Niskayuna High School Clubs and Activities

At Niskayuna High School, we believe that extracurricular clubs play an important role in the culture of our school. Our clubs supplement the academic program, provide meaningful community service opportunities, and allow students to pursue their passions.

If you have any questions regarding clubs, contact Assistant Principal Anthony Malizia at amalizia@niskyschools.org or the club’s advisor(s) listed below.

ACADEMIC RESOURCE CENTER (Peer Tutoring)

Purpose: The Academic Resource Center is a specialized club consisting of students who have been trained to offer peer-tutoring in the high school library, as well as in classrooms and resource rooms. Trained tutors staff the Academic Resource Center throughout the school day, including before and after school, and offer tutoring in all subject areas. Students who need help with academic work such as homework, quiz or test prep, or writing papers are welcome to stop by the ARC any time. No appointment necessary! Students who would like to become tutors can fill out an application in the library. Tutor training is offered in June, and additional training sessions are scheduled as necessary. Advisors: Ms. McAndrews and Dr. Moore

ALL STAR ATHLETES

Advisor: Ms. Stanton

ANIMAL WELFARE

Purpose: To raise awareness and funds for various organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, Animal Protective Foundation and Homeward Bound, that are dedicated to helping animals in need. Students will be exposed to opportunities for involvement in rewarding volunteer experiences. Advisor: Mrs. Halusic

ANIME

Purpose: To offer students an opportunity to be exposed to Japanese culture, language and art, through the media of anime and manga (movie and cartoon strips). Activities: Each Thursday the club watches episodes of an anime series, samples anime music videos, and gives lessons in drawing and Japanese language and culture. Advisors: Mr. Alcantara & Mr. Edgar

ASIAN CULTURE

Purpose: To provide opportunities for members to experience and participate in Asian cultures. Activities: Writing Chinese calligraphy, playing Chinese chess and yo-yo, tasting Asian foods, watching Japanese films and Korean drama, and listening and singing Asian pop-songs. Advisor: Ms. Yao

BADMINTON CLUB

Advisor: Mr. Bach

BEE KEEPER CLUB

Advisor: Mr. Scott

BREAKFAST BOOK CLUB

Purpose: The Breakfast Book Club is open to all students who like to
read, eat, and chat about books. We often read and discuss a book together, and we sometimes talk about books that we’re reading on our own. Advisors: Ms. Werther and Ms. Ihnatolya

BROADCASTING CLUB

Purpose: To explore TV and studio production opportunities at Niskayuna High School. Advisor: Mr. O’Connor

CHEMICAL DEMONSTRATION CLUB

Purpose: To share chemistry fun with young students within the community to foster interest in science. Advisor: Ms. Paquette

CHESS CLUB

Purpose: To provide students the opportunity to play chess in a positive and
friendly environment where they can sharpen and improve their skills. Advisor: Mr. Alcantara

CREATIVE WRITING CLUB

Purpose: This club meets regularly to support and inspire the creative writers of our school. Club members meet to engage in fun writing activities. We also sponsor NaNoWriMo and Java Jive. Activities: This club runs Java Jive, which is a night of acoustic music and poetry. Advisor: Ms. White

CROSSROADS (YEARBOOK)

Purpose: We are in charge of producing the school yearbook, Crossroads. If you are interested in design, photography, sales, editing, or a variety of other activities, this is the club to join. Creative Advisor: Mrs. Kuzniar Business Advisor: Mrs. Petralia

CULINARY CLUB

Advisor: Ms. Hawkins

DRAMA CLUB

Purpose: Drama Club is proud to present ourselves as a creative outlet for all students.  Each Wednesday, we explore the many facets of the human condition, through improvisation, classic drama and original scripted comedy.  We spark lifelong friendships and bond students with each other.   Our students collaboratively work to produce pieces that enlighten and entertain, with student directors learning alongside the student actors on the stage, the student stage crews backstage and the student ambassadors welcoming the audience to the theater.   While we actively train in creative  communication skills, teamwork, socialization and self confidence, our goal is to have FUN while maintaining respect for self, others and the values of Niskayuna High School. Advisor: Mr. Dale

ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB

Purpose: To learn about, explore, and preserve our natural environment. Activities: The Environmental Study Team ventures into the outdoors. Outings
include: hikes in the Adirondacks, stream habitat exploration, snow shoeing, wilderness camping, trail maintenance, and local habitat cleanup and restoration. Advisor: Ms. Kenny

FBLA – FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA

Purpose: FBLA – (Future Business Leaders of America) is a nationally recognized business club. This club, in conjunction with our strong business courses, prepares students for future careers in the field of business. The FBLA mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. Activities: Sports Marketing Field Trip, guest speakers, FBLA competitions, fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Halloween costume contest, and more. Advisor: Ms. Lindsay

