Student Clubs

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Student Clubs & Activities

A positive school culture improves educational outcomes for students and can have a profound impact on a student's overall success. All of our community members contribute to the creation of our culture, which helps Portledge have a sense of continuity, positive energy, and strong morale. Portledge aligns all non-academic offerings to create a wide range of choices that promote character development, enhance leadership opportunities, and encourage and maximize student participation throughout the school.

Please note that clubs run depending on student engagement and interest and club offerings change year by year.

Robotics Teams

A sampling of Portledge Student Clubs

List of 15 frequently asked questions.

  • Community Service Club

    The Community Service Club will educate and enlighten students about various volunteer options and will assist them in getting started. Volunteering allows students to serve their communities while also feeling rewarded and good about what they're doing. We will help students sign up for and complete specific application processes, as well as provide advice on how to conduct interviews and sign up for amazing volunteer opportunities. This club will teach Portledge students the value of giving back and the process of becoming a volunteer, which will benefit the wider community because Portledge students will be directly serving the community.

  • Civil Discourse & Ethics Club

    Civil Discourse is formally defined as the “engagement in discourse intended to enhance understanding”. Our club strives to foster an inclusive and diverse space for conversations ranging from all fields of contemporary discourse (geopolitics, social issues, philosophy, etc.) with the intent of promoting mutual understanding and bridging divides across spectrums of thought. In said discussions, we will abandon the notions of “winner” and “loser” as civil discourse is not a debate but instead a space for good faith discussion, which ideally will lead to all participants of the community winning. 

  • Asian American Association

    The Asian American Association at Portledge endeavors to celebrate and inform others about Asian culture, accomplishments, and the sociopolitical issues that Asians and Asian Americans must face. The Asian American Association aspires to help students develop into future leaders who are not afraid to voice their opinions or express their ideas on the present issues in today’s society. Because the Portledge student body comprises both Asian American students and students from Asia, we find it particularly important to offer room to explore both of these similar, yet also very different, experiences together in conversation. The Asian American Association will be a welcoming and safe space that brings together both the AAPI and international Asian communities at Portledge, along with any students who want to become more aware of the AAPI community. Overall, the Asian American Association will be a welcoming and safe space to all that aims to spread awareness of Asian culture and help address the political and social obstacles that Asian students are forced to overcome. 

  • AYLUS

    Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States (AYLUS) is a club that holds various community service events dedicated to helping the environment. Every two weeks we gather students to participate in community service opportunities, such as fundraising for charities that help the environment or clearing invasive plants. Our goal is to help bring the Portledge community together by fostering care for the Earth.

  • Robotics Teams

    The mission of the Portledge School Robotics Program is for student members to learn how to design, build, and program robots while developing problem-solving, organizational, and team-building skills. Upper School Student Teams (grades 9-12) participate in the yearly FIRST Tech Challenge competition to apply and hone their skills. Middle School Students (grades 6-8) participate in the FIRST LEGO League: Challenge competition.

    Find out more here.

  • Current Events Club

    Fostering Non-Judgmental Discourse.
    At the Current Events Club, our foremost mission is to cultivate an environment of non-judgmental discussion. In an era where the world is increasingly interconnected and complex, it is vital that we provide a safe and inclusive space for individuals to share their thoughts and opinions without fear of judgment. We believe that respectful dialogue is the foundation upon which we can build understanding and empathy. This commitment to open-mindedness forms the core of our club's purpose.

    Nurturing In-Depth Conversations
    Our club has a rich history of hosting regular meetings where we engage in vibrant conversations about even the simplest current events. These discussions have served as invaluable platforms for our members to explore various perspectives, enhancing their critical-thinking skills and broadening their horizons. By dissecting everyday news, we have consistently demonstrated that there is depth in the seemingly ordinary.
     
    Enhancing Organizational Excellence
    As we usher in a new era with fresh leadership, we are dedicated to making the Current Events Club even more organized and impactful. Building on the legacy of our past leaders, we envision a club that operates efficiently and effectively, allowing us to delve deeper into complex global issues. By introducing improved systems and structures, we aim to create an environment where members can fully realize the benefits of informed discussions and informed actions. Through our commitment to being organized, we intend to elevate the club's impact and engagement within the Portledge community and beyond.

  • Math Team

    The Portledge School Math Team provides a space where people who are inquisitive and excited about mathematics practice and enhance their mathematical skills. The club hosts County and New York State math competitions that occur after school, as well as weekly meetings. Additionally, we will be competing at the Nassau Mathematics Tournament (NMT) in February 2024. Our members actively help the entire Portledge community share the joy of mathematics. We share our ideas and collaborate with those around us regarding what we know and what we want to learn, helping our community and world develop a love for mathematics.

