Activities
MDI High School provides an exceptional range of activities that cater to student interests and passions. From academic clubs, creative arts, and community service, our diverse offerings ensure that every student finds their niche and has the opportunity to shine. Our vibrant programs include everything from anti-racism and robotics to theater and environmental advocacy, encouraging students to explore new interests, develop leadership skills, and build lifelong friendships. With a commitment to fostering a well-rounded educational experience, we provide a dynamic environment where every student's talents and aspirations are celebrated and nurtured.
MDI Drama & MDI Music
At MDI High School, the stage is set for exceptional creativity and artistic excellence! Our Drama and Music programs are the heartbeat of our vibrant school community, offering students unparalleled opportunities to explore their talents and express their passions. With a dedicated team of experienced educators and a rich history of outstanding performances and achievements, these programs nurture each student’s artistic potential and foster a deep appreciation for the performing arts. Whether on stage or behind the scenes, our students shine brightly, demonstrating remarkable skill and enthusiasm in every performance. Join us in celebrating a tradition of excellence where the arts come alive and inspire greatness.
To learn more and stay up to date with these programs, visit their websites (below) ...
Clubs & Organizations
Below you will find information that outlines the different clubs, activities, and organizations offered to students at MDI High School.
American Sign Language (ASL)
This opportunity began with Mrs. Keblinsky and continued with Dr. Logue last year. It is a gathering of people to learn basic signs in American Sign Language and learn about Deaf culture.
Contact Person: Shelagh McLoughlin
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Room 113
Notes: All students or staff are welcome!
BIPOC Emotional And Mental Health (B.E.A.M)
This is a support group for our Black, Indigenous, People Of Color. This space is for you. We play games, we just hang out, we talk about Issues surrounding our black community and at school. We laugh, we watch movies ... We Shine (BEAM)
Contact Person: Ericka Witham
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Varies
Notes:
Biology Club
A student-driven group intended to provide further enrichment activities, such as field work, academic journal reviews, and guest speakers.
Contact Person: Jen Murphy / Sig Reinholdt
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Room 205
Notes: All students are welcome!
Civil Rights Team
Civil Rights Team Project aims to have students think and talk about issues related to race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender (including gender identity and expression), and sexual orientation. All are welcome.
Contact Person: Miranda Snyder
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime / After School
Meeting Location: Room 106
Notes: Open to all students; we will meet periodically after school (tbd) to work on projects as a group, this won't necessarily involve all member students.
Community Service Club
Community Service Club is for high school students who desire to improve and assist the MDIHS community through volunteering. This service organization undertakes projects and assists in events that help others on the island and beyond, while providing students opportunities to develop leadership and planning skills and earn hours toward graduation requirements.
Contact Person: Wendy Littlefield & Lydia Stiles
Meeting Day/Time: TBD
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes: Formed at the request of students, who recognized the difficulties some students have in arranging transportation or other challenges to meeting required hours. Interact Club no longer meets. Staff are encouraged to give input and help identify areas of need in our community.
Environmental Concerns Team (ECO) Team
Student club focused on helping the school become more environmentally friendly.
Contact Person: Ruth Poland
Meeting Day/Time: Tuesdays, Flextime, After School
Meeting Location: Room 202
Notes: Open to all and happy for folks to drop-in for whatever meetings that can/want to make.
Fiber Arts
Knitting, crochet, embroidery, needle felting
Contact Person: Jen Crandall
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Room 121
Notes: No experience necessary!
Hacky-Sack Club
We are starting a hacky-sack club. All are welcome. No experience necessary
Contact Person: Michele Gurtler
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime, After School
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes: No experience necessary!
illumin8
illumin8 is a student-led Christian organization that meets once a week. At a typical meeting, students read a passage from the Bible and then engage in discussion about some aspect of faith and its relevance in their lives. All are welcome, and snacks are provided!
Contact Person: Hannah Mondrach
Meeting Day/Time: TBD
Meeting Location: Room 204
Notes: All students are welcome!
Jazz Band & Jazz Combo
Mount Desert Island High School has a reputation as a school that shines at Jazz Festivals and Concerts. We offer a Jazz Big Band as well as a number of combos that meet outside of the school day. Students audition for their places so that all the bands have a mixture of experience and full range of instruments. If you want to take your musicianship to the next level, this is your destination.
Contact Person: Jacob LaMontagne
Meeting Day/Time: After School, TBD
Meeting Location: Music Room
Notes: Exactly what Jazz Band can and will look like this year is still being discovered. Jazz Band and Combos usually start in November.
