Clubs

The SJA ChemClub runs concurrently with Beta Chi Pi, the science honor society. Members carry out chemical activities which can then be used as they do outreach at area elementary schools. Cooking with Chemistry, The Chemistry of Candy, and Christmas Chemistry are some of the activities which have been enjoyed by members in past years. SJA ChemClub is one of over 600 clubs in the United States sponsored by the American Chemical Society to provide experience in chemistry outside of the classroom setting.

More Information on ACS ChemClub

¡Ven a practicar tu español! This club, which meets over lunch, creates opportunities for students to speak with teachers and classmates in Spanish. If a student is interested in engaging in informal conversation while also meeting new friends, practicing conversational strategies, and learning about the foods and cultural traditions of hispanic and Latin American countries, this is the club to be in! There will be a theme for each meeting and, on special occasions, tasty foods to try! 

The Engineering Club competes in engineering competitions around the region and across the state. Last year, students participated in Lewis and Clark Community College's annual Trebuchet Competition. This engineering competition includes building trebuchets and working to land small rubber balls in another team's targets. The team competes for distance, accuracy, presentation of their design, and other criteria, offering a great opportunity for students to apply lessons learned in physics and math to a hands-on application. The club won first place in the 2023 competition. 

The club also participates in the Billiken BEAMS Bridge Building Competition sponsored by Saint Louis University. During the 2022-23 school year, St. Joe sent three teams to the competition. Each team, consisting of two or three members, was tasked with designing, building, and testing a model bridge made out of balsa wood and according to a set of design specifications set out by the Civil Engineering Department at SLU. The 2023-24 school year will be the 12th year St. Joe will be competing in the contest. 

The club also enters the High School Design Competition sponsored by the KU School of Engineering and the Annual Gateway Arch National Park Engineering Contest. 

Members of the SJA Future Business Leaders of America chapter attended the FBLA State Leadership Conference in Springfield, Missouri where they competed against students from other schools in business competitions.

FBLA is the premier student business organization in the world. It helps students prepare for careers in business and business related fields. Activities include business competitions, fundraising, and speakers. 

JoeBotics, St. Joseph’s Academy’s robotics program, was established in the 2013-2014 school year. This is the eleventh season that JoeBotics is competing at the FIRST Technical Challenge level. Each year, FTC presents a new game for the season, and the team works together to design, build, program, and test a robot to meet the challenges of the game. During the first eight years of the JoeBotics program, the team advanced to the Missouri State Championship seven times and won numerous individual and team awards. For the ninth JoeBotics season, the program has expanded to include a second team. Last year, one team won the prestigious Innovate Award. 

More About JoeBotics

Model UN is a simulation of the UN General Assembly where students perform an ambassador role while debating topics such as gender equality, climate action, global health, and more. Members of this club participate in both large group meetings with other schools, as well as political and citizenship-based activities at St. Joe. Outside of school, the Civitas organization coordinates lectures and the Model UN Program. Students represent SJA at the Model UN Summit at Webster University, where they present original resolutions. These events usually take place on Saturday mornings. 

The Latin Club consists of students currently enrolled in Latin I-II who want to take their excitement for the Latin language and Roman culture beyond the classroom. The club is an official chapter of the National Junior Classical League. Club members meet once a month to discuss and to celebrate several aspects of Roman history and culture in a more relaxed setting. Officers typically plan events related to the food, holidays, and everyday life in Ancient Rome. Throughout the year, club members will also participate in a few certamina competitions at other St. Louis-area high schools to show off their growing knowledge of ancient trivia. 

Scholar Bowl Team is comprised of a select group of high-achieving, quick-thinking sophomores, juniors and seniors. Student membership is based on teacher recommendations and MSHSAA eligibility. Students participate in five league competitions and tournaments in the late fall, competing with local high schools to academically challenging quiz questions covering literature, math, art, music, pop culture, history and politics.

Science Olympiad Team is a competitive, school-based group of up to 15 students who prepare for diverse science and engineering events covering biology, physics, chemistry, and technology. Functioning like an academic "track meet," the team competes in a regional tournament, requiring members to specialize in multiple events, collaborate in pairs, and, if selected, build devices.  

Speech Team provides students an opportunity to compete with other Catholic High Schools in the St. Louis area in the Christian Interscholastic Speech League. Members participate in various events during the year.

