Club Days
Club Day is unique to Learnwell North Georgia. It’s an opportunity for even the youngest students in elementary school all the way through middle school to lead their peers in a club of their own design. Students submit a proposal for their club after talking it over with their parents.
The proposal is a simple questionnaire that helps students think through what supplies they will need for their club, what they want other students to learn or understand after attending the club, and what activities they will provide as part of their club.
Next, proposals are evaluated by the special programs coordinator and chosen for various dates throughout the year. If a student’s club is chosen once in the semester, he or she is not eligible to lead a new club until the following semester. This means that all students who want to lead a club get the opportunity to share their passions and interests with others.
Finally, Club Day arrives amidst excitement and buzz throughout the K-7 student body. During the last hour of the day, students lead their club. The week after they lead, they also get to evaluate with the special programs coordinator how their club went, what they would do differently next time, and what kinds of planning were helpful as they led their club.
The goal of Club Day is to give Learnwell students a chance to learn leadership, problem-solving, and evaluation skills from as early as Kindergarten. It dovetails with our hybrid school model in which, as students approach 6th through 8th grade, they take on more responsibility for their education.
Who can participate in Club Day?
Students enrolled in Learnwell North Georgia’s elementary or middle school can participate in Club Day. This means that we’ve had clubs led by 5-year-olds as well as clubs led by 12-year-olds, and everything in between.
One of the most unique aspects of Club Day is that it allows students to practice leadership skills by “trying on” a club for a day. Not only are our student leaders helping their peers learn, but our students who attend the club are learning to present themselves humbly – no matter how old, or young, their Club Day leader is.
Teachers and staff are also present during every Club Day. Learnwell really does allow the student leaders to take over during Club Day’s last hour of the day, but our team of highly qualified classroom teachers and staff are there to support students as needed.
What are the benefits of Club Day?
Hosting a Club Day that only takes place a few times each semester has many benefits:
- It allows a student to dip his or her toe into the waters of leadership without a long-term commitment.
- Club Day offers instantaneous feedback to our student leaders. They learn what works and what doesn’t work, and their peers are very supportive of them. Many students in attendance are cheering them on and encouraging them along the way.
- Participating in a Club Day that is led by someone younger helps our older students see the value of humility, hard work, and organization – no matter how old a leader is. It also gives them the chance to step in and help if they’re needed, recognizing that service is always by choice.
- It gives our student body the opportunity to explore interests that don’t exactly fit into the academic calendar.
- It provides a way for Learnwell students to be creative and dream big but also scale to what’s possible within an hour time frame with limited resources (basically, whatever Mom or Dad is willing to help them purchase or use).
- Club Day allows students to share who they are in a way that school projects and assemblies may not always target. If you have a student who loves dogs, he or she may not get the chance to share that with his peers as part of the regular course of study. So Club Day allows for this.
What types of Club Days are offered?
Because Club Day is driven almost entirely by students, the types of clubs we’ve seen are varied and limited only by students’ creativity and resources.
Some clubs we’ve seen include How to Train Your Dog (with a real dog participating), Dog Club (also with real dogs), Reptile Club (also with a live model), Rocks and Gem Club, Art Club, Science Club, Karate Club and Gymnastics Club, to name just a few.
Learnwell students are highly creative, and we encourage them to dream big and then conference with their parents and the special programs coordinator to evaluate the possibilities.
When is Club Day offered?
Club Day takes place about every 6-8 weeks, depending on holidays and the school calendar. Each semester usually consists at least three Club Days, and these are held during the last hour of a Thursday school day.
This helps parents have the opportunity to bring necessary items – or furry animal members – from home as needed since the school day ends right after the club is over.
Student leaders clean up and get the supplies packed away before heading home with their family.
