Student Life

Student Life at St. Clare School develops our students’ unique talents in Academics, Arts, Athletics and through Service and Faith. The wide variety of activities at St. Clare provides a strong foundation for a very bright future and the opportunity for parents and faculty to work along side their children.

The Arts

Early exposure to the arts develops critical thinking skills and creates brain connections in children creating a long lasting impact on their future.

Band

Our students in grades 4-8 may participate in the band.  They receive instruction 3 times per week with band rehearsals and sectionals.  In addition to performing at concerts, students individually perform and score very well at our District contest.  The concert band consistently earns a 1st Place or 1st Superior rating at the District Organizational Contest.  Their hard work and dedication is evident in every performance.

Choir

The choir provides a growth opportunity for students to develop their vocal talents while gaining experience with public performances. Our choir also works to enrich our school liturgies. They also share their talents by performing for senior groups, nursing homes, and other concerts.

Art

All students attend art class once a week.

Service and Faith

Through service to others, we learn compassion, we follow Jesus, and we deepen our faith – traits by which strong character is formed.

St. Vincent de Paul Society

This group of 5th-8th grade volunteers learn that service should be a normal part of our everyday lives.  Pondering “Why are we here?” and “What can we do to make our part of the world a little bit nicer?” are the impetus for St. Vincent de Paul.  Helping others has a wonderful ripple effect.  This group actively engages in volunteering activities to help those in need.  Some of this is done through fundraising; other times it is through the generous donation of their time and talents.  They use their talents to make blankets and host events to raise funds for specific projects or groups.

Student Council

The Student Council is a group of peer elected students chosen to represent the student body.  The members of the Student Council need to maintain good grades and continue to be positive role models for the other students.  They meet weekly to plan fun school-wide events like pep rallies, Spirit Week, and assist with the talent shows.  This group not only teaches students responsibility and accountability, but also reinforces the need to put others needs first.

Buddy System/Mentoring

Our Buddy Program is one of the highlights of St. Clare School.  Students in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade are partnered with a 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade Mentor. Buddies go to Mass, read books, make crafts and go on field trips together – they share in the benefits of each others experience.  It’s a toss-up as to who benefits the most: the little buddy or the big buddy.

Safety Patrol

Our Safety Patrol is made up of 7th graders, who work to assist students in safely crossing at the four-way intersection after school. By donning vests and carrying stop signs these students work along side the crossing guard and teachers who are around our campus providing a safe environment for our students.

Recycling

Caring for our environment is as important as caring for others.  Recycling is part of daily life at St. Clare School.  We have been honored several years in a row by St. Clair County for the overall amount of recycled material we collect. St. Clare was recognized at the St. Clair County Health Department’s Earth Day Awards Program as the top paper recycling school in the county. We recycled 152,190 pounds of paper!

Retreats

Students experience time away from ordinary schedules for the purpose of reconnecting with God and their faith community. Eighth graders early in the fall share faith in a day long retreat at Camp Ondessonk as a foundation for the school year. They also participate in the Luke 18 retreat during the second half of the school year. Students in grades 4-7 devote a half day or full day focused around faith, sharing, prayer, and discussion of personal relationships with Jesus.

Scouts

Scouting programs are offered for both the boys and girls of St. Clare School.  Focusing on service and personal development, the scouts and their families have fun and adventure in a program that builds character and instills values.

Academics

Academics are the cornerstone of a great school.  At St. Clare, we know these academic experiences enhance the learning environment, allowing our students to excel not only at St. Clare but also in their future.

Honor Society

Students completing 6th- 8th grade with a 90 or higher grade point average, and who lead lives reflecting well on their school, their church, and their community, are invited to be inducted into the Honor Society.

D.A.R.E.

Sixth grade students participate in the D.A.R.E. (Drug Alcohol Resistance Education) program. During St. Clare County Sheriff's Department 10-week program officers come to school weekly to help reinforce drug prevention education and teach students good decision making skills to help them avoid high-risk behavior to ensure they grow up healthy, safe and secure.

St. Clare offers a variety of scholastic competition and team activities to our students that help them apply the knowledge they have learned in class, but also work as part of a team to solve problems.  Some examples of these are:

St. Clare Innovators Club (SCIC)

The objective of the SCIC is to help students learn the steps of going from concept to product. They learn some history of inventing and experience the process of inventing from brainstorming concepts, reviewing/refining ideas, creating and testing prototypes, and finally pitching the final product to others. This one-semester club culminates in a small St. Clare Toy Fair as well as concept submission to the People of Play Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) in Chicago.

Chess Club

Chess is a classic game of strategy and skill that can be learned and enjoyed at a young age. The team is comprised of students from first - eighth grade who play in several tournaments a year.

Speech Club

The Speech Club is comprised of students in grades 5-8 looking to develop their public speaking skills.  Students memorize and perform Humorous, Serious, or Duet speeches to compete in speech meets at Diocesan schools.

Scholar Bowl

Students compete against other junior high students in teams of five.  A series of general knowledge questions are asked as they compete for points.

Junior Olympiad

This is a higher order thinking contest sponsored by the St. Clair County Office of Education. Teams of four students compete against students from other schools in the county. Competition includes logic problems and “engineering-type” building problems.

Science Olympiad

This contest is sponsored by the Althoff Catholic High School Science Club. Teams of four students compete in a series of activities, based on a central scientific theme. Activities may include lab skills, engineering type problems, measurement skills, etc.