Clubs

Our dynamic clubs provide extensive social growth opportunities and build a sense of school camaraderie as students work together to develop programs, bring in speakers, organize food drives, and more.

Run by students with the guidance of a faculty advisor, clubs meet during lunch, rather than after school, so everyone can participate. Some clubs are limited to upper school or middle school students, while others include every grade. Clubs give our students the chance to interact with peers who may not attend classes with them. Students can build robots, campaign for human rights, work on any of our six publications, participate in student government, and more.

Club offerings vary from year to year based on student interest.

Academic Clubs

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a nonprofit, national organization that works with different schools and thousands of girls. It helps create a comfortable environment in which young women can learn and excel in the male-dominated field of computer programming. Using Girls Who Code curriculum and lessons, our chapter inspires and immerses girls into computer coding at an early age.

engineering club

Engineering Club is for all students in grades 9-12 who like to design and create things. Some past year’s projects students have worked on have been fuel rockets, bottle rockets, paper rockets, dragsters, solar powered cars, crash test cars, catapults, go carts, lip balms, Rube Goldberg devices, towers, bridges, gliders, pin hole cameras, and wind power turbines. Students can choose which types of projects they want to do based on their own personal experience and interest.

Math Club

In Math Club, students work individually or in groups on Pennsylvania Math League (PML) problems. These interesting problems prepare students for the PML contest and American Mathematics Competition. Students may also play math games and do logic puzzles or other math-related activities.

Math Counts

Students work individually or in groups honing their problem-solving abilities while taking on non-routine, contest-like problems. If there is enough interest, students may enter a competition for area schools.

Stock Market Club

Students learn the ins and outs of the stock market and buy and sell stocks through a fun, interactive stock market game.

Advocacy

Environmental Action Club (EAC)

This student-centered organization protects, conserves, and improves the environment by taking action on local environmental issues. In addition to promoting energy conservation and effective recycling at Barrack, the EAC raises awareness about local, regional, and global environmental matters. Past activities have included flower sales, water bottle giveaways, and a trip to Harrisburg to visit different agencies.

gender and sexuality alliance (GSA)

GSA is a safe space within Barrack where people can feel comfortable and accepted regardless of their sexuality, physical, mental, or intellectual ability, and level of religious observance. Barrack GSA educates our community, promotes tolerance and respect, and discourages bullying in any and all forms.

Holocaust Education and Reflection Club (HEAR)

The Holocaust Education and Reflection Club (HEAR) plans Yom Ha'Shoah/יום השואה (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and other all-school assemblies with survivors, liberators, film makers, historians, and the children and grandchildren of survivors to educate this generation about the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. Learn more about the HEAR Club here.

mini-THON

Students work to fundraise for pediatric cancer through the Four Diamonds Foundation, culminating in a mini-THON event.

topics in ethics

This civil debate club allows students to discuss modern and intriguing ethical dilemmas in an open, free-form setting. For each meeting, club leaders select a controversial modern-day ethics-related topic to discuss.

Women's Empowerment

This club offers a place for young women at Barrack to encourage one another to achieve their dreams.

Arts and Culture

architectural design club

Architectural Design Club focuses on learning and discussing elements of architectural history and design.

Chess Club

In Chess Club, students celebrate the sport of chess through games and technique study.

Coffeehouse Club

Student artists and musicians perform, hang out, and talk about music while working together on cover songs and original work.

Drama Club

As a supportive complement to our Drama Department, the Drama Club holds music workshops and cast bonding activities, helps with song selection and side readings, conducts information sessions with the director about upcoming shows, and helps fundraise and promote Drama Department events. The club also hosts a “musical of the month,” where members vote for their favorite musicals and then listen, watch, and discuss them.

film Club

Film Club students watch and discuss movies with one another with the goal of learning to appreciate and understand cinema.

super 8 club

This club is dedicated to video and movie production. Students have the opportunity to meet with professionals in the film industry, discuss movies, and make movies of their own. In the past, this club has held movie discussions with Hollywood editor Fred Raskin, met with filmmaker Alison Klayman, and met Jeremy Zagar, director of the film Hustle with Adam Sander.