  • Black Student Union

    Creating a safe and comfortable space for our black students to feel heard, respected, and appreciated by educating others on black culture and issues, but also celebrating black culture and success.

  • Mock Trial

    Mock Trial is a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and highly competitive academic team that uses critical thinking, memorization, and role plays, as well as strong writing and acting skills to create and perform both the prosecutorial and defense versions of a fictitious trial created by the New York State Bar Association. The club will compete first in local rounds against other high schools in Nassau County, and, if successful, can advance to compete against schools statewide until one team wins the final round in Albany. Members are expected to attend all meetings, and, in addition to writing, or helping to write and/or proofread original scripts for the two sides of the trial, must prepare to either perform or understudy a witness or lawyer role, or accept and dedicate themselves to secretarial and/or timekeeping roles. For more information about Mock Trial, please visit the following website: https://nysba.org/nys-mock-trial/

  • Sustainable Business Club 

    The Sustainability Business Club is dedicated to building a dynamic community of students with diverse backgrounds, interests, and abilities curious about business and sustainable practices. Our mission is to make a positive and sustainable impact on our school and local community. Companies such as GE, Apple, Amazon, Toms, and Tesla are increasingly focussing on sustainability, and Club members will explore how companies reduce their carbon footprint and implement practices to shift consumer awareness of eco-friendly products. The Club would allow students interested in real estate, architecture, environmental issues, policy-making, and building a better future to discuss how sustainability can benefit companies and society. We will explore how a company impacts the environment and its sustainability challenges through discussions, projects, and guest speakers. Topics may include what a sustainable business is, why the Paris Agreement is significant, ways to reduce our carbon footprint and the investment potential in green energy stocks. By sharing ideas, our club will propose sustainable and green solutions to local businesses and organizations to help them become more eco-friendly. We hope to make a difference to ensure a brighter future for us all.

  • Science Olympiad

    The mission of Science Olympiad Organization: Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing student interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. These goals are achieved by participating in Science Olympiad tournaments, incorporating Science Olympiad into the classroom curriculum, and attending professional development

  • STEM Club

    Our club will provide students with more STEM-related opportunities. The club will compete in STEM-related competitions, learn to code, and possibly go on a field trip. This club will allow students to explore STEM more and learn new STEM skills. The club also hopes to present a project at the science symposium in April. This is especially important because even though there are STEM electives, many students can not fit that into their schedule. This club will give them the opportunity to learn about the skills taught in those classes.  

  • Drama Club

    We are dedicated to promoting and embracing a love of theatre. We play theatre games and engage in other theatre-based activities. We are planning to raise money to see a professional theatre piece later in the year.

  • Green Team

    Green Team’s primary goal is to educate the Portledge community about environmental issues and sustainability. We also try to make our school more environmentally friendly by fundraising to buy new things for the school such as recycling bins. Our club is beneficial to Portledge and beyond by protecting our beautiful campus and environment for the future.

  • Hobby Car Club

    Our mission is to help people learn about real life and hobby cars in a fun way.

List of 15 frequently asked questions.

  • Girls Gain

    We are creating Girls Gains to empower women and girls to embrace their inner and outer strength through weightlifting. We will work on questions about their form, as well as getting into the gym and encouraging girls to get into heavy weightlifting (safely) because it isn’t just for men. Additionally, we will show how general balance is important to fitness as well as collectively working on body positivity. Another aspect of our club will be education about a balanced diet and the benefits of increasing protein intake for gaining muscles - this IS NOT to include triggering discussions of restrictions or dieting. And, if possible, we could all go to the gym together out of school once in a while!

  • Business Club

    The Portledge Business Club is a student-run association that has many activities to keep members engaged and educated. This includes guest speakers, and field trips to places such as the New York Stock Exchange, the Freedom Tower, and many other venues. We discuss current financial markets, business conditions, as well as global politics. The Business Club created the Business Club Investment Fund which has its own constitution and bylaws. The fund invests in actual stocks and currently has nearly $30,000 in investments. Stocks are selected by students, who must first make formal proposals in front of a board of trustees who oversee the club’s financial decisions. These trustees are generally Wall Street investors or bankers. The club has an annual Business Club dinner where they invite esteemed guest speakers to discuss important financial topics or real-world business trends. The preparation of all events/trips/guest speakers is handled by the club members themselves, not the faculty. This is a key trademark of the club: all activities are student-managed. This helps them become the business leaders of the future.

  • Jewish Student Union

    The Jewish student union looks to provide a safe place for Jewish and non-Jewish students to discuss religion, traditions, and more. The club looks to bring people together with food and fun. We will help the Portledge community learn more about such a great religion.

  • Model UN Club

    Our mission is to enlighten students on the complex nuances of international relations through mock UN conferences while developing the valuable skills of public speaking, conflict resolution, collaboration, research, and creative problem-solving.

