Extracurricular Clubs/Affinity Groups

Art Club is open to all middle school students who enjoy art. Members will be given an opportunity to experiment with a variety of art media while relaxing and socializing and work on projects that would not normally be presented in their regular art class.

Art club will meet every other Tuesday after school in room 154.

Advisor: Mrs. Sharon Frankenfield
sfrankenfield@wsdweb.org

The Asian Student Association is a specialized affinity homeroom for 8th grade students to share and celebrate their Asian heritage, culture and identity. This is a safe space for students to share their experiences and ideas for ways to show their pride in their Asian heritage. We will also be focusing on ways to use our voices to advocate for the Asian American student experience in the Wissahickon School District. There will be opportunities to collaborate with the high school club. All are welcome! Interested students/parents should contact the advisor. Meetings are held during Trojan Time, Day 1, in room 271.

Advisor: Helen Lee and Marla John
hlee@wsdweb.org and mjohn@wsdweb.org

WMS Concert Band: Open to all students in grades 6-8. Students learn and play their instruments during band practice and attend mandatory concerts. Practice takes place during the school day.

WMS Marching Band: Open to all students grades 6-8. We perform at several community events each year and culminate with a performance at Citizen’s Bank Park before a spring Phillies Game.

Black Dog Jazz Band: Open to all students grades 6-8. All students interested audition to be in this band. We perform very often from through the winter and spring. Our busiest performance schedule includes weekly competitions where judges listen to our band and give feedback to improve on our playing. We compete against other local middle schools for section and solo awards.

Meetings are held during Trojan Time on Day 2 + rehearsal in the evening - Wednesdays 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. This group holds auditions in early October and begins in mid-October.  It runs through the end of the school year.

Blues Dog Band: Open to all students grades 6-8. This is our more “beginner” jazz band. We welcome all students from all ability levels. This band is all about learning to play our instruments better through jazz and learning the basics of Jazz Music. In the past, this band has competed at 1 or 2 competitions, depending on the level of the band.

Meetings are held after school every other Tuesday.  This group will begin in November and run through May.

Advisor: Travis Hill, room 170
thill@wsdweb.org

Boys Who Code is open to boys in grades 6-8 who are interested in writing code and/or learning how to code. Students will use what they learn to create an app or website that will benefit the community. This club meets after school every Thursday, September through January, in room 265.

Advisor: Mrs. Rachubinski
krachubinski@wsdweb.org

Learn the fundamentals of cheerleading in a virtual format in this social group designed to promote school spirit. School spirit required!

Sign ups are ongoing. Meetings are held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, September through January, in the Atrium.

Advisor: Ms. Pike
npike@wsdweb.org

All are invited to join Chess Club!  Beginners and experts are all welcome! We have lots of chess sets and will have individual matches and tournaments. If you are new to chess, it is a great opportunity to learn. If you are experienced, it is a great opportunity to practice.

Sign ups are in February. Meetings are held every Tuesday and Thursday after school in room 265.

Advisor: Mrs. Rachubinski
krachubinski@wsdweb.org

The WMS Chorus is a yearlong activity and includes two concerts, one in December and one in May. Chorus is a graded course and students meet once during each six day cycle. Students can participate in the Sixth Grade Chorus and the Seventh/Eighth Grade Chorus without auditioning. Select Chorus is open to interested Seventh/Eighth Grade Chorus students, by audition only.

Advisor: Sue Brown, room 162
sbrown@wsdweb.org

Conectados is a homeroom for 7^th and 8^th students . This is a safe space for students to share and celebrate Hispanic/Latinx heritage and culture and show pride in the Hispanic/Latino Culture such as creating crafts, celebrating holidays and dancing. (e.g. we have decorated the atrium for Hispanic Heritage Month and made sugar skulls). We try our best to show pride in our heritage and help students advocate for themselves. We also plan to connect with the high school Hispanic/Latinx group.

Talk to your counselor to join the group. Meetings are held during Trojan Time, Day 1, in room 156.

Advisors: Mrs. Huttie and Mrs. Acevedo-Cordon
ehuttie@wsdweb.org and eacevedocordon@wsdweb.org

Open to all 6th graders interested in performing a musical production. Students will be involved in memorizing their lines, rehearsing songs and performing choreography.

Meetings are held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 162.

Advisor: Sue Brown
sbrown@wsdweb.org

Open to all 7th/8th students interested in performing a musical production. Students will be involved in memorizing their lines, rehearsing songs and performing choreography. Students help in creating the set and advertising the show during their lunch periods. Parents also may help with set, prop and costume design!

Meetings are held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 162. 

Advisor: Sue Brown
sbrown@wsdweb.org

This yearlong club is open to beginners and advanced players. Meetings will be held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 250.

Advisor: Mr. Yost
wyost@wsdweb.org

Girls Who Code is open to girls in grades 6-8 who are interested in writing code and/or learning how to code. Students will use what they learn to create an app or website that will benefit the community. Meetings are held after school every Tuesday from September through January in room 265.

Advisor: Mrs. Rachubinski
krachubinski@wsdweb.org

The GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) group provides support, activities, and a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies.  It’s open to 7^th and 8^th graders, and some 6^th graders join us informally to see if they would like to be part of the group in 7^th and 8th grade. Anyone who would like to join needs to contact their school counselor to be added to the group.  We meet during the school day, and welcome new members! 

Meetings are held during Trojan Time, Day 2, in room 235.

