Upper School Clubs & Organizations

Art Club promotes art within the community. The club will sponsor field trips to art museums in the area and host workshops at the school. The club does collect dues to assist in the costs of the workshop. The Art Club conducts one fundraiser each year; the funds will be used towards the workshop.

Book Club gathers once a month to discuss, recommend, and enjoy books we have read together or personally during the past few weeks. This is a stress-free environment for students to enjoy reading together outside of the required academic reading.

Breakfast Club helps build community over the most important meal of the day. We will support locally-owned businesses and have breakfast together. We will have a fundraiser for Memphis Food Bank and other organizations that benefit people with food insecurities in the midsouth.

BRIDGES unites and inspires diverse young people to become confident and courageous leaders committed to community transformation. Unlike any organization in the Mid-South region, BRIDGES provides students an opportunity to find their voice through unique experiential learning activities that are adventurous, relational and transformative. As a result, participants are empowered to reach across racial and socio-economic divides, are prepared for secondary educational opportunities and careers, and are engaged in civic affairs in their communities.

The Chess Club serves to engage and educate students (as well as other members of our community) in the game of chess. Studies have shown that playing the game of Chess regularly right from childhood improves one’s learning, thinking, analytical power, and decision-making ability. In the game of chess, players learn to do a thorough analysis, research, and assessment of the situation before making any decision. Chess provides the mental dexterity needed for solving problems, analyzing consequences, and formulating future tactics. Our goal as a club is to teach students every aspect of the game, host chess competitions for St. Mary’s students, and provide a space for students to engage in this fun, yet tactical activity.

Climbing Club is for anyone who enjoys or just wants to try rock climbing, indoors or outdoors. We will meet most Wednesdays and Sundays at Memphis Rox to climb in the gym and also plan weekend and summer trips to climb outside. No commitment is required–some folks climb every session and some just show up as they are able. Everyone is welcome to join on any Wednesday or Sunday or on any of the trips!

Cooking Club’s purpose is to share cooking tips and recipes, discuss volunteer opportunities, and brainstorm ideas for cooking club events. The end-of-the-year goal for Cooking Club is a collaborative cookbook which include favorite recipes from throughout the year.

The Drama Club brings together those who have a love of the dramatic arts. It’s a great way to get students involved in St. Mary’s theatre and to make them aware of the wonderful theatre community in Memphis. Drama Club members are encouraged to join the Performing Arts members in the Greenroom for breakfast on Wednesdays at 7:30am. Members are expected to be present for all meetings, help with SMS theatre productions, and have fun!

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) Club connects students who want to play D&D together. D&D  is a fantasy role-playing game. Each player has a character designed by themself that is placed in a story led by a Dungeon Master (DM). It is a fun experience that creates a break from stress and provides an opportunity to make friends, tell stories, and use creative problem-solving skills.

The Environmental Club offers students an opportunity to participate in school and community ecological improvements. Students implement and suggest ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle, engage in campus beautification, participate in school and community events and service projects.

The Facing History Student Leadership Group meets to have meaningful conversations about tough topics. Our conversations tend to be centered on civic participation and how to be a leader within St. Mary's and the larger community.  In these meetings, students teach, facilitate, speak, and organize discussions with the goal of enhancing civic discourse and understanding on potentially divisive issues.

The French Club serves to engage and educate students (as well as other members of our community), as we experience the things that bring French to life – cuisine, fashion, art, music, film, etc. Another goal is to make students aware of the Francophone (or French-speaking) world. As part of this, we are also committed to community service, especially service towards French-speaking countries in need (such as Haiti) or French-speaking refugees living here in Memphis. The French Club collects dues and holds crêpe and pastry sales to support events.

Hallo Alle! In the German Culture Club, we celebrate holidays, watch films, eat German food, and so much more! Everyone is encouraged to join, so I hope to see you there!

Global Club's mission is to work to instill curiosity and awareness about local and international issues while furthering global competency development outside of a classroom space.

The GovClub is made up of students who participate in the YMCA-run Model United Nations conference in the fall and/or the Youth in Government conference in the spring. The club provides the organizational structure to make that participation possible. St. Mary's meetings are held periodically during lunch in the months and weeks leading up to each conference. The YMCA holds 3-4 separate Memphis-wide meetings at night before each conference at either MUS or Hutchison. Model United Nations is typically the first weekend of November and Youth in Government is usually the first weekend in April.

INSPire will help to spread awareness of mental, physical, and nutritional health around the St. Mary’s community. Through activities, recipes, and opportunities that challenge students to be the best versions of themselves, we aspire to foster an environment that encourages “health of mind and soul and body” at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.

The purpose of the Junior Classical League (Latin Club) “is to encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and to impart an understanding of the debt of our own culture to that of Classical antiquity.” Dues are collected from each member to cover registration with State/National Organization. Money is also collected for individual events. The Latin Club sponsors Life Blood twice a year.

