Extracurricular Activities
We understand our students have a variety of interests, so we invite all students to learn more about the different clubs we have to offer. We’ve got something for everybody!
Athletics
We believe athletics competition and activities are an integral part of the total learning experience. We encourage participation and promote and foster the spirit of goodwill, cooperation, and sportsmanship.
Fine Arts
Studies show that the integration of fine arts improves test scores in core subjects like math, science, and English. We’re delighted to offer the following fine arts programs:
- Art
- Band
- Chorus
- Orchestra
Clubs & Activities
Take a look at our before and after school activities:
Students will be able to participate in organized games of co-ed basketball and/or handball.
Forms will be in the main office and given out to students in PE classes. The Club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, beginning on November 27 through December 20.
Signup Date: Second week of November
Students in this club will engage in a social justice book club alongside a partner middle school from a different city/town. Partner school TBA. We will select the book with input from students, and with input from both schools’ library media specialists.
Students from both schools will meet virtually to discuss the book two-three times over the course of the year. The culminating experience will be where ERMS students host the students from the partner school at ERMS for a day of conversation and friendship, allowing for connections free from social constructs.
Club will meet periodically (five to seven meetings) throughout the year both in school and/or after school. This is definitely a club that you can do in addition to other commitments.
Sign up by emailing Ms. Anderson.
The chamber orchestra is an ensemble that combines students across grades six through eight. The Chamber Orchestra is comprised of both ERMS and SRMS students but is made of only string players and is typically a smaller-sized group. Chamber Orchestra performs at the Grade Level Strings concert in December, at the Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Concert in the spring, and also at our Fantastic Festivals field trip in June. They typically perform three pieces per concert.
Students sign up to audition for this ensemble. They are able to sign up for auditions through the music teacher’s website. Auditions are typically held once per year. This ensemble meets Wednesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. Rehearsals begin the week of September 4.
Signup Date: Auditions take place in June for the following year.
Chamber Singers is an auditioned, extracurricular chorus made up of selected students in grades six through eight. Typically, this group performs at the Veterans Day assembly, a winter concert, a spring concert, and a competition festival in June.
Any ERMS student who is enrolled in chorus, band, or orchestra may audition for this group. Students who were in Chamber Singers last year are automatically enrolled and do not need to audition again. Chamber singers will meet on Monday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. beginning on September 11.
Signup Date: Please contact Dr. Russell for audition information.
An opportunity for students to explore computer science in order to nurture their problem-solving skills, logic and creativity, and help build the foundation for success in any 21st century career path.
Club will meet twice a month on Mondays after school from 3:00 until 3:45 p.m. starting on October 16.
Sign up by emailing Jonathan Ellis.
ERMS Cross Country members will work on improving their running stamina and speed over the course of the season. Practices will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Additionally, Meets throughout the season will allow students to gain experience competing with other local school districts.
The XC practice calendar and other important forms are available in this form: Cross Country Intramural Form 2023–2024.
ERMS XC Google Classroom
Joining Code: irixmka
Our season will begin on Wednesday, September 6 and will continue through Wednesday, November 1. The state championship is November 4.
Do you like to learn about and discuss important ideas? Then this is the club for you! Students will work together as teams to polish skills in public speaking, research, and debate. In addition to weekly meetings, this club will require additional independent time to research, organize, and practice debate techniques.
Debate club is open to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.
Details to follow. Interested students/families can email Marc Perry.
Dungeons & Dragons is a collaborative storytelling game in which players can create their own characters and set out together on a fantastic adventure.
One player takes the role of the Dungeon Master (DM) and guides the story, describing its settings and inventing challenges for the other players’ characters to overcome.
The DM is the narrator. The other players imagine that they are the characters they have created as they explore the game-world and shape the story by making choices along the way. Open-ended, a D&D adventure can continue for hours, days, weeks, or even longer, limited only by the power of the participants’ imaginations.
Club will meet at least twice a month with meeting days determined based on the availability of participants. Monday-Wednesday after school from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. No meetings on Thursday or Friday.
Sign up by emailing Mr. Hougasian.
No experience needed… open to everyone.
The ERMS Musical takes place each year in the spring. Students participate in many facets, including singing, dancing, acting, and stage crew. Our student-run stage crew manages the lights, scene changes, props, sound system and microphones.
Students sign-up in early November to audition for Cast. Rehearsals are generally after school from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Fridays, from mid-December until March. Rehearsals are every day during Tech Week, the week leading up to the show. This year’s show dates are April 5 and 6.
Students interested in stage crew also sign up and begin their roles in mid-January.
Players will learn and practice the skills associated with flag football. Time will be allotted for drills, conditioning, and gameplay.
Forms are located on the ERMS website, in the gym, and in the main office. Practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:50 to 4:00 p.m. in September beginning on September 6 and ending on September 27.
Signup Date: first week of school
This club provides a safe space for students to talk about topics and current events related to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) individuals and families. The aim is to educate and promote school-wide and community understanding of LGBTQ issues, including discussing and planning strategies for improving school climate regarding name-calling, bullying, and harassment of LGBTQ students, their families, and their allies. This club is currently in place at RHS. It is our hope that GSA will foster friendships for our middle school students. Members are also involved in planning the Ridgefield Pride in The Park event. We will also be meeting with clubs from other schools.