FILM CLUB

Activities: Students watch a free film on certain Fridays. Discussion follows. All are welcome. Advisors: Mr. O’Connor and Ms. Welge

FRENCH CLUB

Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to understand and appreciate
French culture, to further spoken French on an informal basis, and enjoy social Francophone world activities together. Activities: Films, guest speakers, and food related activities. Advisor: Madame Martin

FRISBEE CLUB

The Niskayuna Ultimate Frisbee club is an inter-mural sport club which will hold practices in the spring (as allowed per district guidelines). The club will practice and may scrimmage other local schools or compete in local tournaments with a goal of attending NY State High School Championships in May. Depending on the number of students interested, ultimate has local divisions for Open, Girls, and Co-ed teams. Local activities are sponsored by the Albany Ultimate Disc Association and USA Ultimate. Ms. Lee is a 20+ year veteran of the sport and a certified ultimate coach. Advisor: Ms. Lee

GAME CLUB

Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to play video games and other games for fun. Students share strategy and discuss areas of interest related to the games. Advisor: Dr. Cloutier

GERMAN CLUB

Purpose: To plan and enjoy events, food and fun related to German language and culture. We support our long-standing exchange program with Freiherr-vom-Stein School in Hamm, Germany. Activities: Pumpkin carving contest, Nikolaustag, Waffelfest, Niska-Day and Garden Gnome Ring Toss, German American Day Parade in NYC; Spagehetti-Eis Abend, cookie baking and bake sale, and the Hamm- Niskayuna exchange program. Advisor: Ms. Prebish

HABBITAT FOR HUMANITY

Purpose: Habitat For Humanity is a global organization that works with volunteers to build homes for low-income families all over the world. Here at Niskayuna High School, our chapter is one of the very few independent high school chapters in New York State, and the only one in the Capital Region. Activities: We volunteer with local affiliates in Schenectady County and the immediate Capital Region, as well as offer domestic and international service opportunities with larger affiliates. Most importantly, our focus is to help build homes for those in need and have fun while doing it! Advisors: Mr. Bach, Ms. Halusic, and Mr. Mattice

HOPE FOR CHANGE

Purpose: The goal is to make our school a “No Place for Hate” school by educating our school community about cultures, and learning to embrace diversity. We will be celebrating world cultures with a focus on food, fashion, and will be expanding the Cultural Fair. We support creating a positive school culture by partnering with the mentors and promoting mental health wellness and “Start With Hello” week. Activities: Cultural Fair, international dance and food events. Advisor: Ms. K. Ryan

HORTICULTURAL CLUB

Purpose: To learn about the art and science of growing plants. Maintain a summer garden to donate produce to local food shelters. Activities: Annual plant growing, field trips, guest speakers, summer vegetable
gardening Advisor: Dr. Moore and Ms. Vickerson

IT STUDENT HELP DESK

Purpose: To train and empower members to answer questions, provide technical support and help direct staff and students to technology resources within the district. Activities: Staffing the I.T. Help Desk at Crossroads during the day, as scheduling allows. Advisor: Mr. Fitzgerald

KEY CLUB

Purpose: To provide service to school and community. Activities: Key Club is the high school organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing, and organizing fundraising efforts. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects, and holding leadership positions Advisors: Ms. Eads and Mr. Melito

LATIN CLUB

Purpose: To stimulate and promote interest in the Classics. Activities: Movie nights, Saturnalia celebration, field trips, food, multi-language club holiday celebrations, community service activities and Latin certamen competitions. Advisor: Ms. Miller

LIVE EXPRESSION

Purpose: Live Expression is a student-run club which organizes concerts at Niskayuna High School. Student musicians can showcase their talent in a live performance setting. These concerts are a unique opportunity for students to learn both how to perform in front of an audience and how to set up and use musical equipment. All students and all types of music are welcome at Live Expression shows, and all proceeds are donated to local charities. Advisor: Ms. Prebish

AD-MIRE PERFORMANCE CLUB

Advisor: Ms. Reittinger

MASTERMINDS

Purpose: To compete in the interscholastic MasterMinds competition. Practice and matches with trivia questions drawn from social studies, math, science, music, literature, pop culture and more. Advisor: Mr. Dickerson

MATH CLUB

Purpose: To investigate topics of math that are interesting and challenging math problems, to take advantage of mathematics in our community, and to develop the talent of solving complex math problems. Activities: Compete monthly on Math League competitions, and participate in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, Purple Comet, Euclid Math and the American Mathematics Competition. Meet weekly to challenge students with interesting think outside the box math problems that are discussed in groups and as a whole club to introduce different ways to solve the problems. Advisor: Ms. Franck

MODEL UN

Purpose: Model UN is a way for students to improve their public speaking,
debating, and problem-solving skills. Activities: Throughout the school year, Model UN has weekly meetings that focus on practice for Model UN tournaments discussing and debating current historical and world events. When debating, the students are assigned a country or person they will be representing. During the debates, the students should try to present the ideals and beliefs of their specific country or person. Advisor: Mr. Dickerson

