardunal Council. Within the Council, officers are elected to represent the club itself. Members of Cardunal Council sponsor the 8th grade dance, Teacher Appreciation Week, and a community service project.

Chess Club

Sponsor: Sue LaGrippe

Chess club is open to all students interested in learning to play chess or expanding their chess playing skills. Chess club meets every Friday at 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. with an intermission during basketball season (2nd quarter, Mid October through December). All skill levels are welcome. We play different chess variations and for added fun we have a points leaderboard, for improvement, attendance, and wins. Chess club is a great way to make new friends as well as increasing skill level. The club is mostly casual, and less competitive. Once officially joined, the student will see a new "group" in Schoology where schedules, announcements, and potential lessons to participate in. To join chess club, please fill out the form by clicking here and pay $10 to Mr. Bailye. The money goes into the club account for material replacements, prizes, and participatory pins.

Chorus

Sponsor: Mona Roy

DMS Chorus is a curricular class that focuses on the development of comprehensive choral musicianship through the performance experience. Members will be exposed to a breadth of music literature with an emphasis on high-quality performance, thorough understanding, and vocal skills. This ensemble performs throughout the year. All students are expected to attend all required concerts. Chorus is open to all students.

Color Guard

Sponsor: Mandi Donati

Color guard is a sport of the arts, that uses choreographed dances and routines to enhance and interpret music. In this club, you will learn how to use color guard equipment (flags and other props), while building a sense of teamwork, confidence, and self-esteem. Once the routines are learned, members will be able to perform during halftime at home basketball games. All grades are welcome!

Connect 4

Sponsor: Open Position

Connect 4 is a substance abuse prevention program focused on teaching youths valuable skills that help them develop responsible decision making skills and resist negative peer pressure. Members of Connect 4 participate in games or team building activities at most meetings. Any DMS student may join Connect 4 and all are encouraged to attend our Connect 4 Day. Connect 4 Day is a popular annual event held on one Saturday from 8:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Students listen to guest speakers, participate in team building activities, and are then assigned to a small group that is facilitated by adult and teen volunteers where students share their feelings about the ideas presented. A lunch, snacks, and Connect 4 T-shirt are provided. There is a fee charged for the day and a limit on the number of participants on a first come basis.

Fall Play

Sponsor: Jenny Olson, Tony Parise, and Melanie Witek

Fall Play is a two-act play that occurs during the Fall semester. It is open to 7th & 8th grade students at DMS.

Flag Football

Coach: Matt Joslyn and Mitch Policky

Flag Football is open to all students at DMS and runs during the Fall season. Participants will create teams and compete against one another throughout the course of the season.

Garden Club

Sponsor: Open Position

Garden Club is open to all students at DMS and runs from September through May. Participants do not need any gardening experience or prior knowledge. We are hoping to encourage the love and knowledge of gardening, by bringing students and community together to protect the quality of the environment.

Guitar Club

Sponsor: John Blomquist and Anna Benge

Students get an introduction to guitar and learn the ways of how to become an amazing guitar god. They'll take the first few steps: holding the guitar, tuning it, strumming/picking the strings, and playing chords. Once they have those mastered, it's time to rock out! By the end of the year, students should be able to do the following: play several songs on guitar, feel comfortable enough to practice on their own, and consider trying out for Schoolapalooza. If you have your own guitar, then bring it! You can store it in the orchestra room during the school day. If you don't have a guitar, that's okay. We have a few that people can borrow!

Homework Help

Sponsor: Nicole Gomez-Johnson

Homework Help is available from September through April is an opportunity to get help with difficult assignments, tests, or getting caught up on late work! The club meets three days a week and is open to all students. The only requirement needed is to sign-up in the IMC the day before you need assistance!

Intramural Badminton

Sponsor: Matt Joslyn and Lauren Reiff

Intramural Badminton runs during the month of March and practices are before school. Please contact Ms. Omsberg or Mr. Joslyn in the PE Department for more information.

Intramural Basketball

Sponsor: Aaron Godfrey

Intramural Basketball is open to 6th grade students at DMS. Students are put on a team that is coached by an 8th grade student(s). Teams compete in games that simulate the middle school basketball experience. The season typically occurs during the Spring Semester.

Intramural Boys Volleyball

Sponsor: Aaron Godfrey and Lauren Reiff

Intramural boys volleyball runs during the month of April and practices are before school. Please contact Mr. Godfrey or Ms. Reiff for more information.

Intramural Cheer

Sponsor: Open Position

6th grade girls are invited to join DMS poms and cheer. Intramural poms and cheer have no cuts, so everyone makes the squad. There are 8 practices and 8 games. Practices begin after Winter Break and games are held after school in March. 8th grade cheerleaders will help coach the 6th graders throughout the season.

Intramural Girls Volleyball

Sponsor: Lauren Reiff

Intramural girls volleyball runs during the month of September and practices are before school. Please contact Ms. Reiff for more information.

Intramural Poms

Sponsor: Open Position

6th grade girls are invited to join DMS poms and cheer. Intramural poms and cheer have no cuts, so everyone makes the squad. There are 8 practices and 8 games. Practices begin after Winter Break and games are held after school in March. 8th grade cheerleaders will help coach the 6th graders throughout the season.

Intramural Soccer

Sponsor: Lauren Reiff and Anna Benge

Intramural Soccer runs during the month of April and practices are before school. Please contact Ms. Reiff or Ms. Benge for more information.