Advisor: Ms. Test
atest@wsdweb.org

This club is dedicated to helping students manage, complete and organize their homework and/or overdue assignments to become more successful in school. The club helps with test preparation as well as completion of projects. Students meet in the library on Tuesday and Thursdays beginning in early October through May. Students must contact their counselor and complete a form to be eligible.

Contact Information

Advisors: School Counseling Department

6th Grade: Steven Ebert
School Counselor/Teacher
sebert@wsdweb.org

7th grade: Rebecca Agler
School Counselor/Teacher
ragler@wsdweb.org

8th grade: Suzanne Romano
School Counselor/Teacher
sromano@wsdweb.org

Additional support: Courtney Fenstermacher
Resource School Counselor
cfenstermacher@wsdweb.org

The Interact Club gives students a chance to make a real difference while having fun. There are at least two service projects per year: one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Collecting school supplies for the WAC Homework Club and collecting money for supplies that will go to the school that WMS helped build in Africa are some examples of club projects. Interact meets at least once a month in room 203 and is sponsored by the Blue Bell Rotary club.

Advisor: Caeli Ann Duke
cduke@wsdweb.org

The intramural sports program offered to all sixth grade students provides physical activities in a safe, fun atmosphere. Participating sixth graders can rekindle old relationships from their elementary school and make new friends at WMS. There are two annual sessions - fall and spring - which run 6-8 weeks. Meetings are held Tuesdays and Thursdays after school in Gym 1.

Advisor: Kelly Rosa-Bian
krosa-bian@wsdweb.org

This program is to help students build connections and promote academic achievement while building leadership skills. Student leaders provide a positive influence in the Wissahickon Community.

Meetings are held during Trojan Time Day 5 in room 174.

Advisor: Mr. Cline
rcline@wsdweb.org

The Lit Magazine fosters student interest in the modern literary world. Students read and analyze extra-curricular texts, compose short fiction and poetry pieces for peer review, critique works of fiction and poetry, conduct interviews and nonfiction pieces. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to essay and short fiction contests. The end result of these efforts is housed at WMSlitmag.com. The students commonly receive over 1,000 page views per edition. The final edition of the school year is posted concurrent with the art show and features student compositions that are inspired by modern works of art.

Meetings are after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 272.

Advisor: Chad Towarnicki
ctowarnicki@wsdweb.org

The award-winning MathCounts Program and Club engages sixth, seventh and eighth graders in non-traditional problem solving every year. Meeting multiple times a week year-round, the MathCounts Club has been recognized nationally as a Gold Level Club for thirteen consecutive years (as of 2020) – a distinction shared by no other school in the state of Pennsylvania. Since the club’s inception, members of the MathCounts Competition Team - a separate entity from the club - have competed at the regional, state and national level.

Meetings are held September through November and March through June on Tuesdays after school in room 256.

Advisor: Troy Deckebach
tdeckebach@wsdweb.org

MCIU Reading Olympics is a countywide reading event that encourages students to increase the quality and quantity of books they read for enjoyment. The Reading Olympics Program is based upon the belief that good reading habits form the foundation for a productive and successful life. This program is currently active in schools in Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Montgomery Counties. In 2019, over 6,000 Montgomery County students participated in the Reading Olympics.

Meetings are held during Trojan Time Day 4 in the library.

2025 Middle School Book List

Advisors: Ms. Donohue and Ms. Meehl
kdonohue@wsdweb.org and dmeehl@wsdweb.org

Open to all students who are interested in working with and learning more about robotics. Meetings are held afterschool on Tuesday and Thursdays in the Maker Space in the library.

Advisor: Mr. Chris Hentschel and Ms. Connie Ford
chentschel@wsdweb.org and cford@wsdweb.org

Strings is open to all middle school students who are interested in playing in the String Orchestra. Instruments include the violin, viola, cello or bass. Students engage in a variety of performances throughout the year.

Advisor: Kathleen Gibson
kgibson@wsdweb.org

Student Council provides students with the opportunity to participate in a form of representative government within their school setting. Officers and representatives are elected by the student body. Student Council plans fun activities and events to benefit WMS students.

Meetings are held during Trojan Time Day 4 in room 203.

Advisor: Ms. Duke
cduke@wsdweb.org

What is VOICES? 

VOICES (Voice Out In Current Events) is a group of people who have different viewpoints on the world meeting to talk about issues impacting the world, and how we can work to change them in our own school environment. We meet every Tuesday after school in Room 123. 

VOICES Goals:

To continue fostering a community of inquiry and action; to grow our membership and ways of impacting the WMS community; to deepen our abilities to understand and discuss complex topics with a stance of open-mindedness, compassion and empathy; to effect positive change in the WMS community, and collaborate with other people/groups also invested in doing so!

Advisor: Mrs. Horwitz
shorwitz@wsdweb.org

This after school club matches students in a friendship between students with and without disabilities. Being involved in the program is a unique experience and is all about having fun while making connections with both the school and outside community. Students participate in monthly trips and activities after school, including team building activities, fun arts and crafts, and community service projects. Wiss Pals has helped to build a stronger school community of students willing to reach out to others and make a difference.

Meetings are held during Trojan Time Day 5 in room 155.

Advisor: Ms. Bates and Mr. Kanopka
cbates@wsdweb.org and lkanopka@wsdweb.org

The Yearbook Club is a yearlong commitment that culminates with the production of the annual yearbook. Students meet on a regular basis and are responsible for obtaining photographs of all 80 homerooms for all grades, designing the yearbook cover and implementing the design and flow of the book.

Meetings are held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 270.

Advisor: Jamie Blau and Emilie Mehler
jblau@wsdweb.org and emehler@wsdweb.org