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Student Groups & Clubs

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.

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.

 

ActivityFairSignUpACTT (Arch City Theater Troupe)
Aim High
ALS Helping Hands
Amnesty International
Asian Culture Club
August Days
Blue & Gold Club
Book Club
Cheerleading
Chemistry Club
Chess Club
Classics Club
Comedy Club
Dance Squad
Diversity E.T.C.
Environmental Awareness Club
Fencing Club
Film Club
The Gastronomic Club
Gateway Model UN
Global Assistance Fund
The Governor (Yearbook)
GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance)
GYLI (Global Youth Leadership Institute)
International Student Exchange Committee (Formerly American Field Service)
Iron Chef Club
JB TV
JBS Players
KIVA
Knits for Needs
KUTO (Kids Under Twenty-One)
Lend A Paw
Light & Sound Crew
Mad Bomber 
Montgomery Plan Committee
Outdoor X
Philosophy Club
Physics & Engineering Club
Political Forum
Quiz Bowl
RAD (Reaching Adolescent Drivers)
The Review
SLAMUN (St. Louis Area Model United Nations)
Sports for Charity
STAND
Student Congress
Student Court
Super Mileage Vehicle Challenge
THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations)
The World

ACTT (Arch City Theater Troupe)
Student Leaders:  Sally Lemkemeier & Helen Rapp
Faculty Sponsor:  Jamie Wagner
ACTT encourages youth involvement in service by giving kids and teens opportunities to use their talents to help others in their annual musical production.
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Aim High
Student Leaders:  Liz Cherrick & Keaton Wetzel
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Harris
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.
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ALS Helping Hands
Student Leaders:  Julie Goldstein & Becca Katzman 
Faculty Sponsor:  Gloria Kweskin
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.
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Amnesty International
Student  Leaders:  Emma Compton & Jin Qui
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.
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Asian Culture Club
Student Leaders:  Jack Linshi & Jenny Liu
Faculty Sponsor:  Tuan Nguyen
To educate the John Burroughs community about Asian cultures and languages.
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August Days
Faculty Sponsor:  Margaret Bahe
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 JBS students entering grades 9-12, who act as counselors under the leadership of two or three 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. Forty JBS students form the counselor corps.
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Blue & Gold Club
Student Leader:  Emily Smith
Faculty Sponsor:  Andrew Newman
This club helps promote spirit week and numerous other events during the year.
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Book Club
Student Leader:  Matt McDonald
Faculty Sponsor:  Michael Dee
This group comes together every month to talk about books they’ve read together. Currently the group is alternating between contemporary and classical works.
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CheerleadingCheerleading
Student Leaders:  Jane Plegge, Emily Sky & Emily Smith
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.
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Chemistry Club
Student Leaders:  Alex Goel, John Krupela & Shamaita Majumdar
Faculty Sponsor:  Sandi Mueller
This group gets together several times a trimester to engage in scientific discussion and to conduct meaningful and creative experiments.
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Chess Club
Student Leader:  Josh Gollub
Faculty Sponsor:  Avery Springer
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.
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Classics Club
Student Leaders:  Philip Dearing  & Jacob Mulcahy 
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.
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Comedy Club
Student  Leaders:  Clay Atchison & Alex Goel
Faculty Sponsor:  Eric Knispel
The purpose of the Comedy Club is to provide a good laugh through a joke a week in assembly as well as performing original comedy routines in local nursing homes. The group watches great comedy performances to perfect their own comedic timing and to help newcomers learn the art.
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Dance Squad
Student Leaders:  Anna Ghnouly, Kristen Peters & Alex Petrullo
Faculty Sponsor:  Margaret Bahe
This club performs routines during spirit week, football games and basketball games in order to promote school spirit and heighten the community's awareness of choreographed dance.
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Diversity E.T.C.
Student  Leaders:  Liz Cherrick, Taylor Edwards, Eric Lawton, Kamron Taylor & Brent Westbrook
Faculty Sponsors:  Daniel Harris, David Hill & Andranique Scott
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.
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Environmental Awareness Club
Student Leaders:  Radhika Jain & John Stillman
Faculty Sponsor:  Scott Deken
EnvironmentalThis 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.
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Fencing Club
Student Leader:  Vince Vance
Faculty Sponsor:  Jason Taff
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Film Club
Student Leaders:  Sasha Ashall & Nate Stuhl
Faculty Sponsor:  Jon Bang
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.
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The Gastronomic Club
Student Leaders:  Ben Montgomery, Amit Roy, Michael Tolan & Al Wolfrum
Faculty Sponsors:  Scott Heinzel & Mark Smith
If you like grilling food, this club's for you. Club-sponsored events included guest speakers on the art of grilling and grilling sessions in the quadrangle and before sporting events.
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Gateway Model UN
Student Leaders:  Soomin Cho, Nathan Dee & Kathleen Walsh
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.
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Global Assistance Fund
Student Leaders:  Jack Linshi & Keaton Wetzel
Faculty Sponsor:  Odile Tompkins
The mission of the Global Assistance Fund is to assist with Meds & Food for Kids in Haiti and Nutre Hogar in Panama.
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The Governor (Yearbook)
Editors-in-Chief:  Devon Camp, JJ Liu & Matt Williams
Faculty Sponsors:  Margaret Bahe & Judy Grand
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 on Sunday afternoons at school, but the staff can work in the yearbook office during free periods, after school and on weekends.
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GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance)
Student Leaders:  Madi Holtzman, Julia Meyer & Sally Steuterman,
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, E.T.C.; Montgomery Plan; Amnesty International; and other such clubs, we work for human rights and social justice.
