Student Activities

Central Spartans Cross Country: 2024 Season Information

Get ready to hit the trails with the Central Spartans Cross Country team! We’re thrilled to welcome all 5th to 8th graders to join our exciting cross country season. Our dedicated coaching team includes Scott Stiller (stillers@glencoeschools.org), Jen Mertins (mertinsj@glencoeschools.org), and Kirsten Branstrom (branstrk@glencoeschools.org), who are ready to guide and inspire our runners.

Let’s lace up and make this season a great one. Go Spartans!

Fall Soccer - 2024-25

We're excited to kick off a new season for our 6th to 8th graders. Our co-ed teams will be under the guidance of Coach Kiim Dwan (dwank@glencoeschools.org), who brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the field. Below is the schedule for this season's games. Get ready for a season of skill-building, teamwork, and fun.

Go Central Spartans: Fall 2024 Girls' Volleyball Season

Get ready for an exciting season of girls' volleyball at Central! Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teams are gearing up for an action-packed fall with dedicated coaches.

• 6th Grade Girls' Volleyball: Coach Craig Russell (russellc@glencoeschools.org)
• 7th Grade Girls' Volleyball: Coach Marykate Purcell (purcellm@glencoeschools.org) 
• 8th Grade Girls' Volleyball: Coach Lisa Mathew (matthewl@glencoeschools.org)

Season: Winter

Grades: 7th - 8th

Gender: Grade level boys and girls teams

Season: Spring

Grades: 5th - 8th

Gender: Co-Ed Team

Have fun with friends playing a variety of games that will use your throwing, catching, and agility skills!

Sponsor: Mr. Short

Meeting Dates and Times: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7:45am - 8:15am

Meeting Location: Small Gym

Come visit "The Breakfast Club"! You will learn how to start your mornings with calm vibes, learn strategies to keep a positive mindset throughout the day, collect and make tools to spark chill thoughts, and have personalized time with teachers that are experts in the field of bringing back the zen when it feels lost. Join us for an end of the week morning boost of good vibes!

Sponsors: Mrs. D'Addezio, Mrs. White

Meeting Dates and Times: Bi-Monthy Friday mornings (9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/7, 11/21, 12/5, 12/19, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/6, 3/20, 4/10, 4/24, 5/1, 5/15, 5/29, 6/5) from 7:45am - 8:15am

Meeting Location: Room 223

Chess club is a place where all players of all levels are welcome! We typically have a short mini-lesson or exercise followed by free play. Make friends, have fun, and improve your chess game!

Sponsor: Mr. Pituc

Meeting Dates and Times: Wednesday mornings from 7:45am - 8:15am.

Meeting Location: CLC

Climbing Club is a fun morning activity where you can challenge yourself.  Ascend walls and ropes working on improving your strength and reaching your goals.  This club is open to 5th through 8th graders and all ability levels are welcome.  

Sponsor: Mr. Paustian, Mrs, Osorio

Meeting Dates and Times: Beginning August 28th on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 7:45am - 8:15am.

Meeting Location: Small Gym

The Art Club is where students can create their own art using materials of their choice or choose to work on pre-designed projects. Students may choose to attend any or all days of the week.

Sponsor: Mrs. Bauer

Meeting Dates and Times: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:40am - 8:15am 

Meeting Location: Art Room L02

The Central School Debate Team is an opportunity for students in 6th through 8th grade to gain and practice crucial 21st century skills in public speaking, argumentation, logic, and teamwork as well as gaining knowledge in the fields of politics, civics, ethics, science, current events, philosophy, and more.  We compete in two or three tournaments a year against other schools that feed into New Trier’s highly successful Debate program. These competitions allow for recognition of the power and value of critical thought and a chance for mentorship from skilled high school debaters.

Sponsor: Mrs. Alsberg, Mr. Grant

Meeting Dates and Times: 3:30pm - 4:15pm on Tuesdays beginning on September 30th.

Meeting Location: Room CLC

Eclectic Chamber Honors Orchestra Club

ECLECTIC: Non-classical styles of music
CHAMBER: Musical term for a small group of musicians
HONORS: Twofold meaning- honoring different cultures and traditions, and maintaining high expectations
ORCHESTRA: Open to 6th-8th grade Orchestra students

The goal of these ensembles is to explore music genres and methods outside the classical tradition. We will explore non-classical literature and learn the music in a way that honors the diversity of where different styles of music came from. We will be exploring pop and rock, world music, jazz, fiddle, hip hop, and more!

Meeting Dates and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:45am -8:15am starting September 9th

Meeting Location: Orchestra Room L68

Chamber Orchestra Club: Sponsor: Ms. Drafta

Meeting Dates and Times: 

September 3-October 29= Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:45-8:15 (ILMEA Coaching)
November 3-March 4= Mondays 5/6, Wednesdays 7/8, 7:45-8:15 (performance prep)
March 9-May 27= Mondays AND Wednesdays, 7:45-8:15 (Combined rehearsals)

Meeting Location: Orchestra Room L68

Sponsor: Mrs. Dwan-Collins, Mrs. Schumacher, Mrs. Hogan

Meeting Dates and Times: Tuesday and Thursday during lunch beginning October 15th

Meeting Location: 136 and 140

Fitness club is open to all Central School students and they have the opportunity to work on their cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. The fitness center has treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowing machines, weight machines and free weights. 

