Amnesty International:
Unaffiliated with any government or religion, Amnesty International is an organization that works to promote and defend the human rights of all.  The group meets weekly to write letters on behalf of people who are prisoners of conscience.  Members also work to raise the funds for postage and to otherwise support the organization's humanitarian efforts.

Chess Club
The Foote Chess Club, open to students in grades 6-9, meets during Wednesday study halls. Members must be experienced players. The club hopes to compete in local chess tournaments as soon as possible.
Chinese Chess – this fall we are fortunate to have exchange teacher Xiang Jiaxiang offering a Chinese chess course to interested middle schoolers.

Chorus:
A co-ed informal ensemble for students in grades 6 - 9, the group meets during Tuesday study hall and performs at school functions and occasional morning meetings.  Experience and share the joy of song, including music from Broadway shows and beyond.  Accompanists (guitar or piano) are also encouraged to join. 

Community Service
Community Service encourages everyone to join and get involved, including faculty and staff as well as students.  We are looking for ways to help our community here at Foote and in our city and the world.  Activities include: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, knitting scarves for Columbus House residents, food drives, Mountain of Warmth for homeless folks, Pennies for Pencils for school kids in Afghanistan and Pakistan, books and tutoring for New Haven Reads, Cook and Care Walk-a-thon, MS walk, and a Talent Show to raise money for charitable causes.  We are always open to new ideas and projects!

Dawn Walsh and Laura Altshul

Paul Park and
Megan King

Drama
Each fall interested 7th and 8th graders may audition for a major production, which is performed in the school’s Sandine Theater in December for in-school audiences as well as outside audiences at ticketed performances. Students interested in set, tech and stage management are also given the opportunity participate. The Fall 2009 production is “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

The Environmental Action Group
“EAG,” meets weekly during Thursday study hall in the U-30 science room. Special activities are sometimes scheduled during school, after school or on weekends. The group is open to students in grades 6-9. Its members determine the specific causes the group takes on; the scope of their activities ranges from local to global.  In the past activities have included: creation and maintenance of a tree trail at Foote, park clean-ups, Monarch butterfly tagging, bedding drives for animal shelters, sponsorship of “Birds of Prey” programs, petition drives to stop wolf hunting in Alaska, and fundraisers to adopt acres of rainforest in Asia and South America.

Footenotes
The Foote School's literary magazine is published yearly.  Submissions from all grades come to an editorial staff of Middle School students.  They read, discuss, and decide which writing will be included in the publication.  The magazine is dedicated to a special person and distributed at an assembly.

Foote Steps
The school's yearbook is created by a hardworking group of 8th and 9th graders. Working in small teams that take responsibility for a particular section – sports, activities, faculty, etc. – the students take photos and use a computer layout program to design pages that create a representation of the school year. The work must be completed by mid-April to allow printing and delivery of the yearbooks at the Yearbook Assembly in May.

Robert Williamson and Lucy Friedman-Bell

Jazz-Rock Ensemble is open to 7th-9th graders who study an instrument privately and would like to meet once a week to prepare music to perform at a variety of school functions.  Interested 6th graders who are skilled players may also be considered. The ensemble will cover the history of Jazz and Rock up to present times and will work to develop skills in improvisation and composition. The director of the group is Craig Hartley, after school music teacher and an accomplished jazz pianist.

The Foote School Orchestra Orchestra is open to 4th – 9th graders who play a string, woodwind, or brass instrument and would like to play together once a week to learn and prepare music for a variety of school performances throughout the year.  Orchestra meets every Wednesday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.  The director of the group is Nora Lee, a violist and experienced music teacher.

The SPI
The SPI is the school’s student-run newspaper. Student staff members and faculty advisors meet every Wednesday during study hall in the computer lab. Found among The SPI’s pages are editorials, interviews with students, teachers, administrators, survey results, sport results, book and music reviews, photography, cartoons, and puzzles. The SPI is published several times each semester.

Student Council
This activity for 7th, 8th, and 9th grades that meets on Thursday during flex/recess.  The student-elected group acts as a conduit between the students and the faculty/administration on a variety of issues.  In addition, the group plans and executes activities for the Middle School, as well as the entire school population, in an effort to raise money for the students’ annual gift to the school.

Student Council President: Nate Barton

9th Grade President: Britney Dumas