Jazz Band

Coach: Michael Kasper

The Cardunal Jazz Band is an extracurricular ensemble built to perform music from the Big Band genre. Instrumentation includes saxophones, trombones, trumpets, drum set, bass, guitar, and piano. All students are welcome to audition for the Cardunal Jazz Band. Rehearsals will be before school from 7:30am-8:45am. Performances will be held throughout the community, including regional festivals, dinners, and other unique opportunities which may become available.

Musical

Sponsor: Melanie Witek

Students who participate in chorus at DMS have the opportunity to audition and participate in the annual DMS Musical. Many opportunities for participation are available including leading roles, chorus parts, stage directors, costume, and set design. The musical is held at the Blizzard Theater at ECC each April. Little Mermaid Jr., The Music Man, Madagascar and Fiddler on the Roof are some of the DMS musicals in recent years. 2023 will mark our 20th anniversary of our musical partnership with Elgin Community College.

Orchestra

Sponsor: Beth Wood

Information on the orchestra will be available at a later time.

Outdoor Club

Sponsor: Aaron Godfrey, Tom Sitkie, and Don Wicker

Outdoor Club is open to all students at DMS and runs throughout the entire school year. Meetings are held once a month, learning about everything outdoors and activities include a fall kayak trip, a winter ice fishing trip, and a spring trip still being decided. Open to all grade and skill levels! 

Robotics Club

Sponsor: Open Positions

This club is an option for all 6th-8th graders, regardless of prior experience with robotics. Depending on the number of students interested, there may be an application process, as the amount of supplies available is feasible for 20-25 members. Students work in groups and use the Lego Mindstorm EV3 building materials/bricks and programming to create various robots and obstacles. Unlike the Robotics Team, we do not go to competition. The atmosphere of the meetings is more laid back and based around teamwork & exploration.

Robotics Team

Sponsor: Tony Parise and Gaspar Ponte

This team is for 7th and 8th graders who like to build structures and solve problems using programming software. We will be participating in a Vex Robotics competition. Students have to apply to be on the team as we are limited to how many students we can have for our competitions. The application process is in the spring (April/May) of the previous school year.

Science Fair Club

Sponsor: Tom Sitkie

Science Fair Students participate in science fair investigate a science topic of interest to them. Students gain an insight into the problems and methods of thinking scientifically and work with science instructors to draw conclusions about their research. Completed projects are judged and displayed in late spring. This club is open to seventh and eighth graders.

Ski Club

Sponsor: Tom Sitkie

The DMS Ski Club schedules three ski trips each year during the months of December, January, and February. Students may attend on a first come, first serve basis and are responsible for their own costs. Trips are planned on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays after school from 3:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Trips are always contingent upon appropriate weather conditions.

Spelling Bee

Sponsor: Amanda Hurley

The spelling bee is an event sponsored by the National Scripps Spelling Bee that all students have the opportunity to participate in. The competition starts in each grade level's classrooms and then will move on to select grade level and school level winners. The students who are grade level winners will have an opportunity to also participate in the District 300 spelling bee to compete against students in their grade level at the other District 300 middle schools.

SSA Club

Sponsor: Lauren Boaz and Jessica Jagielo

"Safe Space for All" (SSA) is an open forum, multicultural group to discuss current events with peers. We welcome all groups of students and students that ally with other groups. SSA strives to make a welcoming environment for individuals in the community and their allies to meet together and express themselves without fear. Our club is student-led, where students will have the opportunity to dictate club norms and expectations, and raise topics for discussion that are meaningful to them.

Ultimate Frisbee

Coach: Mike Haase

Ultimate is an exciting, non-contact team sport, played by thousands the world over. It mixes the best features of sports such as Soccer, Basketball, and Football into an elegantly simple yet fascinating and demanding game. Ultimate is open to any student at DMS and will be offered in the fall and spring. Athletes are encouraged to show up as much as possible so they can practice skills and learn the game.

Valiant Voices

Sponsor: Mona Roy

The Dundee Middle School Choral Department offers a singing group called Valiant Voices. No audition is required. Rehearsals are once a week on Friday mornings. They begin in September and end in May. This group performs at concerts and events around the community throughout the year. This group allows boys to feel comfortable singing within an ensemble organized around their voice quality, range, and tessitura during this developmental time combining unchanged, changing, and changed voices in one group.

Wiffle Ball

Sponsor: Open Position

Wiffle Ball Club is open to all students at DMS and runs during the Fall season. Participants will create teams and compete against one another throughout the course of the season. Open to all grade and skill levels!

Wrestling Open Mat

Sponsor: Matthew Joslyn and Don Wicker

Intramural Wrestling runs during the month of December and practice will be in the aux gym. Students will learn the basics of wrestling before the school season starts to help gauge interest and prepare for the season.

Yearbook Club

Sponsor: Shannon Lesko

Yearbook Club consists of students who have been selected based on an application process that includes both a written and a photo submission. Students attend events and activities whereby they take pictures that could potentially be used in the yearbook and other media formats. In addition, they work on the layout and design of the yearbook using pictures submitted by club members.

Yoga Club

Sponsor: Kaylene Shannon

The Yoga Club was created to offer students and staff an opportunity to learn and practice traditional yoga together. Yoga practitioners will learn a variety of breathing techniques (pranayama), basic yoga poses (asanas), and guided meditation practices to help students gain awareness, balance emotions, reduce stress, and increase balance, strength, and flexibility. Yoga Club is open to all. No experience is necessary.