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GYLI (Global Youth Leadership Institute)
Faculty Sponsor:  Brian Connor
To nurture collaborative leadership for global communities and to assist schools in their missions to inspire socially responsible young people.
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International Student Exchange Committee (formerly American Field Service)
Faculty Sponsor:  Bill Gilbert
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.
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Iron Chef Club
Student Leaders:  Iska Nardie-Warner & 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.
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JB TV
Student  Leader:  Annie Altman
Faculty Sponsor:  Dan Barton
JB TV produces videos in a news format for the JBS community. Students meet during free periods and after lunch to record, edit and produce stories of interest. Students can learn all aspects of video production, from pre-production, interviewing and editing to post production special effects and graphics. The computer video editing class is not a prerequisite for participation but is strongly encouraged. 
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JBSPlayersJBS Players
Directors:  Wayne Salomon & John Pierson
To present four theatre productions each year for the Burroughs community.  Audition is required. The work of the group occurs outside regular school hours. Recent productions include “And Then There Were None” and “Black Comedy."
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KIVA
Student Leaders:  Leah Newcomer, Reshma Shah & Ben Westfall
Faculty Sponsor:  Jamie Wagner
A micro-lending organization.
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Knits for Needs
Student Leaders:  Mariel Van Landingham & Jenny Liu
Faculty Sponsors:  Ellie Des Prez & Avery Springer
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KUTO (Kids Under Twenty-One)
Student Leaders:  Caroline Min & Rosalba Gleijeses
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.
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Lend A Paw
Student  Leaders:  Alex Dyer, Christiana Herbosa & Kathleen Murphy
Faculty Sponsor:  Holly Lorencz
Also know as the Animal Club, Lend A Paw raises funds for the Humane Society as well as informing the Burroughs community about animal abuse.
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Light & Sound Crew
Student Crew:  Keaton Armentrout, Jacob Mulcahy, Simon Sandler & Jack Welch
Faculty Sponsors:  Tim Baker & Brian Connor
The Light and Sound Crew provides technical assistance to all JBS functions requiring theatrical light and sound. Primary responsibilities include morning assemblies and JBS Players.
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Mad Bomber 
Student Leaders:  Adam Kallaus & Ian Nightingale
Faculty Sponsor:  Jim Roble
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.
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MontgomeryPlanMontgomery Plan Committee
Student Leaders:  Michael Carney, Radhika Jain & Matt Williams
Faculty Sponsors:  Susan Dee, Rick Sandler & Ned Wood
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.
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Outdoor Ed (Outdoor X)
Student Leaders:  Pepper Dee, Tommy McKone & Robert Wright
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.
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Philosophy Club
Student Leaders:  Andy Yost & Ian Zatlin
Faculty Sponsor:  Holly Lorencz
For the love of the argument!
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Physics & Engineering Club
Student Leaders:  Henry Schmidt & Max Witt
Faculty Sponsor:  Jim Roble
This club meets monthly in an effort to better understand physical properties and to apply scientific knowledge to practical problems.
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Political Forum
Student Leaders:  John Stillman & Michael Tolan
Faculty Sponsor:  Mark Nicholas
This group meets regularly to discuss political issues and current events related to government."
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Quiz Bowl
Student Leader:  Mike Jin
Faculty Sponsor:  Suzy Hamon
Do you love seemingly useless information? This club meets regularly in advance of local competitions that measure a team's knowledge of such information.
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RAD (Reaching Adolescent Drivers)
Faculty Sponsor:  Carrie Madigan
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.
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The Review
Co-Editors-in-Chief:  Thom Finley & Edirin Okoloko
Faculty Sponsors:  Ellie DesPrez & Andrew 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.
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SLAMUN (St. Louis Area Model United Nations)
Student Leaders:  David Franks & Spencer Marsden
Faculty Sponsor:  Jon Bang
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.
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Sports for Charity (SPOFO)
Student Leaders:  Vik Chauhan, Michael Gans, Nilesh Patel & Farhan Raza
Faculty Sponsor:  Kevin McKone
The members of this club organize fundraisers centered around sporting activities (for example, 3-on-3 basketball and arm-wrestling tournaments).
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STAND
Student Leader:  Nate Seeskin
Faculty Sponsor:  Eric Knispel
This JBS chapter of STAND helps increase awareness of the conflict that continues in Darfur.
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Student Congress
Student Body President:  John Stillman
Faculty Sponsor:  Andrew Newman
The Student Congress is comprised of the president of each class, chief justice of the Student Court, the 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 100 Neediest Cases; Commons Cafe; Dance Marathon; and Field Day. All meetings are open to the student body.
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Student Court
Chief Justice:  Alex Brasher
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.
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SuperMileageSuper Mileage Vehicle Challenge
Student Leaders:  Jake Banton, Evan Engelhardt & Andi Schmid
Faculty Sponsors:  Dan Barton, Brian Connor, Peggy Davison, Eric Knispel & Jim Roble
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.
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THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations)
Participants:  Applications due in September
THIMUNFaculty 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 3,000 students from 70 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. In addition to the formal UN meetings that take place in The Hague from Sunday to Friday, the students also get a chance to tour the Netherlands during their off time.
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The World
Editors-in-Chief:  Radhika Jain & Matt McDonald
Faculty Sponsors:  Andrew Newman & Mark Smith
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 writing and editing, photography, and page layout. Most work is done after school and on weekends.
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