Clubs | Gann Academy

What's Your Passion

Nearly all student participate in or lead multiple clubs or organizations while at Gann.

Student organizations provide social opportunities as well as experience in planning, collaborating, and leading. The block schedule offers clubs the chance to meet during the day without interrupting academics or having to stay after school.

Student Clubs and Organizations

List of 40 items.

App Development Club

The App Development Club works as a team to produce apps from scratch for iOS and Android. Members have the choice to learn about app development using XCode (Swift language) or Android Studio (Java).
Art Club

Art Club focuses on all things art. Members spend time learning about art history and exploring 2D and 3D art, photography, and graphic design through techniques and styles associated with each medium.
Business Club

Business Club meets regularly to talk about recent business news and to educate members about being successful in the world of business.
Chess Club

Chess Club meets weekly to play and discuss chess.
Coding Club

Coding club members collaborate either individually or in groups on programming-related projects that interest them. Members have the opportunity to learn the basics of coding, computer programming, and video game development.
Community Organizing for Progressive Activism (COPA)

COPA is the progressive group on campus. Members work on many different issues including gun control and the environment.
Conservative Club

Conservative Club is a place for people with any and all opinions to come together and discuss current events. Members bring in speakers throughout the year who represent various political affiliations and viewpoints.
Cooking Club

Cooking club is a fun opportunity for students at Gann to learn how to cook new and exciting dishes, and to learn about different types of cuisine.
Deans' Advisory Board

The Deans' Advisory Board represents the perspective of the student body in discussing issues brought forth by both the students and the grade deans. The dilemmas brought up can range anywhere from individual students' incidents or disciplinary issues to problems that specific grades would like to address, such as driving privileges for juniors. The board consists of two elected student representatives from each grade and a representative from Student Council.
Environment Club

Environment Club aims to raise awareness about environmental issues among the Gann student body. The group strives to increase Gann’s commitment to sustainable resources and members participate in lobbying, fundraising, and volunteer work within the larger communities.
Femininjas

Feminijas are dedicated to creating a space for open dialogue about feminism and women’s issues. Members meet weekly to discuss issues surrounding gender and equality. Membership is open to anyone regardless of gender identity and views on feminism/the feminist movement—new perspectives are always welcome!
Film Club

Film Club provides a space for movie-lovers of all kinds, from the relaxed “hobby-watchers” to those deeply invested and interested in the art of filmmaking. Through observation, discussion, and debate, members learn from one another about the art of filmmaking and story-telling.
Future Students in Medicine

The Future Students in Medicine club is for students interested in pursuing a career in the field of medicine. Members have the opportunity to learn more about different jobs and hear from professionals in the field.
Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA)

The GSA creates a place where people can get together in a comfortable and safe environment and talk about gender and sexuality. People of all genders and sexualities are welcome.
Grateful Dead Club

Grateful Dead Club is an attempt to reestablish the once prolific feeling that, yes, there is a place for everyone. The Dead’s music is known for its free-flowing expansiveness and its unique capacity to fraternize chaos with order. Members come together weekly to jam as a group.
Heifers for Israel

Through dialogue with students, faculty, and speakers, Heifers for Israel helps the Gann community learn more about Israel, develop a stance on Israel, and be inspired to take action. Heifers provides resources and opportunities for students to be involved in the many streams of Israel activism.
Innovation Club

Innovation is about transforming ideas into new or improved products, processes, and services. Members have the opportunity to hear professionals speak about the incredible process of innovation and to take periodic field trips.
Junior State of America (JSA)

JSA is a non-partisan organization for students interested in debate, political action, and activism. Members meet often to discuss current events and organize debates. Members also attend regional conventions several times a year.
Knitting Circle

All levels of knitters, from novice to expert, gather weekly in the library to learn the traditional craft of knitting, work on projects, and enjoy the company of fellow knitting enthusiasts. Library staff provide knitting supplies, coaching, and ideas for knitting projects. Those who prefer to crochet are also welcome.
Lace Up (Sports Magazine)

Lace Up is Gann’s sports magazine covering professional sports and fantasy football news. It is a student-run publication that welcomes all those with an interest in sports.
Library Student Group