MUSLIM STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Purpose: The MSA aims to provide a place where Muslims can be represented, heard, and supported. We work to counter negative stereotypes and erase misconceptions about Islam by educating our peers. Activities: Raise awareness of crises and world issues such as the Uyghur concentration camps and the Yemen famine, build unity among Muslims and non-Muslims, discuss important issues within and outside of the school. Advisor: Ms. Palazeke

NATIONAL ART HONOR SOCIETY

Purpose: This is an art service club that aims to use fine arts to help others in the school district, community, and Capital Region. Students work on multiple projects a year in a variety of media for a number of causes-all ideas are welcome! In the past, projects have included community murals, pet portraits for the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, redesigning the town seal to make it culturally and historically accurate, creating a coloring book for local children’s hospitals, and many more! Advisor: Ms. Romm

NICS – NISKAYUNA INTER-COMMUNITY SERVICE

Purpose: To provide service to school and community. Activities: NICS facilitates the high school picture days and two Red Cross Blood Drives, collects fruit cups for the Equinox Thanksgiving Dinner, and provides volunteer support for activities at Niskayuna schools at all levels. Advisors: Mr. O’Connell and Ms. Salvin

NISKY FRIENDS

Purpose: The Nisky Friends club is student-run friendship club which creates buddy pairs between students with and without disabilities. Nisky Friends is based upon the principles of the Best Buddies Organization, but is not limited to individuals with intellectual disabilities. We aim to create an inclusive school climate for students and a community culture of acceptance. Nisky Friends is a program where you can make lifelong friends. Through in-school meetings and hangouts, you and your friend will have time to relax, socialize, and get to know one other. Peer matches are encouraged to connect about once a week. You can play games; do homework, or just talk! Once a month we meet as a larger group to do a fun activity together with our peers. Advisors: Ms. Farquharson and Ms. Stanton

NISKY GARAGE

Advisor: Mr. Desimony

NISKAYUNA MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB

Purpose: The Niskayuna Mountain Bike Club is a group of Niskayuna students who are interested in learning about and riding mountain bikes. Club members meet for skills clinics, group rides, and learning sessions on how to fix and maintain your bike. The club will meet at various local trails to ride. Everyone and anyone is welcome and if you don’t have an adequate bike, there are some loaners to possibly borrow. Come join us enjoying the woods! Advisor: Mr. Rizzi

NISKAYUNA OUTING CLUB

Purpose: Provide interested students opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. Activities: Hikes, field trips, community service. Outings are on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Advisors: Mr. Caffrey and Mr. Ormsbee

NISKY PR Purpose:

This club will offer a fresh, new platform for the high school. Niskayuna High School is a dynamic building, alive with events that include academic offerings, sporting events, plays, musicals, art exhibitions, etc. Nisky PR will create short, informative, school based news/human interest video segments for the Niskayuna community, serving as a conduit to the activities and happenings on campus. Advisor: Ms. Millett

PEP CLUB

Advisors: Ms. MacPherson and Ms. Moscinski

POLITICAL & CURRENT EVENTS (PACE)

Purpose: PACE, or Politics and Current Events Club focuses on the issues that are facing the world today. Through discussing hot button political topics, we enhance our political knowledge, listening to perspectives besides our own. For many students this is an appropriate place to let their opinions be heard and responded to without the consequences of discussing politics one would face normally. Through hearing points from all sides of an issue, many times we are able to reach a solution that we believe will work in real life. Advisor: Mr. Peters

ROBOTICS

Purpose: The Niskayuna Robotics Club strives to nurture a passion for robotics in
students and teach them useful skills in math, science and technology. By doing so, we hope to foster an interest in pursuing robotics or other related fields after high school, as well as teach important skills in real world problem solving and teamwork. Activities: The Niskayuna Robotics Club designs and constructs robots that compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge competition, an international competition that stresses innovation and teamwork. The Robotics Club also conducts outreach programs to nurture a passion for STEM in our community. Advisor: Mr. Petrone

ROCKETRY CLUB

Advisor: Mr. Delano

SAPE – STUDENTS ADVOCATING FOR A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Purpose: Students actively taking a role to improve the climate of the high school and community. Advisors: Ms. Workman and Ms. Lehmann

SCIENCE BOWL

Purpose: To organize and prepare a Niskayuna High School Team for the
Regional Science Bowl competition which occurs every year in mid March. Advisor: Ms. Kenny

