Mallory Brown | Daily Journal Students in Book Club prepare to draw character sketches of the main character in The Gun, a book by Paul Langan.

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Mallory Brown | Daily Journal Sixth-grader Jaylin Robinson, 11, measures the length of a classmate's shoe in Math Club. "I chose math because I'm a stronger person in math than I am in any other subject," he said.

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Mallory Brown | Daily Journal Mr. Shutt, a science teacher in charge of the 8th grade Science Club, shows off his classroom pet, a female Red Corn Snake by the name of Bob.

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Students at Ellerbe Middle School are getting the chance to break away from their normal class schedules and participate in extracurricular clubs during school hours.

As part of an Intervention Enrichment program, students have chosen a club of interest to expand their knowledge in a particular area, and will take part in club activities each Friday during the school year.

Karen Criswell, club/volunteer coordinator, said this is the first year for the in-school clubs.

“We’ve always had (the Intervention Enrichment period), and we use that time to support students academically and intellectually,” said Principal Melvin Ingram Jr. “These clubs will now give students the creative license to do what they need to in order to progress.”

Ingram explained that, due to factors such as travel expenses and conflicting schedules, after-school clubs were low in attendance at the middle school. With the new schedule, all students will now be able to participate.

“We wanted to make sure our kids were competitive,” Ingram said. “Whether it’s the Science Olympiad competition, Mathcounts, or anything like that — this keeps them geared toward some form of competition … (Students) were able to choose the clubs they participated in, and this way, everybody is going to be involved in something so they can have the experience.”

Clubs are held separately for sixth, seventh and eighth graders during alternately scheduled periods on Friday.

Among the club choices are CAPS, or Conflict and Problem Solving, Math Club, Science Club, LEO, or the Community Service Club, Book Club and History Club, which remains exclusively for eight graders.

In each club, students will participate in group discussions, projects, competitions, experiments and more.

Criswell said the school is excited about the progress of the clubs, but that volunteers and sponsors would be needed to continue their efforts.

“Clubs are a very important part of the learning experience in any school,” said Criswell. “At Ellerbe Middle School, we are proud to be able to offer these clubs to our children. Not only will these clubs benefit the students but also the community as a whole.”

“We want everyone to come out and help,” Ingram said.

To volunteer or sponsor a club, contact Karen Criswell at 910-582-7925.

— Staff Writer Mallory Brown can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at mallorybrown@heartlandpublications.com.