When you’re committed to raising the next generation of saints, excellence must extend far beyond academics. At St. Joseph’s, we know that what happens after the last bell rings is as important as all that came before it in inspiring our students to be their personal best.
Extracurriculars help students with time management, build team-building skills, and enhance self-esteem. By offering children a variety of extracurricular opportunities, we also honor their individual God-given gifts, passions, and curiosities. Some children may best develop their leadership skills through leading the Robotics or Basketball Team to victory, while others prefer to pour themselves into organizing a community fundraiser. Still others develop their skills in quieter ways—artmaking, chess playing, or gardening their way to their personal best, learning the same lessons of virtue along the way. Some clubs and activities have been sparked by the interests of our students and have turned into permanent clubs or been offered on a monthly or one-time basis.
During a 1978 homily, St. John Paul II affirmed that the human being is “single, unique, and unrepeatable, someone thought of and chosen from eternity.” Each child has a distinct mark to make on this world, and a distinct way of making it. If we honor this fact in our children, we are more likely to raise them to honor it in others.
We keep these clubs and activities free for all Knights with the help of our generous local sponsors, for whom we are so grateful.
Formation Through Creativity
“For an adequate formation of a culture, the involvement of the whole man is required, whereby he exercises his creativity, intelligence, and knowledge of the world and of people.”
—St. John Paul II
To flex the intellect and encourage creative engagement with our world, our Knights have access to a variety of clubs that cultivate their intellect and artistry. As a parish school, our Choir members of course sing beautiful sacred music at school masses—but they also are asked to sing all over Macon. Macon Mayhem hockey games, Mercer Bears basketball games, and the Children’s Hospital’s annual Christmas tree lighting are just a few events where our Knights can sing their hearts out. As St. Augustine says, to sing is to pray twice! Our Advanced Art Club also allows older students to explore their God-given artistic talents in a supportive space.
The Chess Club is open to students in K-5th Grade and meets once a week after school. Chess enhances memory and encourages logical, efficient decision making. It also strengthens problem-solving skills and fosters critical and creative thinking.
Chess shares these traits with robotics learning. Ms. Marnai Boose leads the Robotics Club, which is open for students in 4th and 5th Grade. SJS has two registered FIRST LEGO League Robotics Teams. One of these teams, Bob’s BOTs, made it to the State Championships in February 2026 and has received a number of awards for technical and teambuilding skills. When students join the Robotics Club, they learn robot construction and engineering, coding, teamwork, and presentation skills.
For students in Grades 2-5 hoping to develop their green thumb, we have a hands-on gardening and sustainability club—The Creation Keepers. Knights in this club work together in the school’s raised beds and greenhouse to plant, water, and care for seasonal vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Activities are simple, supervised, and designed to connect children with the rhythm and joy of growing things.
Finally, 4th and 5th Graders are able to learn about budgets, economics, and income in the Personal Finance Club. This club is led by Mount de Sales high school students and school president, Brendan O’Kane.
Formation Through Athletics
“Give thanks to God for the gift of sport, in which the human person exercises his body, intellect and will, recognizing these abilities as gifts of his Creator.”
—St. John Paul II
Athletics are one way that we support our students in their journey to becoming compassionate leaders and community members with a diverse set of skills and interests. All of our athletics programs focus on building strong social skills, bodily awareness and respect, and discipline. 1st–5th Grade students can join the Mount de Sales Junior Soccer program, while MDS Junior Football is open for Grades 3–5. These teams focus on teaching children the fundamentals of the sports through positive instruction and friendly competition.
Our Girls & Boys Basketball teams focus on the fundamentals of basketball as well as sportsmanship and team building for Grades 1–3, while the 4th & 5th Grade programs are more competitive, with an organized schedule of practices and games against other local schools.
K–5th Grade students who join our Cheerleading Squad benefit from excellent social, teambuilding, and leadership experience. Strong listening skills, a focus on positivity, and enhanced physical coordination will also follow. We also have pickleball and volleyball for Grades 3-5!
Aside from organized sports, SJS students can join Knights in Motion thanks to MAC Functional Training, a local gym who serves as one of our generous Community Partners. Led by Coach Catalina Torres Lopez, owner and head coach at MFT, this program uses engaging, age-appropriate activities and challenges to promote safe movement patterns and a lifelong love of fitness. Knights in Motion develop balance and coordination, agility, functional strength and movement, as well as teamwork, focus, and confidence.
Formation Through Service
“In whatever you do, remember that Christ is calling you, in one way or another, to the service of love: the love of God and of your neighbor.”
—St. John Paul II
Many of these after-school programs offer physical and intellectual enrichment, but some provide students with immediate opportunities to live out the tenets of our Catholic faith.
When children actively participate in the community and share their gifts with others, they gain confidence in their ability to live virtuously—and in the boundless value of that lifestyle. Where the world may produce selfishness and isolation, our faith calls us to see the image of Christ in all who we encounter, connecting us as children of God.
Our parish church is the chartered sponsor for our Cub Scout Pack 10, Boy Scout Troop 10, and Girl Scout Troop 60218. Scouting prepares young people to make ethical and moral choices by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Scout activities are family- and service-oriented, emphasizing virtue and leadership.
Kiwanis K-Kids is a particularly special opportunity because it is student-led. Knights are able to choose which organizations to benefit and how, raising money and donating their time to benefit organizations like Loaves & Fishes, Mulberry Street Outreach Food Pantry, and Daybreak.
There’s something for every Knight at St. Joseph’s!
“Dear young people . . . do not be afraid to be holy! Fly high, be among those whose goals are worthy of sons and daughters of God.”
—St. John Paul II