Math Team
MDIHS is a member of the Downeast League of the Maine Association of Math Leagues. We compete in five local meets and one state meet a year. Anyone who enjoys math is welcome to be a member. The time commitment is fairly small.
Contact Person: Tennille Moore
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime, After School
Meeting Location: Room 208
Notes: Open to all students, low time commitment, interest in exploring math topics a plus! There are five meets spread through the year and always held on Wednesdays, with the exception of the state meet which is the first or second Tuesday of April, during the school day.
MDI Drama
MDI Drama offers a chance for you to bring your talent to the stage. The Fall Musical production is open to all students who audition and is designed to let performers hone their skills. In January, students may choose to participate in "The Wooden O," MDI Drama's showcase of short theatrical works. In the winter, MDI Drama produces our entry for the Maine One Act Drama Festival. The one act production gives an opportunity for its members to see shows from all across the state as well as getting professional feedback from festival judges. For many participants it is the best weekend of the year. In the spring, actors and techs have the chance to participate in a full-length theatrical production.
Contact Person: Casey Rush
Notes: See MDI Drama Website
MDI Drama - Tech Crew
Without a Technical Crew an actor is a person standing in the dark that no one can hear. The magic of our theater created by our crack team of technicians filling dozens do roles ranging from stagehand to lighting designer. If you want to learn to play with the best toys that bring a show to life, these are your people.
Contact Person: Carlene Hirsch / Grey Burkhart
Meeting Day/Time: Tue/Wed, plus "Hell Week" for musical, one-act, spring plays (4:00-8:00, Production Week 3:00-8:00)
Meeting Location: Higgins-Demas Theater
Notes: See MDI Drama Website
MDI Ultimate (Frisbee) Club
Ultimate Frisbee club! We hold weekly practices starting in March, and then compete in the High School spring league in April and May! Games are on Tuesdays and a few weekends, and we have Fun Fridays (where we just scrimmage for fun!).
Contact Person: Hannah Mondrach
Meeting Day/Time: TBD
Practice Location: Front Practice Field
Notes:
MDIHS Readers & Writers Group
THIS GROUP IS NOT ACTIVE AT THIS TIME! IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN "TAKING IT OVER" OR ADAPTING IT, FEEL FREE TO COME SEE ME (BECKY) OR EMAIL ME! It would be a really fun Flextime option, maybe? But my plate's too full to do it.
Contact Person: Becky Leamon
Meeting Day/Time: After School, 1st Thursday of the month (usually)
Meeting Location: Room 136
Notes: Open to any interested reading and/or writing fans. . . since many of our members are involved in music and theater, we hope that a once/monthly meeting will allow them to attend since they can plan around it.
MDIHS Vex Robotics Team
MDIHS Robotics competes in the Vex Robotics Competition. Work on the robots includes building, engineering and programming. Each year we have a new challenge, and the meets are exciting and fast paced. Teamwork is essential as is a willingness to persist in the face of difficulty. All are welcome, both boys and girls, and those with and without experience. Teams practice two days after school from September through March with three or four all day Saturday competitions November through March. This can be an excellent preparation for a career in computer science or engineering or just a way to have fun and develop skills in a friendly, supportive environment.
Contact Person: TBA (ask Bunky!)
Meeting Day/Time: TBD, After School
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes: Everyone is welcome. We will be building robots from metal and polymer components, programming their behavior, and competing with teams from other schools.
MDIRSS Anti-Racism Task Force
The mission of the MDIRSS AOS # 91 Anti-Racism Task Force is to work collaboratively with members from across the district to identify and create solutions for and address concerns about structural and cultural contributors to racism within the MDI Regional School System. This Student Led group actively pushes back against White Dominant Culture systemically, interpersonally and within ourselves (a.k.a. personal implicit biases).
Contact Person: Kate Muzzy
Meeting Day/Time: 2nd Thursday of each month (3:30-5:00)
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes: Everyone is welcome. We will be building robots from metal and polymer components, programming their behavior, and competing with teams from other schools.
National Art Honor Society (NAHS)
The National Art Honor Society (NAHS) is designed specifically for high school students in grades 9-12. In 1978, the National Art Education Association began the National Art Honor Society program to inspire and recognize students who have shown an outstanding ability and interest in art. The NAHS strives to aid members in attaining the highest standards in art scholarship, character, and service, and to bring art education to the attention of the school and community. The MDI High School chapter of the NAHS has run since 2007 and has engaged in community, school and virtual projects to promote the Visual ARTS. The Art Honor Society worked on things such as annual exhibits at Island libraries and businesses as well as murals and paintings to decorate the halls and classrooms of our school. The student membership works to promote arts education in the school and community through these projects.