  • Media Club

    Our mission is to cultivate and foster community at Portledge by effectively communicating important information, broadcasting sporting events, and highlighting the diversity of the Portledge community through high-quality entertaining media. 

  • Debate Club

    The goal of the Debate Club is to help students develop critical thinking skills, learn to debate, and use those skills in competitions against other schools. We plan to do this by having meetings and practicing often. This club is beneficial to the Portledge community because it helps discover other perspectives and hopefully win the school a trophy by the end of the year.

  • Cancer Kids First

    Cancer Kids First is a club that strives to help kids with cancer experience a better childhood. Cancer Kids First raises money (for buying toys) through bake sales and raffles for pediatric cancer patients, as well as making things such as little bags of candy for the kids. Cancer Kids First is beneficial to the (Portledge) community as it promotes empathy and kindness, and inspires others to do what they can to help those who are not as fortunate as they are. 

  • Dungeons & Dragons

    Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most popular role-playing games in the world. It is a fantasy table-top role-playing game, in which the players assume the roles of characters they create, choosing from a variety of options for their class, race, weapons, and more. Players can choose to become wizards, fighters, humans, elves, gnomes, and much more. The game is led by the Dungeon Master(DM) who serves as a referee and storyteller, who creates a story and quests for the players to go on in which they fight monsters, seek treasure, and explore a fantasy world.
    The gameplay itself is realistic and immersive, akin to a choose-your-own-adventure story but with countless more possibilities. The gameplay can be elaborate, consisting of physical maps and miniatures, or can take place entirely in the players’ imagination. 

    About the club:
    Portledge’s D&D club will be beginner-friendly, with the first meetups dedicated to teaching the rules and granting the members opportunities to create their own characters. A brief run-down of the basic rules will also be provided to any new member who wasn’t able to attend the first few meetups. Primarily, it will be dedicated to playing out a campaign that a designated DM has written, with the story progressing in each meeting.

    Rules:
    • It is essential that every player is respectful to both each other and the DM, insulting or offensive language is prohibited 
    • Be respectful to the room in which the session is taking place and leave it the way you found it.
    • Talk to the DM before using any homebrew content or content from other D&D books outside The Players Handbook, the dungeon master’s Guide, or the Monster Manual 

  • Beautification Club

    The Beautification Club is dedicated to enhancing our school's environment and fostering a sense of community through creative and impactful initiatives. Our purpose is to beautify our Portledge campus common areas by decorating during holidays such as Halloween, Christmas/Hanukkah, and Valentine's Day, as well as taking on environmental initiatives such as planting flowers for spring. Through our fundraising efforts during the year, we intend to support these school and community projects. Additionally, the club provides community service hours to each member in an effort to support the Portledge pillars of Kindness, Purpose, Honor, and respect.

  • Fantasy Sports Club

    The Portledge Fantasy Sports Club provides a warm space for all students looking to socialize and analyze sports. The club's primary activities will be taking part in different fantasy sports leagues, sports discussions, and even some sports debates. The club tackles all different aspects of sports and will help bring different sides of the Portledge community together. The club is beneficial to the community because it will allow for everyone's opinion to be heard and people will have a chance to engage in conversations with others whom they usually wouldn't speak to in the community. 

  • Sexuality & Gender Acceptance (SAGA)

    SAGA is a group dedicated to supporting and uplifting Portledge's LGBTQIA+ community. We are open to all, including non-queer allies and questioning people, and we ensure before anything else that we are a respectful and supportive space for everyone. Our meetings and discussions are for gathering and connection among queer and allied community members, including discussing queer rights and experiences. SAGA's events donate money to aligned organizations and raise awareness and support throughout Portledge for our mission.

  • Neurodiversity Acceptance Club (NAC)

    In the Neurodiversity Acceptance Club, our goal is to provide a safe and inclusive space for neurodivergent students and their allies at Portledge. We strive to advocate for and empower neurodivergent and disabled people and focus on their skills and contributions to the Portledge community.

  • Red Cross Club

    The Red Cross Club aims to support The Red Cross Volunteer Association by spreading awareness, raising money, donating goods, and educating others on current environmental disasters. Our goal is to raise $1,000 each semester and hopefully host a blood drive (maybe). This club will get members certified as Red Cross Volunteers and hopefully aid the greater community. 

  • Women's Empowerment Club

    The mission of the Women’s Empowerment Club is to advocate for gender equality by educating students about global women's issues, fostering civic engagement and political activism, and celebrating female leaders within the community. We do this important work through various means, including club discussions, school-wide presentations, and symposiums, as well as community outreach efforts.

  • UNICEF

    Our club's goal is to provide the less fortunate with a helping hand by helping them receive basic supplies. We will do this through Unicef, we will gain money through different things such as bake sales. We will interact with the community and hopefully get them to donate.
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