A rich collection of activities provides opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, build a sense of community, recognize and respect differences, pursue specific interests and have fun.
ACTT (Arch City Theater Troupe)
Aim High
ALS Helping Hands
Amnesty International
Asian Culture Club
August Days
Blue & Gold Club
Charity at the Seams
Cheerleading
Chemistry Club
Chess Club
Classics Club
Dance Squad
Diversity ETC
Environmental Awareness Club
Film Club
French Club
Gateway Model UN
Global Assistance Fund
The Governor (Yearbook)
GYLI (Global Youth Leadership Institute)
International Student Exchange Committee (Formerly American Field Service)
Iron Chef Club
JBS Players
KIVA
Knits for Needs
KUTO (Kids Under Twenty-One)
Lend A Paw
Light & Sound Crew
Mad Bomber
Montgomery Plan Committee
Music for Charity
Outdoor Ed (Outdoor X)
Physics & Engineering Club
Political Forum
RAD (Reaching Adolescent Drivers)
Review
Robotics
Science Olympiad
Sixth Man Club
SLAMUN (St. Louis Area Model United Nations)
Spectrum
Sports for Charity (SPOFO)
Student Congress
Student Court
Super Mileage Vehicle Challenge
THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations)
The World
Unicycle Club
ACTT (Arch City Theater Troupe)
Student Leaders: Sally Lemkemeier
Faculty Sponsor: Deena Goran
ACTT encourages youth involvement in service by giving kids and teens opportunities to use their talents to help others in their annual musical production.
Aim High
Student Leaders: Carlie Johnson & Ruth Barry
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin McKone
Aim High is a partnership between JBS and seven elementary schools in low-income areas of St. Louis. A five-week summer enrichment program—academics, arts, sports and cultural activities—is offered at JBS and Saint Louis Priory School to selected 5th-8th grade students from the seven elementary schools. The purpose of the program is to provide four years of the extra skills, encouragement and self-esteem development to help these students graduate from high school and, we hope, attend college. This program represents an important exchange between the city and county, between public and private education. John Burroughs students serve as teaching assistants during the summer program; they help with classes, counseling and sports, as well as cultural activities. During the school year, Burroughs students may also help with the monthly programs held for Aim High students on Saturday mornings. Freshmen, sophomore, junior, seniors and graduates of Burroughs may volunteer for the five-week program that begins in mid-June and ends in mid-July.
ALS Helping Hands
Student Leaders: Zoe Kolberg-Shuler, Jamie Goodman, Abby Baum & Olivia Lasala
Faculty Sponsor: Suzy Hamon
Members of ALS Helping Hands go into patients' homes and provide assistance to people living with ALS throughout the St. Louis area. While in the homes of patients, students perform household chores that are difficult for people living with ALS. In taking care of these jobs, participants alleviate some of the added stress to caretakers. The members of this club also raise money to help fund research that will increase knowledge of this disease leading to a cure. Students participate in community-wide events that raise general awareness of ALS and provide ways for the larger St. Louis community to get involved.
Amnesty International
Student Leaders: Griffin Kennard
Faculty Sponsor: Rick Sandler
The mission of the JBS chapter of Amnesty International is to heighten awareness and inform the student body about political prisoners, refugee relocation and possible actions related to Amnesty International. At meetings, students discuss cases and distribute the materials for letter-writing campaigns. Petition drives and case signings occur each month during lunch periods. Money is raised by selling T-shirts, baked goods and posting contribution boxes in local businesses.
Asian Culture Club
Student Leaders: Soomin Cho & Joanne Hsueh
Faculty Sponsor: Tuan Nguyen
To educate the John Burroughs community about Asian cultures and languages.
2013 Student Leaders: Tate Bierut, Sahil Lele, Drew Philpott and Don Soffer
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Clark
August Days is a two-week summer camp for underprivileged children from the Youth and Family Center in downtown St. Louis; it is staffed exclusively by 40 JBS students entering grades 9-12, who act as counselors under the leadership of senior co-directors appointed by the faculty sponsor. Campers and counselors spend the day (9 am to 2 pm., Monday through Friday) in crafts, games, activities and simple fellowship; several field trips (e.g. the Zoo, Science Center, City Museum) supplement the on-campus activities.
Blue & Gold Club
Student Leader: Maddy Smith
Faculty Sponsor: Andrew Newman
This club helps promote spirit week and numerous other events during the year.