Contact Person: Flannery Dillon
Meeting Day/Time: TBD
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes: Open by application ... Any interested student artist may apply. Applications will go out the second week of school and will be due October 11th, 2024.
National Honor Society (NHS)
The National Honor Society is a prestigious organization that promotes recognition for students with outstanding accomplishments in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character. MDIHS is one of the thousands of schools with a charter membership in NHS. Students with a cummulative GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible to apply during the fall of their junior or senior year. Interested underclassmen should work on leadership and service opportunities leading up to potential selection.
Contact Person: Brooke Gariepy
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Room 211
Notes: Open by application ... Any interested student artist may apply. Applications will go out the second week of school and will be due October 11th, 2024.
National History Club
Contact Person: Matthew Lawson
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime
Meeting Location: Room 103
Notes:
National History Club chapters exist across the country, and students who participate do everything from collecting and cataloging and presenting local and state history, to taking field trips to historical sites, and inviting guest speakers to visit their schools. Participation in the National History Club can lead to recognition as a National History Scholar. Participation in both National History Club chapters, and also selection as a National History Scholar, can look good on your college applications and help distinguish you from peers across the country. Admission is open to ALL students, regardless of GPA or grade level!
Restorative Board
Student members are nominated by their peers. All members of the board undergo sustained training on specific issues prior to participating on the hearinThe Restorative Board is a school-wide group of people consisting of students and school staff. This group will participate in the investigative and accountability process when harm and conflict occurs within our shared school community. The Restorative Board strives to be an antidote to canceling, conflict avoidance, secrecy, and intimidation by emphasizing relationships, resolution, and re-integration.
Contact Person: Kendra Hanna & Michelle Merica
Meeting Day/Time: After School (Mondays)
Meeting Location: Room 109
Notes:
Sexuality And Gender Alliance (SAGA)
The Mission of the Gay Straight Diversity Alliance at MDI High School is to support its members and friends, and, to educate the school in order to further an affirmative environment for all. We do a variety of activities throughout the year including regional and state Civil Rights Team/Gay Straight Trans Alliance get-togethers.
Contact Person: Noreen Hogan
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime, After School Activities
Meeting Location: Room 123
Notes: Open to LGBTQ MDIHS students and allies.
Senior Class Officers
Work with the Senior Class Advisor to plan events related to graduation, including funding, planning, and organizing project graduation, choosing a graduation speaker and helping the class president plan his or her introduction of the commencement speaker.
Contact Person: Dawn Burgess
Meeting Day/Time: Flextime, TBD
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes:
Show Choir
Show Choir is a Winter activity, starting just before Thanksgiving, and concluding the last week of March, just before Spring sports are in full swing. Participants should be interested in learning about choral singing at the highest level. In addition, we work as a team to acquire and polish skills that will allow us to achieve top scores at festivals: soloing, dancing and telling a story through music and movement. We have a highly acclaimed volunteer pit orchestra consisting of piano, bass, drums, and often guitar and many string, winds and brass players. Pit parts are written specifically for you and your confidence level. We involve student tech specialists to set-up and run sound on our "touring" show (occasionally lighting is needed as well).
Contact Person: Bronwyn Kortge & Annie Leonardi
Meeting Day/Time: TBA
Meeting Location: TBA
Notes:
Student Advisory Council
The Student Advisory Council serves as liaisons between the student body and administration. Focused on student handbook protocols and board policy. The students will meet periodically with administrators to review protocols and policies. This is an elected position.
Contact Person: Ian Braun
Meeting Day/Time: TBD
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes:
Student Council
A student leadership organization that plans and executes school events and participates in a range of community service activities. This is a chance for students to learn and practice their leadership skills doing work to help their peers and community.
Contact Person: Patricia Savoie
Meeting Day/Time: Thursdays (7:30-7:50)
Meeting Location: TBD
Notes:
Tri-M (Music National Honor Society)
This student-led organization helps promote the health and longevity of our music program through community outreach and student-to-student mentorship. TRI-M is made up of 2nd semester sophomores, juniors and seniors and meets once a week before school. In order to participate students fill out an application in the spring.
Contact Person: Jacob LaMontagne
Meeting Day/Time: Wednesdays
Meeting Location: Music Room
Notes: Still determining member requirements, first meeting Wednesday, September 4th