Sponsor: Mr. Colborn

Meeting Dates and Times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday morning from 7:45am - 8:15am

Meeting Location: Fitness Center

The 6-8th grade French Club gives all French students the opportunities to practice their speaking skills but also deepen their cultural understanding of the French-speaking world through music, movies, arts and crafts, games and outings. Selected dates will be communicated by the French teacher. 

Sponsor: Mr. Kolka

Meeting Dates and Times: TBD (See Mr. Kolka)

Meeting Location: L43

Sponsor: Mr. Courturier and Mr. Peterson

Meeting Dates and Times: TBD (See sponsors)

Meeting Location: Mr. Courturier;s Room

Students will learn the basic skills and knowledge associated with gardening.

Sponsor: Mrs. Meyer

Meeting Dates and Times: Garden club has concluded for the fall. Spring dates TBD.

Meeting Location: School Garden (North Field)

Students will learn the basic skills associated with the game of golf. Students will engage in activities both at Central School and Glencoe Golf Club.

Sponsor: Mr. Valentino, Mr. Tabic

Meeting Times and Dates: 

Meeting Location: TBD

In addition to the curricular music program, a variety of musical experiences are available for students at Central School.

Sponsors: Mrs. Hanna, Mr. Pickett

Meeting Dates and Times: 6th Grade - Monday and Tuesday 7:45am - 8:15am, 7th and 8th grade Wednesday and Thursday 7:45am - 8:15am

Meeting Location: Band Room

Ekklesia - Central's Media Arts Club

Ekklesia is Greek for an assembly of Spartans.  Ekklesia is a student-run podcast that will explore their student lives and their experiences.  In Ekklesia, we will enjoy creating The SparTen list each week, where we look to create some top ten lists for our audience.  Join Ekklesia to be on air, create and edit video/audio, advertise, or for help with research skills.  Can't wait to see what you create with Ekklesia!

Sponsor: Mr. Russell

Dates: (All dates are Tuesdays and will meet at 7:30 - 8:15 AM)

Fall: 9/9, 9/16, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28

Spring: 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5

Students have the opportunity to engage in various team based and individual sports and games. 

Sponsor: Mr. Tabic

Meeting Dates and Times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:45am -8:15am

Meeting Location: Big Gym

Sponsor: Mr. Bauhs

Meeting Times and Dates: Tuesdays from 7:45am - 8:15am on the following dates: 9/30, 10/28, 11/18, 12/16, 1/6, 1/13, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10. 3/17, 3/24, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19

Meeting Location: Room 208

The Central School Robotics Team is a passionate and driven group of students who design, build, and program robots to compete in exciting tournaments. We work together to tackle complex challenges and refine our skills in engineering, coding, and teamwork. By participating in competitions, we test our creations against others and strive to push the boundaries of our innovation. Through these experiences, we gain valuable knowledge, confidence, and a love for STEM.

Sponsor: Mr. Smolka and Mr. Pituc

Meeting Dates and Times: Thursday mornings from 7:30am - 8:15am beginning September 11th.

Meeting Location: CLC

Science Olympiad is a co-curricular educational team that strives to ignite the passion for science, technology, engineering and math. A team consists of a maximum of fifteen 6^th-8^th grade students who will compete in 23 different events during a regional competition at a local community college.  Students will utilize problem solving skills, acquired academic knowledge, scientific analytical thinking and engineering design to prepare for the competition.

Sponsor: Mr. Sitz, Mrs. Dwan-Collins

Meeting Dates and Times: Wednesdays from 3:30pm - 5:00pm beginning mid October.

Meeting Location: Room 139

Spanish Club offers opportunities for 5th-8th grade Spanish students throughout the year to explore the Spanish language and Hispanic culture outside of the classroom. Stay tuned to hear from your Spanish teachers for more information on upcoming events.

Sponsor: Mrs. Guido, Mrs. Creer, Ms. Katz

Meeting Dates and Times: Various events throughout the year.

Meeting Location: Varies per event

The Student Council is the student governing body of Central School. Students may apply and those selected will assist in planning school activities, making recommendations and discussing ways to improve Central School.

This club is by application only. Applications will be distributed in advisories in early September.

Sponsor: Mr. Bauhs, Mrs. Branstrom

Meeting Dates and Times: Friday from 7:45am to 8:15am

The club is open to all grades and levels. Students will warmup and play a variety of games and have fun! Please bring your racquet if you have one. 

Sponsor: Mrs. Rose

Meeting Dates and Times: Spring, 2026 - see Mrs. Rose.

Meeting Location: Tennis Courts

Students that participate in the World Culture Club will learn important facts about countries around the globe, while celebrating each other’s heritage and developing cultural awareness. Students will participate in a variety of activities, such as games, cooking, guest speakers, crafts, music, and movies. This club is an engaging way for students to learn about different cultures, customs, geography and history.

Sponsor: Ms. Osorio

Meeting Dates and Times: 7:45am - 8:15am

11/19, 12/3, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/29, 5/16

Meeting Location: Oasis

The Central School yearbook preserves memories of friends, fun and learning throughout the school year. Students meet weekly to: create artwork for the yearbook cover, activities and home base classrooms; take photographs for candid pages; and to create and compile survey information.

Sponsor:  Mrs. Bauer and Mrs. Durkes

Meeting Dates and Times: Wednesday from 7:45am - 8:15am

Meeting Location: Room L02