There are many extracurricular activities at Wesleyan including sports, fine arts and more, but many are unaware of the academic clubs. There are exactly 31 student clubs in the high school at Wesleyan. Several of the popular academic clubs include the Academic Quiz Bowl, Debate Club, History Bowl, Math Team and Model Arab League.
Math Team:
Math Team is a club at Wesleyan that meets once a week and is led by high school Geometry Teacher Corrie Nash and Honors Geometry Teacher Deborah Brown. When asked to describe Math Team, Nash said, “Math Team is a club that practices and competes in state and national math competitions,” and she also said that they “explore math topics that are not included in the normal school curriculum.” Sophomore Mackenzie Maxwell said, “Math Team is a great way to expand knowledge and become a better student.” The Math Team meets on Thursdays during lunch and travels to competitions on Saturdays. With a roster of 25, the team is standing strong. Recently the team was No. 2 in their competition at Berry College, which is outstanding. Nash said, “It is okay if you get zero problems right the first time! You will learn something new, and that is what makes us better in life.”
History Bowl:
The History Bowl is a competition-driven academic club at Wesleyan. The Team, led by Social Sciences Department Chair Ted Russell, has been preparing for the State Championships at Newnan High School. This event will take place on Feb. 29. Russell said, “The team meets every Monday during lunch to practice.” Russell said that the team, “practices [by] using questions from past years competitions.” The History Bowl is a way for high school students to challenge themselves and is perfect for someone who is interested in social sciences and history courses at Wesleyan. Russell said, “If you love history and you enjoy competing in an academic bowl setting, this is the group for you.”
Model Arab League:
Model Arab League is a club at Wesleyan where students compete in the metro Atlanta area against other Atlanta schools. World History Teacher and leader of the Model Arab League Knoxie Roche said, “Model Arab League is a metro Atlanta competition in which students assume roles from various Arab nations and work together in committees to solve issues that are relevant to the Middle East.” The club meets two times a month, September through January, and there are 30 students who are a part of the league. Recently, the group did an exceptional job competing at Marist for their competition. When asked why this club was an important part of Wesleyan, Roche said, “It is important for the student to learn about an important area of the world that is in the news daily and will impact US and World politics and economics. It is also important for them to learn how to debate, negotiate, and discuss issues with others.”
Academic Quiz Bowl:
The Academic Quiz Bowl is an organization at Wesleyan where students can compete in competitions based on their academic knowledge. The team is also referred to as the High Q Team and is led by World History Teacher Ari Young and Language Teacher Matt Crew. Crew said, “We do trivia, history, math, science, current events, government and politics.” The team has had lots of success throughout the school year and continues to meet up regularly to prepare for competitions. Academic Quiz Bowl is the perfect club to join for any student who is interested in furthering their knowledge to a competition-based level, and who does not want to limit themselves to a single subject.
Debate Club:
Wesleyan School has several competitive academic teams, but Debate Club is new in the high school this year. This club is important for students to learn to see both sides in the midst of an argument. Debate club not only helps with a person’s public speaking ability, but also their critical thinking and how one can express their opinions under pressure. Learning how to properly debate a topic is an important skill not only for high school and college, but the skill of debate will be needed throughout the rest of a person’s life. The team meets during club time on Friday in order to prepare for debates. Young also leads the Debate Club along with the Academic Quiz Bowl. The team has accomplished a lot and will continue to do so for the rest of the year.
