Activities

Battle of the Books

Sponsor: Heather Fleming

Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program that is organized by the Alaska Association of School Librarians. It has been taking place in Alaska since 1981! More information, including the list of titles for this school year, is available on the Mears Battle of the Books website. Multiple copies of each book are available in the Mears library. Practices are held during lunch and start in September.

Black Cat Cafe

Sponsor: 

As part of the School Business Partnership class, students will become certified barristas, making lattes, smoothies, italian ices and custom hot chocolates for staff and students in partnership with Cafe D'Arte.

Chess Club

Sponsor: Ben Armentrout

Students of all abilities are welcome. "It's not about Kings, Queens, and Rooks, but rather, quadrants and coordinates, thinking strategically and foreseeing consequences. It's about lines and angles, weighing options and making decisions. Chess might just be the perfect teaching and learning tool. The game of chess increases higher level thinking skills, advance math and reading skills, and builds self-confidence."  Wendi Fischer, Scholastic Director of America’s Foundation for Chess, in the article The Educational Value of Chess, Feb. 2015.

Creative Writing Contest

Sponsor: Thomas Pease

Practice your writing skills and show off your creativity! A new writing prompt is released at the beginning of each month on the Creative Writing web site. Entries are due at the end of the month. Entries are submitted through the Panther Participation Canvas hub.

Geography Bee

Sponsor: Social Studies department

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to inspire students to be curious about the world. Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging competition. National Geo Bee

Jazz Band

Sponsor: Jason Edwards

An in-depth study of jazz music. Jazz Band is taught during Zero Hour at Mears. That means, it starts at 7:15 AM and ends at 8:00 AM.

Math Counts

Sponsor: 

In our increasingly technological society, those students who do not begin developing strong problem-solving, logical thinking and analytical abilities in middle school will face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a medical, scientific, mathematical, engineering or technical career. MATHCOUNTS prepares students for future career opportunities and success. More than 6 million students across the U.S. have participated in the MATHCOUNTS program. National website for MathCounts

Mears READS

Sponsor: Heather Fleming

This is a traditional book club format.  At each meeting we discuss and do activities relating to the book we are reading. When we finish a book, we choose a new book to read. Everyone are welcome to join!

Memory Book (Yearbook)

Sponsor: Holly Barclay

This is an after school activity held from October to late March. Students will foster creativity, gain experience with technology, and display a basic knowledge of photography and layout and design by producing the Mears Memory Book. Self and peer critiquing skills will be acquired as well as work ethics, such as meeting deadlines.

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)

Sponsor: Mia Sison

NJHS is a prestigious organization, providing leadership opportunities for students who demonstrate excellence in four areas: Citizenship, Scholarship, Leadership, and Character. Nominations for participation go out in the Spring of each school year.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

Sponsor: Ben Armentrout

NaNoWriMo is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create! 

Peterson Bay Field Trip

Sponsor: Science Dept. 

The Peterson Bay Field Station is operated by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, Alaska. For more information about the field station please visit their website. Peterson Bay Field Station

Science Olympiad

Sponsor: Brandon York

Science Olympiad gives students the opportunity to challenge themselves in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by working together in teams to learn new skills.

Smart Girls Rock!

Sponsor: Joanna Hubbard

Mears has been invited to participate in this one day conference for several years. Smart Girls Rock! is an annual event, it is the brainchild of Dimond teachers Lea Bouton and Jennifer Childress and also, 3M Engineer Julie Morman. The afternoon conference gives students the chance to network with local female engineers to discover the opportunities available in the engineering field. 

Spelling Bee

Sponsor: Greg Ross

The Scripps National Spelling Bee web site states "Our purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives."

National website SpellingBee

The Mears competition will be held on February 27, 2020.

Student Advisory Board

Sponsor: 

The Student Advisory Board advises the principal and vice principal of Mears on issues that affect our school community, the school district, and the community at large. Students are recommended by their team teachers to be a part of the SAB.

YWCA Youth Empowerment Conference

Sponsor: 

The conference is one of several Youth Empowerment Programs sponsored by the YWCA. Teams nominate students to attend the conference. The mission of the YWCA Youth Empowerment Programs is: "Cultivating courageous, critical thinking youth through Youth Empowerment Programs."