Hesed

Hesed Club

Hesed Club members develop and coordinate projects related to community service and hesed, the commitment to spreading general acts of loving kindness in our community. Activities often include food, clothing, and fundraising drives; visits to nursing homes and soup kitchens; and educational programming on service-oriented organizations and social justice issues. The club is also heavily involved in planning Lag B'Omer activities each year as well as one major fundraising event. The club has previously hosted Strut to Support, a fashion show for Tikvah Children's Home; Chips for Charity, a casino night for Juvenile Diabetes Research; and Play to Plant, a game show night raising money for renewal efforts for the Carmel region in Israel.

lucy belle's rainbow

Established in honor of a young girl who passed away from a brain tumor, this club collects art supplies in her memory to donate to Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania. The club promotes cancer awareness and spreads kindness and compassion to those in need.

widener memorial club

This service club connects Barrack students with Widener Memorial School in Philadelphia. Club members visit Widener once a month where they prepare and teach lessons or work with teachers to help students.

Humanities and Literature

create your own language club

This creative club aims to use linguistic theory to create a new language.

creative writing club

Students use club time to respond to prompts, compete in writing contests, and plan a monthly online magazine with student writing. Students are also encouraged to submit work to online publications.

outside the bubble

Students learn more about other groups of Americans to gain a better perspective of other races' experiences. Outside the Bubble encourages students to consider new perspectives through short stories, essays, books, photography, and documentary clips.

Science Fiction Book Club

Students from all grades are welcome to bring their voices and interests to this club, which explores the science fiction genre through short stories and novels written by a diverse group of authors. Club members discuss both the literary merits of these works as well as the larger themes they present. The responsibility of picking the works discussed falls largely to the members of the club.

word games club

Through this club, students are introduced to various word games to help them develop skills and master new challenges.

Judaism and Israel

Israel Club/חוג ישראל

Just for our upper school students, this club promotes love of and advocacy for Israel by bringing greater awareness to our school community. Club members generate excitement about Israel and Israel-related activities, showcasing many opportunities to experience culture, music, food, holidays, and current events firsthand.

Jewish philosophy Club

This club creates a safe space for young Jewish philosophers to discuss their views and debate in a safe space.

Torah Lishmah (Tanakh Club)

This club creates a space for students of all grades to study Tanakh together. Entirely student-run and student-led, club members choose which topics and books they would like to focus on. Students talk with each other in open discussions that are mindful of the text and respectful of each member’s thoughts.

Outcome-Based Clubs

Physical Fitness and Emotional Wellness

Cheerleading Team

The Cheerleading Team supports our school’s basketball teams with spirit and sportsmanship.

Sports Debate Club

The Sports Debate Club discusses and debates sports and related topics. All members have equal opportunities to provide insight into their personal stances and respectfully disagree with other members. The club hosts guest speakers and special competitions throughout the year, including Super Bowl predictions, an NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge, and sports trivia contests. The club has visited local sports talk radio stations as well as professional teams’ facilities.

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee is one of the fastest moving laid-back games around. Serving as their own referees, seven players on each team score goals by throwing a Frisbee down the field from teammate to teammate. New players are welcome.

Wellness Club

Wellness Club is a place for students to relax, de-stress, and feel as if they’re not alone in whatever issues they’re dealing with. It’s a safe space for students to hang out and talk—or not talk, depending on what they’re comfortable with. Club members have judgment-free conversations, give each other advice, enjoy stress-relieving craft making, and are there for one another. They also organize sales to support mental health organizations and raise awareness of mental health concerns.

Publications

School Government

Student Help Centers

Hebrew Tutoring Center

The Hebrew Tutoring Center is available to any student who needs or requests extra help or wants additional enrichment activities in Hebrew.

Math Center

Upper school tutors help students with math work at the Center.

Writing Center

Our Writing Center is a free tutoring service staffed daily by an English teacher and several trained student tutors. It is open to students in any grade for any type of writing assignment.

Five students from Super8 Club smiling with cameras