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Purpose: To give students with an interest in science the opportunity to test their knowledge and skills through competition with other schools. Activities: Science Olympiad is a very active TEAM throughout the year. In the beginning of the year students assemble to indicate their interest in the team. There are over 20 events that students compete in which are established at the National Science Olympiad each year. (In September they are released and teams must register in their state to compete at a regional level.) The top teams from a region go on to compete at a state level then the top state teams will go on to compete at a national level. The competition is comprised of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Only 15 students are allowed on a team (with a maximum of 7 seniors) and each student must compete in several events. The students need to study, prepare information relevant for their topic, and build and operate devices. Advisors: TBD

THE SILVER SCRIBE – SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

Purpose: The Silver Scribe provides interested students with an opportunity to work on a paper. Activities: Writing, editing and publishing a school paper; students can also work on advertising, art and illustration, cartooning and photo journalism– excellent opportunity to develop leadership and communication skills. Advisors: Mr. Edgar and Mr. Banaszewski

SISTERS IN SOLIDARITY

Purpose: Sisters in Solidarity (SIS) is a club centered on women of color and their allies. The club’s goal is to build lasting connections, encourage healthy debate and conversation about a wide range of hot button topics, and create an environment of respect, understanding, and inclusiveness in the student body. SIS is open to students of ALL backgrounds or political affiliations. Activities: SIS conducts debates, discussions, activities and self-defense meetings. Advisor: Ms. Nunez

SPANISH CLUB

Purpose: To encourage and promote the appreciation of Spanish culture and
language. Activities: Preparing typical foods and crafts, welcoming our Spanish exchange partners and participating in field trips that highlight awareness of the Hispanic culture. Advisors: Ms. Gardiner and Ms. Linehan

START RECYCLING CLUB

Advisor: Mr. Scott

STOCK MARKET CLUB

Purpose: Students discuss, learn and practice trading stocks. Every year we compete in a contest where students can trade stocks in a real world simulation of the stock market, alongside competing with each other. There is a prize pool for first, second or third places in the contest. It’s very easy for anyone to get started so anyone can join! Advisor: Mr. Eichfeld

STUDENT CONGRESS

Purpose: Provide a means of expressing student views, address issues and
grievances brought to it, provide a means through which students may participate in making decisions that affect them in school, provide a means through which students can learn how to create, develop, organize, & direct their affairs in a democratic community. Advisor: Mr. Mattice

UNICEF

Purpose: UNICEF Niskayuna High School chapter: As an officially recognized high school chapter of UNICEF, our club raises funds during the year and then donates the money to the international organization for disbursement. UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children’s rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. Advisor: Mr. Lester

VISIBILITY

Purpose: Visibility is Niskayuna High School’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance).
We are here to raise awareness about the LGBTQ community and provide a safe space for LGBTQ people and their allies. We promote acceptance and kindness, while working to end bullying in the school, the community and the world. Visibility-SAGA accepts everyone no matter their sexuality or gender. Activities: Participates in national holidays related to the LGBTQ+ community such as Transgender Day of Remembrance (candle light ceremony) and National Day of Silence (celebrated in conjunction with the Pride Center in Albany), Ally Week, and Spirit Day. Educates classmates in high school, middle schools (in health classes) and the community about the LGBTQ community and works to prevent bullying. Bring in speakers from the LGBTQ community on a regular basis. Advisor: Ms. Oppenheimer

WARRIOR PROJECT

Purpose: The Warrior Project is a prevention based club within NHS focusing on positive social norming, school spirit, elite performance and a commitment to a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. Students are nominated by their coaches. Activities: Pep Rally, Lift Off, bringing speakers to the student body re: substance use and fundraising for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Warrior Project is a high school affiliate of the Wounded Warrior Project. Advisor: Ms. Nunez

YOGA AND WELLNESS CLUB

Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to participate in and practice
yoga and meditation. We welcome all levels of yoga practitioners. Advisor: Ms. McCarty

PILOT CLUBS

HUMAN BIOLOGY CLUB

Purpose: To inspire students to learn about and pursue a career in or related to biology and the medical sciences. To give students a space to explore, learn about, and experience this field through educational opportunities, research, and volunteer work. Advisor: Mr. Ormsbee

JEWISH HERITAGE CLUB

Purpose: To educate students about Jewish issues and holidays. All are welcome. Advisor: TBD

LINGUISTICS CLUB

Purpose: Practicing for the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad and study of linguistic concepts. Advisor: Ms. Miller

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS CLUB

Advisor: Ms. Minnitti

WOMEN IN STEM

Purpose: To empower girls to pursue careers in STEM, address the gender gap in the STEM workforce, and build career awareness in scientific fields. Advisor: Ms. Kenny

CLASS ADVISORS:

CLASS OF 2022 – Ms. Richard and Ms. Weidman
CLASS OF 2023 – Ms. Cote and Ms. Minnitti
CLASS OF 2024 – Ms. DeRocco and Mr. Eichfeld
CLASS OF 2025 – Ms. Christou and Ms. Martin