All members will choose and prepare a memorized selection for one or more of the interpretive events, such as dramatic interpretation, humorous interpretation, duo, or storytelling. Other events include, extemporaneous speaking, Original Oratory, radio broadcasting, poetry reading, and prose reading.
 
The team must have an entry in each of the above categories before sending additional contestants. 

Club members will use the Girls Who Code curriculum to experience code in new ways, create fun projects, and produce a relaxed space where they can partake in enjoyable club activities. During meetings, members will learn from fun and simple online coding tutorials and build community through interactive activities. As the year progresses, members will move towards developing a Girls Who Code project that solves real world problems, which they can then enter into a Hackathon. Although many members are currently taking a computer science course, no prior coding knowledge is required to join this club.  

Joining the SJA Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers Next Generation (SWENext) is a way to become part of the Society of Women Engineers as a student and provides resources to help smooth the career path for future engineers.

The faculty sponsor will be routing information on opportunities such as summer programs, scholarships and internships to SJA SWENext Chapter members. There are no dues and meeting attendance is not mandatory. Many of the meetings will be held simultaneously with the JoeBotics team meetings, so it will be easy to be a member of both.

Students interested in all fields of engineering (Computer Sciences, Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical, Civil, etc.) are invited to join this free organization.

Benefits to belonging to the SJA Chapter of SWENext include:

• A catalog of available scholarships for engineering school offered by SWE and partner organizations. (Most of our engineering students who apply receive a scholarship thru SWENext).
• Best practices on applying for scholarships and internships.
• Up-to-date information about outreach events (camps, competitions, etc.) hosted by SWE and its partners.
• Eligibility to participate in a quarterly webinar, where engineers from various disciplines discuss the work that they do.
• Resources that can help you learn more about careers in engineering.
• The All Together Blog about women and engineering careers.
• A SWENext council where girls can take on leadership roles to influence the direction of this program
• ...and much more.

Youth and Government is a student-run, hands-on simulation of Missouri state government. As legislators and attorneys, students carry out the law-making process. The highlight of the program is the three-day State Convention held in Jefferson City in early November. At this convention, legislators meet in the Capitol to debate legislation while attorneys argue their cases before student judges and participate in a mock trial competition. Campaigns and elections for student officers complete the political experience of the convention.

The club is open to all students, freshmen through seniors. We are limited to 60 participants at the State Convention and for this reason require interested students to complete an application and short essay concerning their interest in participating in YAG.

What does it cost? Approximately $400-$500 covers club dues, convention fees, transportation, and meal costs. Scholarships are available through Missouri YMCA Youth and Government.

When does the club meet? In the fall, the St. Joe delegation meets every Wednesday morning. These meetings are vital to our success since they provide participants with the chance to learn and practice the legislative process, trial procedures, and media techniques.

The mission of Angel Food Club is to help students learn more about fueling their bodies with healthier food choices. Fun options and recipes are tested and shared at our monthly meetings. Even though the primary focus is about food, there is an emphasis on feeding the mind, body, and spirit. Our motto is "Eat Good, Feel Good, Do Good."

Angel Pix builds community with students who share common interests and provides a space to express their creativity, grow in skill, provide photos and videos for SJA social media, and meet new people. Students attend SJA events and share their talents with the community and help to promote the school and its events to create a greater photography community within St. Joe. Angel Pix also works to recognize its members' outside-of-school projects and work by supporting the photographers and sharing their portfolios or projects at meetings.

This club focuses on giving back to those who have put their lives on the line for us. The goal is to raise awareness for those who have served our community and work to make them feel loved and supported. Everyone is always welcome and encouraged to help "Serve the Dear Neighbor"!

The art club is open to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We meet once a month to work on different projects throughout the year, and provide service around school and in the community. Art Club helps foster the creative spirit, helps students find their creative voice, and is an outlet for self-expression. Art Club aligns their goals with the core values of St. Joseph's Academy. 

Artificial Intelligence Awareness Club is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence. This club will highlight different aspects of artificial intelligence and teach students how to use it responsibly in everyday life.

The Astronomy Club is a discussion group which provides a welcoming knowledge-sharing community for space enthusiasts of all levels to explore the cosmos through regular meetings, debates on current discoveries, and stargazing events. Topic delivery ranges from informal to structured, but the club will always seek out to foster learning about planets, galaxies, and physics.  Meetings may include guest speakers and field trips.

Baking Club is a club where students build community around food. Each month, the club has a different theme or recipe that members create and share together. This is a great opportunity to get to know other students at SJA while sharing a meal or treat together.  

