We strongly encourage every Rocket to become involved in clubs and activities. Below are details about some of the extracurricular activities available at McNicholas. We have something for everyone!
Academic Team
Competes against fifteen other Catholic schools in the Cincinnati area.
Practices on Monday after school.
Meets are held each Tuesday at Cincinnati State beginning in November and running through March.
Anime Club
Views and discusses anime films.
Meets every other Wednesday.
Art Club
Offers time and space for creative exploration.
Open to all who are interested in hands-on learning through visual expression in a casual atmosphere.
Makes and delivers Christmas cards to troops abroad as well as to local retirement facilities.
Paints auction items to benefit various service organizations.
Paints storefront windows for the Christmas season.
Provides visual assistance in school theatre and musical productions.
Band and Color Guard
Meets daily during school hours as well as after school for practices.
Performs in competitions, parades, and school events.
Color Guard in extracurricular only and incorporates dance and gymnastics along with learning to spin rifles, flags, and sabres.
Concert Choir
Meets daily during school hours.
Performs many types of music, including pop, musical theatre, classical, and religious.
Venues include football, basketball, and baseball games, as well as concerts and graduation.
Cooking Club
Meets monthly, sometimes at the home of a “host family” to prepare a meal.
Club members supply recipes.
Each student pays a small fee toward the groceries.
Other activities include Christmas cookie exchange, cooking class at school, picnic, and field trip.
Students support McNicholas by contributing a Cookie and Cake of the Month to McNick at Night.
Current Events Club
Meets once a week to discuss important global events.
Open to all interested students seeking to stay up-to-date on what is happening in the world.
Eco Club
Promotes ecological awareness, education, outreach, and action.
Oversees the McNicholas Recycling Program.
Maintains and improves the McNicholas Community Garden named Paradise Gardens.
International Club
Explores other cultures of the world.
Hosts speakers, including McNicholas foreign exchange students.
Samples foreign cuisine at several area restaurants.
Attends arts shows involving foreign cultures at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Views foreign films.
Improv Club
Meets every Monday after school in JST.
Practices/learns improvisational comedy skills and plays improv games.
Liturgy Choir
Leads sincere prayer and joyful worship at mass.
Meets two to three times a month for rehearsals.
Music at mass features two and four part vocal harmonies as well as a variety of instruments.
Mock Trial
Designed for practical application of courtroom procedures.
Presents a fictitious case involving a constitutional issue that is relevant to students’ own personal experience.
Competes via court cases designed by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education.
Musical
Auditions are held in January where students are expected to sing at least 32 bars of a song from musical theatre and learn a simple dance combination.
Throughout the first seven weeks of the rehearsal schedule, cast members have two to three evenings of rehearsal per week.
The last two weeks have nightly rehearsals.
The musicals have been a source of great friendships and stage experience for McNicholas students for over 50 years.
Peer Mentors
A select group of seniors who mentor freshmen throughout the school year.
They meet their homerooms during the orientation process, attend Spirit Night with the freshmen, and conduct formal modules once a month in homeroom.
Interested students must submit an application and teacher recommendation in May of their junior year.
Ping Pong Club
Meets Fridays during both lunches.
Open to all students who enjoy playing ping pong.
Respect Life Club
Participates in activities in support of life, including the January “March for Life” in Washington, D.C.
Organizes a “baby shower” to collect needed clothes and supplies for babies and delivers the baby items to local pregnancy centers to help mothers and their children.
Robotics Club
Competes in regional and national competitions against other schools.
Teams consist of programmers, designers, and team leaders.
For individuals who have an interest in the future of designing robots and learning basic programing.
Rocket Report
Promotes student achievements and various school events through a periodic school-wide broadcast.
Plans, coordinates, executes and edits all interviews.
Senior Video Committee
Compiles, edits, and arranges video clips of every member of the graduating class.
A complimentary copy of the video on DVD is given to each graduate.
It is generally filmed, edited, and produced by members of the senior class, but anyone interested can be a contributing member.
Service Club
Plans, implements. and promotes school-wide-service projects such as:
Warm Clothing Drive in October
Fast and Food Collections in November
Christmas Gift Collection in December
Penny Drive to support Catholic education for those in need in January
Sem Haven Senior Prom in March
Adopt-A-Highway throughout the year
Philanthropy project available to upperclassmen.
Ski Club
Meets every Monday that school is in session from December through the beginning of March.
Fee is $35.00.
Transportation to Perfect North Slopes is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Members that are riding the bus meet in the gym lobby at 3 p.m. and must be back at the bus at 8 p.m.
Spirit Club
Vital part of creating school pride and excitement.
Meets weekly to make signs, plan pep rallies, decorate hallways.
Plans Spirit Week and themes for upcoming games.
Student Council
Participates in school service, activities, leadership, and policies.
Meets weekly as a club and once a month with the principal.
Hosts elections for officers of the class and representatives from homerooms.
Thespian Society
Serves as producing agent for main stage shows.
Attends and participates in Thespian Regional State Conferences.
Fundraises for the theatre program.
Monthy meetings include business items and theatre games.
McNicholas also sponsors a number of Honorary Societies for students who excel in various subject areas:
The National Honor Society
National Mathematics Honor Society - Mu Alpha theta Chapter
