Extracurricular
M.S. 217 is proud of our many clubs and opportunities for students to excel outside of the academic setting. Below is a list of all our extracurricular activities, the staff members, the days they meet, and a description
Basketball Team (Co-Ed)
Mr. Barzilay
Student-athletes will learn to: be team players, manage time, show good sportsmanship, attain a strong work-ethic, be responsible citizens of the 217 community, and be accountable for their actions on the court, in the classroom and at home. Students-athletes and parents will be able to obtain information regarding practices, games and assignments via google classroom and the NYCMSBL website.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Game days will vary
Cheerleading
Ms. Balalis and Ms. Vakalopoulos
Cheerleading Competitive Team: Students will perform at all home games and compete city-wide
Wednesdays & Thursdays
Chess Club
Ms. Sister
Chess-in-the-Schools alumni will: Be analytic thinkers. Be motivated learners. Be critical problem solvers. Think before they move. Take pride in their accomplishments. Be graceful winners AND losers.
Fridays
Dean Council
Mr. Paulin, Mr. Bernardin, Mr. Golden, and Ms. Gega
Select students represent their homeroom classes in matters that may improve the conditions of the school.
Gardening Club
Mr. Mindlin and Dr. Andrade
Open to all grades. Students will help prepare the garden beds in both the pollinator garden and the raised vegetable beds. Students will help plan the types of veggies, annuals and perennials to be planted in each garden. Students will maintain the gardens which includes weeding, thinning and watering of the gardens. Students will help harvest the veggies and herbs. This year students will map out and help install the irrigation system to be used.
Girls Basketball Team
Ms. Gega
Girls compete within an organized basketball team.
Gourmet Gurus Cooking Club
Mrs. Kosubinsky, Mrs. Guadalupe, and Mrs. Bonds
Students will learn different essential cooking skills as they prepare delicious meals with a healthy twist. Our goal is to make students aware of the benefits of eating healthy and providing them with the tools to eat healthy on a daily basis.
Thursdays
Heart Surgery Program
Dr. Andrade and Mr. Mindlin
The Heart Surgery Program is a comprehensive, high interest after-school program that takes students on an in-depth journey through the human circulatory system. The program includes 18 after school sessions where students will learn about the circulatory system and engage in related activities such as using a microscope to observe goldfish circulation, using a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure, simulated blood typing and cholesterol testing. In addition to these activities, students will view a live open-heart surgery via our video-conferencing equipment. For the final activity students will dissect a sheep's heart.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Latin Dance Club
Ms. Paz, Ms. Gomez, and Ms. Restrepo
Everyone can be a dancer! Fun for all who love latin dance! Students will be given the opportunity to participate in and enjoy one of the most defining and important Latin American cultural traits: dance. Students will move their hips to dances ranging from bachata, cumbia to salsa, and many other Latin rhythms .
Fridays
Margaret's Place Peer Leadership Club
Ms. Guesthia
Students will learn about different issues impacting their school, communities and the world at large. With this knowledge, students will work together to come up with ways to educate, raise awareness and provide interventions to address these issues.
Fridays
Matisse Green Team: Art Lab
Mrs. Phillips
Students work with Ms. Phillips and a Queens Museum artist. We conduct 19 sessions at school and make trips to the Queens Museum. Students are exposed to and explore various artistic mediums: paints, inks, charcoal, animation, and found objects. Students explore "Nature as Art" and We combine art and advocacy for the environment, our school campus, and humanitarian issues. We explore how to use art to make the world a better place. The art residency culminates with students exhibiting their work at the Queens Museum. We tell students, "This is the beginning of your college essay, 'I realized I could learn something new, work hard, and have an impact on the greater world, when I exhibited my work at the Queens Museum.'"
Thursdays
Men of Strength Club
Mr. Bradshaw, Mr. Matos, and Mr. Gibbons
To provide the young men at 217 with a safe, supportive space to connect with male peers. To expose the young men to healthier, non violent models/visions of manhood.
Mondays and Fridays
Mentoring Team
Mrs. Baxter
The purpose of mentoring is to provide an opportunity for youth to feel listened to and understood; which are the building blocks for gaining social, academic and academic and occupational skills and improving self-esteem.