The club meetings will be determined based upon members availability. In the past we have had morning and afternoon meetings.
Please complete the GSA sign-up form if you are interested in more information. Google Classroom code: 5tto2bi.
Meetings begin in October.
Students may also stop by room 104 or 118 at any time for more information! For more information contact us via email.
Homework Club is a place for students to work on their homework, reading, and other projects in a casual setting. Students can work collaboratively and quietly discuss their work. They’ll be able to seek support from their peers and the teacher. Students need to be working on homework or school projects to participate.
Homework Club is a club that is open to all East Ridge students. Homework Club meets on Mondays from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. beginning on October 2. Signup Date: No sign-up is necessary.
Extracurricular ensemble that performs various styles of jazz and rock music. This group performs at the RHS Funkraiser, a winter concert, a spring concert, and the VPA festival in the spring. Members of the ERMS Jazz Band may also play as a pep band for school events in the spring.
Any ERMS student may audition for this group. Instrumentation is limited to that of a typical jazz ensemble. Jazz Band will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., beginning September 13.
Signup Date: Please contact Mrs. Brown for audition information.
Knitting and Crocheting Club is for students who want to learn these crafts and make beautiful items from yarn. Students will have fun becoming makers, learning new stitches, and creating items to keep, share with family and friends, and donate to charity. All levels are welcome, especially beginners!
The club will meet on Mondays from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the LLC. Meetings run from October to May. For more information, contact Sara Dalton.
Crochet and Knitting Club Google Classroom
Joining Code: fyktssm
The Morning Show is the daily newscast that keeps students and staff informed of the “what’s happenings” at ERMS and other newsworthy topics.
Eighth graders can form their own group of three or four and see Mrs. Anderson. Schedule is determined based on the number of students.
Signup Date: Ongoing
This club goal is to create an inclusive and equitable school climate. It is student driven. Three key points are:
- Building inclusive and safe communities in which respect and equality are the goals and where all students can thrive
- Empowering students, faculty, administration, and family members to take a stand against bias and bullying
- Sending a clear, unified message that all students have a place where they belong and should be treated equitably
- A program created by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
Students may also stop by room 104 or 206 at any time for more information!
For more information, contact Maureen Tyra or Mike Hougasian, see our No Place for Hate flyer, or visit our No Place for Hate website.
Symphonic String Sectionals is a combination of players across grades six through eight. This group targets specific sections of the chamber and symphonic orchestras to work on section specific repertoire.
Students sign up to audition for this ensemble. They are able to sign up for auditions through the music teacher’s website. Auditions are held three times a year. Information is available by contacting Mr. Peters directly.
Signup Date: Auditions are June, September, and December
Outside the Lines is a club for students that are artistically inclined. It will focus on creative writing, drawing, and amateur photography. Each week, we will focus on a different topic and method of creating. We will work together to produce a cumulative project at the end of the school year. *We do not discriminate against art forms, so songwriting and musical collaboration are also welcome.
The club meets on Wednesdays, beginning October 18, from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. The club runs from October 18 to May 1.
Sign up: email Ms. Seewald or Ms. deMello
ERMS running club members will work on improving their fitness, running stamina and speed over the course of the season. Practices will be held twice a week on days TBD, beginning after April break through the end of the school year.
The running calendar and other important forms are available on our XC Google Classroom at the beginning of April.
ERMS XC Google Classroom
Joining Code: irixmka
STEM club is a student-directed, experiential group of students. Past examples of activities are 3D scanning and printing, computer-aided drafting, coding, augmented reality interfaces, gardening, simple circuitry design, and Arduino programming.
Sign-up is completed using a google form. The form can be found on every teacher’s website. Here is the form.
The club meets on Mondays from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
- September 18
- October 2
- October 16
- October 30
- November 13
- November 27
- December 18
- January 22
- February 5
- February 26
- March 11
- March 25
- April 8
- April 29
- May 13
- June 3
Promote school community through spirit days, fundraisers, special school-wide events, and student and faculty events. Manage school store. All are welcome.
Any student may attend when they can. The club meets every Wednesday from 2:55 to 3:40 p.m. First meeting: September 27, 2023.
Signup Date: No sign-up necessary
The symphonic orchestra is an ensemble that combines students across grades six through eight. The symphonic orchestra combines both wind and string players from both ERMS and SRMS and is made up of approximately 100 musicians.
Students sign up to audition for this ensemble. They are able to sign up for auditions through the music teacher’s website. This ensemble meets on Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. Meetings begin the week of September 4.
Signup Date: Auditions are June, September, and December
Extracurricular ensemble that performs challenging wind band literature. Typically, this group performs at the Veterans Day assembly, a winter concert, a spring concert, and a competition festival in June.
Any ERMS student who is taking band, orchestra, or chorus may audition for this group. Instrumentation is limited to that found in a standard wind band. Wind Ensemble will meet at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesdays starting on September 12.
Signup Date: Please contact Mrs. Brown for audition information.
All ERMS students are welcome to join the Yearbook Club. Students help to organize the structure and format for this year’s yearbook. Be part of a team that likes to be creative and highlight the activities and day to day functions of ERMS.
Students may sign up for yearbook by completing this form: Yearbook Sign-Up
The club meets twice a month on select Tuesdays, September 19 to April 9. The first meeting is on September 19.