Charity at the Seams
Student Leader: Melissa Zhang & Kelly Hatfield
Faculty Sponsor: Carrie Madigan
The goal of this club is to contribute to various charities through fashion related events, including fashion shows, clothing drives and jewelry sales that aim at showcasing student work and involve all members of the community.
Cheerleading
Student Leaders: Zoe Smith, Leeanne Hurster & Katherine Fox
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Clark
Cheerleaders represent the school, leading fans in organized cheers and rousing school spirit at pep rallies and athletic contests. Varsity, JV and C squads cheer at all football games and for all home basketball games. They help organize activities for Blue & Gold weekend including poster making, assembly cheers, Ram roast and pep rally. Tryouts are held in the spring.
Chemistry Club
Student Leaders: Joe Roddy, Ted Grace & Katherine Taylor
Faculty Sponsor: Sandra Mueller
This group gets together several times a trimester to engage in scientific discussion and to conduct meaningful and creative experiments.
Chess Club
Student Leader: Siddharth Das
Faculty Sponsor: Avery Springer & Tuan Nguyen
The purpose of this club is to heighten awareness and increase participation in this ancient game. Recreational games, challenging matches and tournaments are played formally and informally throughout the year. JBS sponsors a team that competes during the first two trimesters in the Metropolitan St. Louis Interscholastic Chess League.
Classics Club
Student Leaders: Ruth Barry
Faculty Sponsor: Avery Springer
The purpose of the Classics Club is to foment interest and participation in activities related to the languages and cultures of ancient western civilizations. Activities include seeing movies related to the language and culture taught, visiting museums, theaters and restaurants and preparing authentic meals. Other activities include bake sales and T-shirt sales to raise money for charities or partial scholarships to students traveling abroad.
Dance Squad
Student Leaders: Rahny Longley & Sydney O'Neal
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Bahe
This club performs routines during Spirit Week, MICDS Basketball games and Field Day assembly in order to promote school spirit and heighten the community’s awareness of choreographed dance.
Diversity E.T.C.
Student Leaders: Kirk Smith, Clara Abbott, Taylor Ingram, Madison Rinder, Elijah Brown & Abby Balfour
Faculty Sponsors: Andranique Scott & Daniel Harris
In accordance with the John Burroughs School statement of philosophy, we believe that excellence in education goes hand in hand with diversity. We in Diversity E.T.C. seek to instill the joy of living through the advancement of community. We believe that it is an integral part of education during these formative years to cultivate character and compassion by productive interaction. Welcoming all, regardless of background or opinion, Diversity E.T.C. strives to serve as a clearinghouse for ongoing, open discourse, with the goal of encouraging affinities within the Burroughs community. Functioning to enhance learning through formal meetings, informal conversations and planned activities, we are always striving to promote awareness and enrich consciousness.
Environmental Awareness Club
Student Leaders: J.R. Latta, Abby Martone & Charlie Van Doren
Faculty Sponsor: Deena Goran
This club provides support and encouragement to individuals who have the desire to take immediate and direct action to improve the quality of the environment of the school and local community. The club, created by students, is open to all students from every grade who identify environmental problems that need to be addressed, and who are then willing to invest time and energy to try to solve such problems. Activities include coordinating clean up activities, presenting environmental issues to school, field trips to environmental sites of interest, petition-signing, car pool and bike-to-work days.
Film Club
Student Leaders: Hannah Rodgers & Elijah Brown
Faculty Sponsor: John Pierson
In order to view movies that the Burroughs student would otherwise not see on his/her own, the film club presents several interesting movies a year.
French Club
Student Leader: Sarah Cohen, Theresa-Anne Tatom-Naecker, Katie Link & Katie Sky
Faculty Sponsor: Allegra Clement-Bayard
For the love of everything French including Moliere, Monet, croissants and Le Petit Prince.
Gateway Model UN
Student Leaders: TBD
Faculty Sponsor: Christine Marshall
This middle school program promotes an understanding of the operations and missions of the United Nations by drafting resolutions, researching countries and their concerns and voting on sample resolutions. The culminating activity is a simulation of the General Assembly in which participants from several local middle schools engage in role-playing, caucus, formal presentation and lobbying activities. This program provides important fundamental skills, which many students apply in the upper school Model UN programs. Activity for lower school students begins in November, and entails a series of seven to nine Friday after-school sessions. Country delegations are assigned in December, and each country must draft a resolution in order to qualify for participation in the General Assembly in April.