Library Student Group members share their passion for reading with peers, take on a leadership role in what goes on in the library, and work on book-related upcycling projects. Meetings include guest speakers on a variety of topics and there are always tasty snacks in between the stacks!
Lit Mag

Lit Mag is Gann’s literary magazine. The magazine accepts submissions throughout the year from any Gann student. During weekly meetings, there is an open panel for editing and discussing submitted works. At the end of the year, Lit Mag publishes Loose Ends, Gann’s literary magazine, which is a compilation of Gann student work.
Math Team

Math Team meets weekly to do math and logic puzzles, and to compete in weekly Math Madness, an online, team-based competition against other schools around the country.
Mock Trial

Mock Trial team members participate in Massachusetts Bar mock trial competitions. These competitions simulate real-world trial cases, and members play the roles of either a witness or a lawyer.
Model UN

Model UN for students interested in global affairs and debate. Members have the opportunity to take on the role of United Nations delegates and simulate committees at regional competitions. Members learn about the world, and develop public speaking and presentation skills.
Music Club
NCSY Club

NCSY is an organization founded by the Orthodox Union and it is dedicated to connecting, inspiring, and empowering Jewish teens worldwide. Members participate in social events with Jewish teenagers in the New England area.
NFTY

NFTY is the Reform Jewish Youth Movement. The regional NFTY advisor visits Gann each month to run programs and engage students in Jewish life and social justice projects.
Perspectives Magazine

Perspectives is Gann’s op-ed and reflections publication. All students are welcome to submit pieces to be included.
Poetry Club

Poetry Club provides students with a venue to read and analyze poetry together and to share their own original works.
Red Curtain Drama Club

Red Curtain Drama Club members are responsible for choosing and producing the play and musical each year. The club meets weekly to play theater games and plan events.
Shevuon Hatichon Newspaper

The Shevuon is Gann’s student-run, weekly newspaper, that covers in-school happenings, and current events. Through monthly writers’ meetings, staff writers develop valuable journalistic skills such as conducting interviews and formatting proper news articles. Writers become stronger and more confident journalists as they produce more articles throughout the school year.
Spanish Club

The Spanish Club activities are designed to promote the study of the Spanish language and culture in a relaxed, social atmosphere.
Sports Talk and Debate Club

Sports Talk and Debate members discuss and debate all things sports. Topics range from recent games and players, to past legends and everything in between. All those with an interest in sports are welcome to join.
Stock Market Club

Stock Market Club is for students interested in learning about investing. Throughout the year, members track companies and index funds, and bring in speakers to help educate our members.
Student Council

Student Council is a group of students elected by peers to participate in designated areas of school government.
Tikkun Olam Union

The Tikkun Olam Union works to “heal the world.” Members serve the community, both inside and outside of Gann, through volunteer work, fundraisers, and by spreading awareness about a variety of causes.
Women in STEM

Women in STEM supports and empowers female-identifying students interested in science, technology, engineering, math, and entrepreneurship. The group meets regularly for guest speakers, workshops, panel presentations, and field trips.
Yachad Club

Yachad is a Jewish organization that strives to include people with disabilities. The Yachad club plans inclusive activities and speaks about current events involving people with disabilities. Most importantly, members spend time learning about inclusion of people with disabilities and how we can work inclusion into our daily lives.
Yearbook

Yearbook Club designs, edits, and prints the annual school yearbook. In addition to designing pages, members assist with various other yearbook-related tasks, including selling yearbooks, photography, and eventually distribution.

Glimpse of Gann

List of 20 news stories.

Robotic Dreams Become Reality in the Ring

Gann Academy’s four robotics teams got ready to rumble for one final time this season at Needham’s annual Rocket Rumble tournament, which welcomed more than 40 Massachusetts teams. After spending months researching, designing, and constructing robots to take on serious engineering enigmas, Gann’s hard work paid off as their robotic designs became reality in the ring.

Two teams, the Hutzbots and the Aleph Bots, cracked into the tournament’s top ten, while Gann’s all female-identifying team, the Bot Mitzvahs, battled hard and achieve a spot well within the top twenty. For the second year in a row, the MaccaBots laid claim to the prestigious Design Award, recognizing creativity and ingenuity in robotic construction.