Knitting Club offers a quiet and relaxing space to knit, crochet, braid, etc. with friends. We meet twice a month during an O period. Beginner and advanced knitters are both encouraged to sign up, and anyone wanting to learn can certainly find someone willing to help teach them. Items created can either be for personal use, like a present, or can be donated to a local charity.

Mock Trial offers Upper School students an opportunity to compete in the National Bar Association's high school mock trial competition in which students prepare a mock lawsuit for trial and play the roles of attorneys and witnesses in competitions against teams from other schools at the local, state, and national level. The experience instills the importance of teamwork, preparation, determination, persistence, and attention to detail. Skills acquired include public speaking, the ability to think on one's feet and to see an argument from two different perspectives. The team spends about three months preparing the case provided by the Tennessee Bar Association. Mock trial requires commitment and willingness to practice two to three times weekly over a three to four month period.

Olympic Sports Club is a place for people who either do sports outside of SMS (such as archery, horseback riding, and figure skating) or have an appreciation for and interest in learning more about these sports and supporting their fellow Turkeys. We are always looking to expand on sports, so if there is a sport that you do (and you want some support) this is the place to be! Come one, come all. We’d love to have your support and cheer you on!

Red Cross Club gives students the FUN opportunity to build leadership skills through community-focused activities. While in the Red Cross Club, students will be empowered with the knowledge of life-saving skills to help prepare them to respond to emergencies in and outside of school. During meetings, the Red Cross Club will educate students about preparedness when responding to disastrous events, such as tornadoes, fires, floods, etc., and complete activities that positively impact the community. Although many may think the Red Cross Club only focuses on fundraising, responding to disastrous events, and doing activities such as hosting a blood drive or being a blood donor, this is not true! Other awesome activities include writing thank you notes to blood donors and veterans for their service as well as educating K-5th graders about responding to emergencies through the fun book Prepare with Pedro the Penguin and the Pillowcase Project. The Red Cross Club is an awesome way to spend time with friends while expanding knowledge on emergency preparedness and bettering the community!

Robotics Club offers students the opportunity to compete in the VEX Robotics Competition - Spin Up. This competition challenges students to build a robot that throws discs into goals. The two-minute challenge also contains a 15-second autonomous portion for students that enjoy coding. During meetings, students will gather to brainstorm, build, drive, document, and program their robots. The team will spend 12 weeks building and programming their robot to prepare for their first competition. Robotics club members will meet two times weekly throughout the season.

The St. Mary's Community Fund (SMCF) is a student organization formed for the purpose of educating young women about the importance of philanthropy through hands-on community service, fund raising, and grant making. Learn more.

St. Mary’s Is Memphis Club is a new endeavor led by Upper School students to engage our SMP to 12th grade community in targeted, meaningful service opportunities offered throughout the academic year! The goal of this club is to plan and execute three “days of service” at a local nonprofit organization, such as the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA). This club will meet several times each quarter to plan the event with the nonprofit, communicate the opportunity to the greater SMS community, and debrief the successes and challenges of each SMS day of service. This is going to be a fantastic opportunity to create a student-led, Memphis-focused campaign that engages our parent, faculty, and student community in an intergenerational approach to giving back to the city we love.

The purpose of the Spanish Club is to promote awareness and appreciation for Hispanic culture through celebration of Hispanic traditions and contact with native Spanish speakers. By connecting with Hispanic culture around us, we aim to develop a greater understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. The club meets several times a semester during O periods or lunch. Members are expected to pay dues and volunteer at tutoring or outreach programs. In the past, we have tutored at Multi-National Ministries, Casa María, Casa Vecino, Centro Las Américas, and Streets Ministries.

The STEM Club offers a place for students to celebrate, share and participate in their passion for science, technology, engineering, and math. While in the STEM club, students have the opportunity to participate in discussions of current events, Canstruction, engineering days, astronomy nights, and lots of other hands-on events. This club celebrates each student's interest by offering her a platform of support and resources to further her passion.

Student Ambassadors are a group of sophomore, junior and senior students at St. Mary's who host visitors on campus, lead tours for prospective parents and students, serve as hostesses for Open Houses, greet St. Mary's Board Members, and everything in between! Becoming a Student Ambassador is an excellent way for students to gain leadership experience while making lasting connections with visitors on campus.

Theophilus Club (meaning friend of God) Club is a place where we will discuss topics with a Christian lens prompted by articles, passages from books, poetry, etc. Anyone is welcome to join, but the objective of the conversations is to dig in with a Christian perspective.

Women in Business inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences while making connections with female entrepreneurs and social media influencers.

Yoga club creates a space for students to talk about yoga, practice, meditate, and much more! Come take a nap or find some movement during the long school day!