Global Assistance Fund
Student Leaders: Tate Bierut
Faculty Sponsor: Allison Prabhakar
The mission of the Global Assistance Fund is to assist with Meds & Food for Kids in Haiti and Nutre Hogar in Panama.
The Governor (Yearbook)
Editors-in-Chief: Brianna Souers, Katie Sky, Abby Balfour & Alicia Liu
Faculty Sponsors: Margaret Bahe
From the beginning of the school year through March, students work together to produce a traditional yearbook called the Governor. Under the direction of the senior editors-in-chief, students are responsible for writing and editing, photography, page layout, computer input and advertisement sales. Most work is done during two-hour meetings after school and on weekends throughout the year, but many students meet in the publications lab during their free periods.
GYLI (Global Youth Leadership Institute)
Faculty Sponsor: Brian Connor
Global Youth Leadership Institute nurtures collaborative leadership for global communities and assists schools in their missions to inspire socially responsible young people. Click HERE for the latest news and plans.
International Student Exchange Committee (formerly American Field Service)
Student Leaders:
Faculty Sponsor: Allison Prabhakar & Olga Russell
The International Student Exchange Committee appeals to those who have an interest in increasing student awareness of the global community. The club promotes interaction between the student body and the Burroughs AFS exchange student as well as with the “returnees”—those JBS students who have traveled abroad. Activities include projects developed around an international theme and gatherings to make the AFS exchange student comfortable at Burroughs. Club members also help plan and participate in the JBS International Week, culminating in an International Dinner.
Iron Chef Club
Student Leaders: Tejasvi Subramanian
Faculty Sponsor: Carrie Madigan
This group meets once a month for the love of cooking. While the original mission of the group was to simulate the popular TV show, the group now comes together to find challenging recipes and cook great food.
JBS Players
Directors: John Pierson & Wayne Salomon
All students who appear in the grades 9 - 12 productions are automatically members of the JBS Players. Collectively, they present two plays and one musical each year. Auditions are required. The work of the group occurs outside regular school hours. The Young JBS Players are those seventh and eighth grade students who audition for and appear in their own annual spring play.
KIVA
Student Leaders: Frankie Caiazzo, Katie Link, Jordan Shaheen & Melissa Zhang
Faculty Sponsor: Jamie Wagner
A micro-lending organization.
Knits for Needs
Student Leaders: Madeline Johnson & Sarah Lowe
Faculty Sponsors: Avery Springer & Ellie DesPrez
KUTO (Kids Under Twenty-One)
Student Leaders: Alicia Liu & Zoe Smith
Faculty Sponsor: Prue Gershman
Students are trained by the nonprofit group Kids Under Twenty-One (KUTO) in communication skills and suicide prevention, and then provide peer support under the direction of the head of the personal counseling department. Special projects include the mentoring of new Burroughs students, assisting with the school's Wellness Week, coordinating school wide relaxation days and planning educational assemblies on a variety of mental health issues.
Lend A Paw
Student Leaders: Morgan Rinder
Faculty Sponsor: Holly Lorencz & Donya Allison
Also known as the animal club, Lend a Paw raises funds and supplies for local animal rescue groups as well as informing the Burroughs Community about animal issues and rights.
Light & Sound Crew
Student Crew: Daniel Diemer, Tara Suresh, Andrew Gelfman, Sam Mulcahy & Andy Swicord
Faculty Sponsors: Brian Connor & Tim Baker
The Light and Sound Crew provides technical assistance to all JBS functions requiring theatrical light and sound. Primary responsibilities include morning assemblies, JBS Playersʼ productions, Music Department presentations and other events sponsored by the school.
Mad Bomber
Student Leaders:
Faculty Sponsor:
A continuation of the humor of the back page of the student publication, The World, the Mad Bomber aims to make fun of various social, cultural and political people and events.
Montgomery Plan Committee
Student Leaders: Jay Prapaisilp,Nick Guo, Alice Woods, Matthew Wond, Sarah Cohen, Theresa-Anne Tatom-Naecker & Corina Minden-Birkenmaier
Faculty Sponsor: Susan Dee
The Montgomery Plan, a student committee open to grades 7-12, provides an organizational structure for students interested in extending their Burroughs learning through involvement in service to the local community. Montgomery Plan promotes awareness of social issues in the community and serves as a link between the student body and outside service opportunities. In keeping with the school's philosophy, the Montgomery Plan encourages students to take an active role both as individual participants and as leaders of the whole school, in order to appreciate the greater St. Louis community and to experience the enjoyment and pride of meeting their responsibilities as citizens. Through community service and reflection upon that service, students enhance their own growth as they gain perspective, knowledge and judgment regarding social issues. The Montgomery Plan considers itself in partnership with other school groups such as Diversity, E.T.C., Amnesty International, and other groups that broaden and enrich our students' experiences beyond our campus. Ultimately, the Montgomery Plan promotes movement toward a socially involved, well-informed, empathetic, just and open-minded Burroughs community that comes together through service.