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Gann Robotics Gears Up for the Season in Annual Scrimmage

Gann's four robotic teams, the Maccabots, Hutz Bots, Aleph Bots, and the Bot Mitzvahs, kicked their robots into full gear as they faced off against nine teams from the Greater Boston area in the annual Gann Academy scrimmage. The scrimmage presented teams with a challenge similar to what they will see in the coming months, helping the groups prepare for the forthcoming Battle of Lexington in January.

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Red Curtain Drama Club Presents Sense and Sensibility

You are invited to attend the Gann Academy Red Curtain Drama Club's presentation of Sense and Sensibility.

Thursday, November 21, 7pm
Saturday, November 23, 7:30pm

Performed in the Bernice Krupp Blackbox Theatre at Gann Academy. Tickets are available at https://gann.brownpapertickets.com/.

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Gann Academy Women Excel in STEM

Gann women compete on the math team and are members of the Women in STEM club. They take upper-level science, engineering, and math courses. Gann women just plain love any activity that kicks their left brain into gear.

"Gann was a very supportive place for me," says Gann Academy alum Zoe Weiss '17, who now studies computer science at Brown University and has dreams of working for Pixar. "My teachers in all my STEM courses were very encouraging." While at Gann, Weiss was named a winner of the National Center for Women & Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing, through its Massachusetts affiliate. The award recognizes high school women for their computing-related achievements.

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Gann Wins Moot Beit Din Competition

Gann's Moot Beit Din team brought home first place in a competition on Jewish law hosted by the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina. The team of four students, Kira Becker ’19, Shira Hoffer ’20, Ilana Jacobs ’19 and Jesse Sivan ’20, coached by Jewish Studies teacher Rabbi Elli Cohn, was tasked with formulating a halakhic answer to a legal case. After successfully presenting and defending their argument before a panel of rabbinic and legal professionals, the team was awarded first place for their halakhic proficiency and depth of knowledge.
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March Madness: Mock Trial Advances to Final Four

It was a Friday morning and the whole school was gathered for Hakhel, Gann's weekly student-run assembly. Talya Lerner '19 had just been called for an announcement. "After going undefeated in our division," Talya starts, then pauses for dramatic effect, "we made it all the way to the final four!" The whole student body let out a cheer.

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The Battle of Lexington

The Battle of Lexington, a historic moment in New England history, was fought this month by students at Gann. But, instead of soldiers on a field, the battle consisted of specially-crafted robots completing complex missions. And, just as in battles past, Gann Robotics walked away with many accolades.

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Women in STEM Explore the Simulator Program at Boston Children’s Hospital

Throughout the school year, Gann’s Women in STEM club brings in influential women to discuss careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). From hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge military fabrics led by a female engineer to lessons on coding, this female-identifying group is both practical and engaging—and it's one of Gann’s most popular clubs.

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Using Theater As A Platform For Activism

After the Parkland shooting in 2018, Gann students staged protests and lobbied their legislators. Gann's Red Curtain Drama Club took to the theatre, acting in and directing a performance of “Natural Shocks” that was featured on WBUR’s The ARTery.
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CEO of PresenTense Israel Leads Discussion on Social Change Through Entrepreneurship

For a decade, PresenTense Israel has promoted entrepreneurship as a vehicle for social change and has played a pioneering role in the StartUp Nation. In Israel, they launched the first social venture accelerator, the first accelerator for Arab tech entrepreneurs, and the first accelerator for Haredi women. To date, they have 40 accelerator programs, have launched 450 ventures, and helped create more than 2,000 jobs.

PresenTense CEO Rachel Shaul, along with three alumni of the accelerator programs, visited Gann Academy for a panel discussion on entrepreneurship, coexistence, Israeli innovation, and helping underserved communities within Israel. The visit was part of the PresenTense Boston and New York Road Show being sponsored by the Israeli consulate.

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Robotics: Communicating Complex Ideas

Last Sunday, Gann's three robotics teams took to the stage and made a major impact at the Robotics State Qualifier match in Andover. While the final results are not yet in, Gann has already secured two spots at the State Championship in March, and one Gann team even took home the Think Award for excellence in the engineering design process.

"It's amazing to watch a robot go from idea, to design, to reality," said Nathan Lesser, captain of Gann’s RABBI robotics team. "When you take it to competition, it feels so good to know that barely four months ago your robot was only a dream."

