VTHS Activities
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Academic Decathlon Team
The VTHS Academic Decathlon team competes against over dozen schools in North Jersey by taking tests, making speeches, and playing games in Math, Economics, Literature, Art, Interview, Public Speaking, Super Quiz, Social Sciences, and essay writing. Each year the team is given a specific topic to study like World War II, Africa or the 1960s, and the club meets regularly to both study and learn the material.
Art Club
The Art Club meets weekly. The main purpose is to afford students from various backgrounds and interests to come have some fun making art and being creative in a studio environment. Current enrollment in an art class is not mandatory. The moderator is there to encourage students to create art, hash out student ideas with them and provide supplies.
Bystander Awareness/Colors of Excellence Club
The Colors of Excellence Club is a safe space to help all students explore and better understand racial and ethnic identities, histories, experiences and communities. Conversations and experiences regarding identity are shared in a non-judgemental environment. In addition, the Bystanders Club is for students who wish to discuss strategies to recognize and prevent disrespectful comments, actions, and behaviors in order to create a climate in which students are able to undertake learning safely and successfully.
Chamber Orchestra
This is a co-curricular ensemble. Students are selected by audition and are enrolled in Orchestra ACP. Chamber Orchestra members perform at an average of twenty school and community events each year.
DECA
Vernon DECA prepares emerging leader and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Besides being a club that engages business students across a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, the club also encourages members to lead ventures in community service, school-wide enrichment and competitive excellence.
Fall Drama
This is the fall theatre production that is usually held the first weekend in November in the VTHS auditorium. Students audition in September and rehearse for 1.5 months with the culmination of a two night performance for the public.
Full Orchestra
This is extra-curricular for wind, brass, and percussion players. Students are selected by audition and rehearse weekly after school. The students then rehearse with string players during four evening rehearsals before each concert.
GSA/LGBTQ
This is a safe space for all students to meet and discuss their identities and have support.
HOSA
HOSA is aligned as a co-curricular club with the Allied Health track. HOSA is for students who consider themselves future health professionals. The club’s officers collect dues, organizes volunteer charity events and encourages volunteerism in local emergency medical services (volunteer ambulance squads). Students who want to network with other future health professionals are encouraged to compete in regional, state and possibly national competitions. While HOSA has collegiate, state, national and international footings, at Vernon we need to develop and grow within our community.
Italian Club
The Italian Club meets at least once a month to promote Italian culture, cuisine and current trends. The club is open to all high school students. Some activities may include an Italian film festival, cooking, celebrating Nutella awareness day and preparing for classroom holiday celebrations.
Key Club
Key Club members around the world are learning how to lead and stand for what’s right through service and volunteerism. In partnership with their local Kiwanis club, high school students make a positive impact as they serve others in their schools and communities.
High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing and organizing food drives. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects and holding elected leadership positions at the club, district and international levels.
Math League
Meets once a month from October to March, for students to take a 6 question math exam. Our team competes against teams from the rest of the county and around the country.
Mock Trial
Mock Trial is an extracurricular program in which students participate in rehearsed trials to learn about the legal system in a competitive manner. Mock Trial combines elements of legal knowledge, improvisational acting and highly coordinated teamwork.
Model Congress
Model Congress works with the office of the congressman of New Jersey’s 5th congressional district. This organization brings two students annually to partake in a simulated congressional activity. Currently on Hiatus.
Model UN
Model UN is an organization where students build real-world speaking, research and writing skills. Students meet regularly in preparation for several Interscholastic and Intrascholastic competitions that focus on real issues that the actual United Nations is confronting in the present.
National Art Honor Society
The Art National Honor Society has been an official, registered, dues contributing chapter with an approved constitution and by-laws of the National Art Education Association’s art honor society since the 1980’s. The chapter is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors who demonstrate commitment to their art by being enrolled in an upper level art class and displaying this commitment through scholarship and high quality artwork in and through their art classes.
Our art honor society is a student run organization with a faculty sponsor acting as support for student run activities. The executive committee of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer decide the direction they want the chapter to go in at the beginning of the school year. They define the energy and enthusiasm needed to move the group along in the various planned activities: fund-raisers, community service projects and fun bonding events. The glue for all chapter activities is the strong interest in making art that our students value in their lives both at school and at home.
National English Honor Society
The English Honor Society seeks to recognize the accomplishments of high-achieving students in grades 11 and 12. The VTHS chapter is affiliated with the national organization. By invitation, this society looks to recognize those students who have success in Language Arts over their high school career.
National Honor Society
This national organization recognizes the excellence in scholarship, character and service of juniors and seniors in high school. Each year, students with a combined GPA of 90 and no discipline issues are invited to seek membership. The NHS at Vernon runs three blood drives and various other activities and services the membership wants to pursue.
National Italian Honor Society
The Italian Honor Society promotes study and scholarship of the Italian language and culture via peer tutoring, community outreach and in-school and out-of-school activities.
National Math Honor Society
By invitation, this society looks to recognize those students who have success over their high school career.
National Science Honor Society
This is an academic honor society in which qualified students participate in science projects that benefit the school district. Examples of past projects include, but are not limited to, assisting students in other schools within the district with science projects and fundraising for the filtered water bottle station in the cafeteria.
National Social Studies Honors Society
The Rho Kappa Social Studies Honors Society seeks to recognize the accomplishments of high-achieving Social Studies students in grades 11 and 12. The VTHS chapter is affiliated with the national organization. VTHS Rho Kappa seeks to build a community that is focused on the importance and value of the Social Studies.
National Science Honor Society
This is an academic honor society in which qualified students participate in science projects that benefit the school district. Examples of past projects include, but are not limited to, assisting students in other schools within the district with science projects and fundraising for the filtered water bottle station in the cafeteria.
Robotics Club
This a comprehensive team that works towards learning about, engineering, and building robots as well as learning and developing our students in all aspects of an organization including finances, publication, and marketing. We are an all year round club with competition season ranging from January to May.
SAT Team – Summer, Winter and Spring:
We run three separate sections of the SAT Team, an after school/summer SAT preparation class. The class meets regularly (3 times per week – Reading/Grammar, Essay, and Math) for 2 1/2 hours. We also meet every other Saturday morning for a full length practice test. In addition to the test, we provide assistance with college essay writing and the entire application process.
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving students in career and technical education training programs. SkillsUSA’s programs help students develop personal, workplace, and technical skills grounded in academics and the trades.
Spring Musical
This is the spring musical production that is usually held the third weekend in March in the VTHS auditorium. Students audition in December and rehearse for 2.5 months with the culmination of a three night performance for the public.
Stage Crew
This is the “behind the scenes” students that help create the Fall Drama and the Spring Musical. These students help with everything from pushing sets, doing lights, working sound and audio, costuming, hair & makeup and everything in between. A month before the production opens they begin staying after school to assist in the production process.
Student Council
This is a student government organization that plans and runs activities that take place in the building. Various activities include spirit weeks, pep rallies and homecoming.
Technology Student Association (TSA) – TCNJ High School Competitions
Students are challenged to use and improve their STEM skills in team and individual events in such areas as technology, communication, design and engineering, environmental systems, transportation, and manufacturing. Students can pick from more than 30 events to prepare them for the NJ TSA High School Competition scheduled at TCNJ April 2019.
Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society is an honor society for high school theatre students. It is a division of the Educational Theatre Association. Thespian troupes serve students in grades 9-12. Vernon Township High School’s troupe is #3981.
Tri-M Music Honor Society
These are students who meet the necessary criteria in the categories of academics, performance achievements, and character may be selected during their sophomore, junior, or senior year for the music honor society.