Music for Charity
Student Leaders: Nick Guo
Faculty Sponsor: Tim Baker
This group is musically inclined and enjoys raising money for charities through school events like Commons Café.
Outdoor Ed (Outdoor X)
Student Leaders: Alice Woods
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Dee
Outdoor X offers varied opportunities for outdoor experiences. Boys and girls in grades 8 through 12 may participate in weekend outings such as trout fishing, rock climbing in southern Illinois, canoeing, kayaking or caving in the Ozarks, off-road biking overlooking the Meramec and Mississippi rivers. Service trips which involve trail cutting, habitat formation and forest restoration are also popular.
Physics & Engineering Club
Student Leader: TBD
Faculty Sponsor: Jim Roble
This club meets monthly in an effort to better understand physical properties and to apply scientific knowledge to practical problems.
Political Forum
Student Leader: Percy Vanacht & Jordan Shaheen
Faculty Sponsor: Mark Nicholas
This group meets regularly to discuss political issues and current events related to government.
RAD (Reaching Adolescent Drivers)
Student Leaders: Katherine Fox & Steph Kelly
Faculty Sponsor: Casie Tomlinson
RAD reminds students that they have a responsibility to themselves, their friends and families and everyone else on the road to be safe when behind the wheel. In order to increase public awareness, RAD has engaged assembly speakers, tied red ribbons to cars in order to remind students of their responsibility and encouraged parents and teenagers to buckle up.
The Review
Editor-in-Chief: Brad Riew
Faculty Sponsors: Missy Simonds & Andy Denney
The Review holds regular staff meetings throughout the year in order to collect material for our annual student literary magazine, which comes out at the end of the spring. Meetings are open to students of all grade levels who are interested in reading student creative writing submissions and reviewing student artwork submissions. The Review also aims to begin sponsoring at least one event a year, in addition to our regular meetings, such as an evening student poetry reading.
Robotics
Student Leaders: Spencer Hesse & John Stegeman
Faculty Sponsor: Katie Taylor
Coaches/Mentors: Ted & Sheila Stegeman & Francis Baum
Established in 2010, the Robotics Club participates in the FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics competition. FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. FTC is a sports-based robot competition that competes in an alliance format against other teams (local, regional and international). A new game is released each September and the season can run until late April. Girls and boys in grades 7 through 12 may participate. The team, of up to 15 students, is responsible for designing and building a robot using sound engineering principles which is autonomously programmed and operator-controlled to perform various tasks. The team is responsible for creating an effective game strategy, maintaining an engineering notebook, conducting outreach to the community and much more. The team meets on weekends throughout the school year in IT.
Science Olympiad
Student Leaders: Mackenzie Brandt, Xavier Bledsoe & Katie Taylor
Faculty Sponsors: Jaclyn Yetter
Science Olympiad is a national science competition that encompasses all of the scientific disciplines. Each team consists of 15 members and four alternates competing in 23 official events and two trial events. Selection to competitions is based on team performances and includes invitationals, the Saint Louis Regional Tournament, the Missouri State Tournament and the National Science Olympiad Tournament. The team, which is named in mid-November, works together to prepare for the upcoming tournaments with weekly practices and some weekend sessions. Science Olympiad allows students with a love of science to work together as a team to compete against schools from around the country in a variety of scientific disciplines.
Sixth Man Club
Student Leaders: Peter Schnuck, Jimmy Fort & Charlie Van Doren
Faculty Sponsor: Jud Dieffenbach & Davey Desloge
This club meets in the stands of JBS basketball games to cheer-on the Bombers to victory.
SLAMUN (St. Louis Area Model United Nations)
Student Leaders: Vicky Liu, Meghan Bach & Nick Guo
Faculty Sponsor: Jon Bang, Holly Lorencz & Andrew Newman
The purpose of SLAMUN is to have students engage in a role-playing activity based on the operation of the United Nations by drafting resolutions, discussing assigned topics on current world events and voting on proposals. Participants will hear guest speakers and become knowledgeable about writing resolutions and planning debate procedures. Students from St. Louis area schools engage in three sessions of this Model UN at which time resolutions are heard, debated and voted on.