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Exploring Diversity

In December, a delegation from Gann joined more than 6,000 independent school students and educators at the 30th annual People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference hosted in Anaheim, California. The conference, run by the National Association of Independent Schools, focused on improving the interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate at schools across the country.

"The conference was an outstanding experience," said sophomore Naomi Ravel, "You meet people and learn everything about them—from their name to how they were raised. The most meaningful part of the whole trip was knowing you're loved by everyone around you even if you [just met them]." Ravel described the content: "We learned about awareness, social justice, and human rights, and how to stand up for ourselves." Senior Alyssa Block said learning about others backgrounds and life experiences was "powerful and moving".

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Gann Switching to 100% Renewable Electricity

Gann Academy's electricity will soon be exclusively powered by renewable energy. Thanks to three recent Gann graduates and a school administrator who took their environmental concerns seriously, the school will soon be joining a very exclusive club: the 5% of U.S. schools powered by renewable energy.

Weather permitting, solar panels will be installed on the roof of the student activities center once the city issues Gann a permit. The panels will provide the school with 25% of its energy. The other 75% will be sourced from wind farms.

"We are really happy to leave our mark on our community in a way that has such a tangible impact," said Nate Orbach, who, along with classmates from Student Council and the Environment Club, drove the sustainable energy agenda last year. "What makes Gann unique is how it empowers students to follow their passions and enact real change," explained Nate.

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Goodbye Disposable Bottles

Think of the class of 2017 next time you take a drink or fill up at the school's new water fountain and bottle filling station.

"The filling station represents our grade's unique passion for the environment and activism: we saw things that could be improved, and we acted on them," said last year’s Student Council President Stav Bejerano, who is spending the year in India as part of a service-based gap year sponsored by Princeton University, which he will attend next fall. "By making bottle refilling simple, and a more visible priority, this class gift will encourage community members to switch from using disposable water bottles to reusable ones."

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Gann Hosts Regional Robotics Qualifier

Early on Sunday, December 17th, hundreds of high school students from around Massachusetts streamed into Gann Academy’s Student Activity Center for a full-day robotics qualifier. Twenty-three student teams competed to qualify for the State Championship in March.

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Army Researcher Provides Hands-On Chemical Engineering Seminar

Women in STEM is one of Gann's most active school groups with more than a third of Gann's women participating each year. “Most people don’t yet know what they want to be in life," says junior Maya Rubin. "Women in STEM offers a chance for us to meet interesting female role models.”

Earlier this month, Dr. Natalie Pomerantz, a research chemical engineer at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) spoke to the group about her work and provided a hands-on demonstration involving fire, water and chemically-treated fabrics.

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Robotics Scrimmage Hosted at Gann Academy

This year, Gann has three robotics teams with more than 25 students. To prepare the teams for competition, Gann hosted a preseason scrimmage in November that mimicked the challenges the students will face in the coming months.

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All School Retreat Engages Students’ Grit, Wits and Hearts

For many, the highlight of the recent All School Retreat was Grit ‘N Wit, a campus-wide obstacle course that tested both brains and brawn. “It was awesome,” enthused senior Noah Savitz. “The team-building was amazing and it provided a great start to the year.”

Welcoming new students, bonding as a community and beginning the school year with a bang are a few of the hoped for outcomes of the annual two-day event. Dean of Students Cindy Jacobs said that although some students were initially disappointed the retreat was on-campus for the first time, most agreed with Savitz that it was a great success.

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ShenaniGanns to Compete in WGBH Sing That Thing!

Set your DVRs to WGBH TV on Friday, April 28 at 8:30 pm. when Gann’s a cappella group, ShenaniGanns, competes to win the station’s third annual Sing That Thing! competition. Gann is one of 18 choral groups — six high schools, six colleges and six adult groups—that advanced to round one of the contest, based on audition videos. It’s the second year in a row ShenaniGanns has received this honor.

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Budding Diplomat Or Not, This Club is For You

Alex Bulanov isn’t old enough to drive, but he has represented Sudan in high-level talks at the UN about state-sponsored terrorism and Internet recruitment.

The Model UN, that is.

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