Mighty Milers
Mrs. Page and Mrs. Wade
Students will learn proper stretching techniques and build their endurance in running. No experience required. Fun for all! We welcome parent participation. Students will attend a citywide running event at Randall's Island and win prizes and medals for goals met.
Wednesdays or Fridays
Pay to Play
Mrs. Taylor
Students spend a portion of the time completing homework and providing help for those who need it(pay.) The second portion of the class will be used to play games, such as jeopardy and trivial pursuit (play.) The club will provide a way to build knowledge and communication skills.
Thursdays
Peer-Tutoring / Homework Help
Mr. Conlon
The Peer-Tutoring / homework help Club offers a unique opportunity for students at MS 217; one that mirrors the type of program that may exist in some high schools, but certainly not in middle schools. The Peer-Tutoring Club is made up of a group of intrinsically motivated eighth-grade students who volunteer their time to tutor/assist other students. The benefits of the Peer-Tutoring Program run in both directions, from the students who volunteer to those who attend. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students seeking help benefit because they receive one-on-one assistance in a low-stress environment where they have the opportunity to try over and over again. Students seeking help can be tutored in ELA, Math, Science, or Social-Studies. The eighth-graders benefit because they go through the arduous task of finding ways to impart knowledge. This forces them to be creative and persistent as they seek the best methods in how to tutor others.
Tuesdays
Race Against Waste Green Team
Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Salinas
Students work to help the school reduce, reuse and recycle. Students are setting up recycling stations, auditing recycling and energy usage, creating and posting signs to teach about and inspire recycling, and planning other events that will further 217's sustainability.
Wednesdays
Robotics
Mrs. Singhal and Ms. Katz
Students will learn to engineer and program robots using the lego EV3 and NXT kits
Fridays
S.T.R.I.D.E. Coalition Step Team
Mrs. Henry and Mr. Gibbons
The purpose of the step team is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in a physical activity that allows them to express themselves through movement. This coalition will work to establish and maintain healthy peer relationships by fostering a sense of cohesiveness amongst members. Additionally, this program will align with Middle School 217’s initiative to encourage College and Career readiness. Finally, this program will also provide students with the opportunity to learn life skills that may include but are limited to social skills, communication skills, and self-awareness
Thursdays
Soccer
Mr. Echeveria
The Hawks provide students with the opportunity to learn the importance teamwork, while also developing their ability to cooperate and interact with other students.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays
STEM CLUB (for ELLs)
Mrs. Henry
Students will learn how to use the engineering design process to find solutions to problems.
Wednesdays
Swim Team
Mr. Warren
Students will swim 1 - 2 times per week at Jamaica High School. Students will learn all strokes of competitive swimming. Students that wish to tryout must already know how to swim.
Wednesdays
The Science Club
Ms. Morrison
This year will have a strong emphasis on the Living Environment Regents exam. 6th & 7th graders will be able to engage in many these activities because it will give them great exposure since they are on a Regents track in their curriculum. I am looking forward to this club. Wednesday's and Thursday's 2:45- 4:15, 15 students in each group per day.
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Theater Drama Club
Mr. Conlon
Musical Theater! We act. We sing. We dance. We construct sets. We design costumes. We operate lights. We direct. We choreograph. We write. To be honest; We evaluate. We critique. We examine. We create. We dream. We imagine. We yearn. We hope. We discover. Come and join. It may end up being one of the best decisions you make.
2017-2018 Musical: To Be Determined
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Volleyball
Mrs. Marinez
To help advance student overall mental and physical health as well as personal growth by implementing a sequence of mindfulness and physical asana activities.
Wrestling
Mr. Bernardin and Ms. Calvo
To develop the full human and athletic potential of the participants while learning the essential life lessons of personal responsibility, physical fitness, education, and teamwork.
Thursdays and Fridays
Young Debaters
Mr. Matos and Mrs. Greenwood
Students learn to debate on a variety of topics.
Wednesdays
Young Women of Power (YWOP)
Ms. Biundo and Ms. Marinez
This program is dedicated to empowering a generation of young girls to be bold leaders in their lives, schools and communities. It is a program that helps girls redefine what is beautiful while building their self-esteem.
Thursdays