Spectrum
Student Leaders: Clara Abbott, Jack Blethroad & Corina Minden-Birkenmaier
Faculty Sponsor: Gloria Kweskin
The goal of the JBS Gay/Straight Alliance is to insure a safe learning school environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) students, free of mocking taunts, physical intimidation, and other forms of discrimination that would obstruct a student's ability to focus on his or her studies. Because of the nature and progressive philosophy of our school, which "promotes an atmosphere of understanding, trust, [and] respect," and because "[w]e embrace democratic ideals" and "value and celebrate" diversity, great strides have been made for various minorities within this institution. Many of us chose to come to this school for the sake of the very ideals expressed in our school's mission statement. The club does not advocate a particular sexual identity; we welcome all members of the JBS student body. Along with Diversity, ETC., Montgomery Plan, Amnesty International, and other such clubs, we work for human rights and social justice.
Sports for Charity (SPOFO)
Student Leader: Jaelin McGull
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin McKone
The members of this club organize fundraisers centered around sporting activity, e.g., the 3-on-3 Basketball tournament and the arm wrestling tournament.
Student Congress
Student Body President: Charlie Van Doren
Faculty Sponsor: Andrew Newman
The Student Congress is comprised of the president of each class, Chief Justice of the Student Court, Student Body President and an appointed secretary. The role of Congress is to direct student organizations and help establish an understanding between students and other branches of the JBS community. It creates an atmosphere and a forum for the open discussion of school problems. Congress helps define and implement the JBS philosophy and is the main student vehicle to initiate change within the school. Past activities include the Holiday Drive for the Hundred Neediest Cases, Dance Marathon, Movie Night, Commons Café and Field Day. All meetings are open to the student body.
Student Court
Chief Justice: Peter Schnuck
Faculty Sponsors: Wayne Salomon & Rick Sandler
The Student Court is composed of ten students, including a chief justice, two seniors, one junior, one sophomore, one freshman, one eighth grader, two bailiffs and the court secretary. The court hears cases arising from alleged violations of school rules. The Student Court offers the community unique opportunities for learning and developing fostered responsibility. The court meets every Friday morning to establish punishments for certain crimes, discuss and process more than 500 cases a year and demonstrate some sophisticated judgments and creative punishments.
Super Mileage Vehicle Challenge
Student Leaders: Jake Fruchter & Andrew Bartnett
Faculty Sponsors: Dan Barton, Brian Connor & Eric Knispel
Students join together to create a Super Mileage Vehicle. Faculty representatives from the Industrial Technology, Mathematics and Science Departments work together for a common cause and heighten our students' awareness of such a global problems as transportation and energy consumption. Students enjoy participating in the process of designing, building and testing their own vehicle, creating their own bio-diesel fuel and applying the lessons learned on the track. A spring competition at the Missouri Safety Center in Warrensburg, MO is the culmination of this engineering challenge for upper school students.
THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations)
Participants: Applications due in September
Faculty Sponsors: Jon Bang, Holly Lorencz, Andrew Newman
The Hague International Model United Nations takes place in the Netherlands each year during the last week in January. More than 3000 students from 80 countries assemble in Dutch government buildings to emulate the working of the real United Nations. Each year a team of JBS juniors and seniors is created to attend THIMUN. Applications are accepted in early fall and selection is based on past MUN participation, an essay and debate class experience. Students can also apply for positions on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and MUNITY, the daily student newspaper of the conference. In addition to the formal UN meetings that take place in The Hague from Sunday to Friday, the students also get a chance, with their chaperones, to tour the Netherlands during their off time.
The World
Editors-in-Chief: Emily Brown, Kelly Hatfield & Vicky Liu
Faculty Sponsors: Andrew Newman
Students are invited to participate in the publication of the school newspaper, which provides experience leading to editorial responsibility. Under the direction of senior editors-in-chief, students are responsible for reporting, writing, editing, photography and page layout. Most work is done after school and on weekends.
Unicycle Club
Student Leader: Hannah Rodgers
Faculty Sponsor: Jamie Wagner
We love to unicycle and we want to teach you how.
Works in Progress
Student Leaders: Julia Hotaling & Serena Lee
Faculty Sponsor: Ellie DesPrez