Best Buddies is an international organization that allows St. Joe students to connect with intellectually or developmentally disabled people. The goal of the SJA chapter is to end the social, physical, and economic isolation of disabled people in the area by planning and attending events suited for everyone- with or without IDD. 

Book Club is for any bibliophile or lover of books! This club meets after school once a month. Book selections are based on student choice and include picks from various award lists, a genre or a theme, an author, or a single title. It is open to all students, faculty, and staff.

The Bowling Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at a local bowling alley after school. Cost is $7, and includes shoe rental and two games. While the purpose of this club is for fun and community, there will be prizes and awards for the club, including those for high game, high average, and the most improved bowler. 

Under the direction of the Glennon Guild, the purpose and the mission of the Glennon Guild and its Junior Board is to serve, promote, and support the needs of the hospital patients and their parents. Their needs are overwhelming and this program will provide both direct relief for the families as well as meaningful, hands-on opportunities for students to develop philanthropic skills and gain service hours. 

Club Happy is a club that sheds light on mental health issues and provides girls with a positive atmosphere to brighten their day. While this is not meant to be therapy or a support group, the club includes informational discussions about a variety of different mental health concepts including stress and anxiety, and it gives students a happy environment to de-stress and have fun. It is a safe and comforting place, that welcomes anyone to come and learn tips about improving mental stability and engage in a positive growth mindset. The club also includes fun activities, food, and music to boost students' moods!

Club Sandwich is a club in which everyone at the school is automatically a member. The Club works like this: for $6 per month, members choose from a variety of sandwiches from a different local sandwich shop each month. The sandwiches are delivered on the meeting date and members enjoy them together in the Commons. For $6, the member gets a 5 inch sandwich, chips, a dessert and a drink. Participation is on a voluntary basis each month. 

SJA's literary magazine, Constantly Risking Absurdity, has been selected to receive the rank of Excellent in the 2025 NCTE Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM). This program is designed to publicly recognized excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers.

The SJA literary magazine, Constantly Risking Absurdity, is a student-run magazine comprised of student fiction, poetry, essays, as well as student-produced art in various formats, such as paintings, drawings, and photographs. Constantly Risking Absurdity is published annually in the spring.

Students can get involved with the magazine by submitting original writings or art to be published. Students can also apply to participate on the literary magazine editorial committee. This committee selects, edits, and prepares the magazine for printing.

Our Entrepreneurial Program was activated with the opening of Cup of Joe. The student-run coffee shop provides our girls with the knowledge to run a business through innovative leadership. 

As profits are realized, the girls will "serve the Dear Neighbor" by making donations to Respect Life, St. Joe Scholarships, and other various organizations. 

Learn More About Cup of Joe

Mission Statement: A group of values-driven women leaders dedicated to nurturing a welcoming community by spreading awareness of the diversity in our world throughout St. Joseph’s Academy.
 
We provide the SJA community the opportunity to grow in awareness of, and respect for "the Dear Neighbor" who may be of another culture, ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic circumstance, faith, gender, and /or sexual identity. We invite all to recognize the truth of each other’s lived experiences and even to be sure to represent and include people’s experiences who might not be members of our community. We assist in planning and participating in various diversity awareness raising events and dialogue opportunities throughout the school year within our SJA community and with local high schools. These opportunities and conversations develop us as leaders and prepare us to engage in the global world.

Earth Angels is SJA’s environmental club. Our mission is to bring awareness and action to environmental issues in both our St. Joe community as well as the global community. We strive to develop an appreciation for nature and to recognize the beauty of God’s creation. 

Earth Angels officers set the agenda for each year and then work with other club members to reach their goals. Each year the club participates in the Green School Quest (earned 2nd place in the Spring of 2023). The club is excited to use the new Gloriod Greenhouse to grow herbs and other plants throughout the year and will host the Spring Plant Sale in honor of Earth Day in April.

Echo, the yearbook club, is open to all classes. There are three levels of membership. Staffers volunteer to take pictures of events (sports games, dances, club pictures, etc.) a couple times per semester. Section Editors place pictures on the pages, as well as write captions. The Chief Editor oversees picking the theme, layout, and fonts of the book.  

Staffers meet 1-2 times a month. Section Editors meet approximately every 3-4 weeks in addition to staff meetings. Chief editors meet more frequently and on an as-needed basis.

e-Nabling the Future is a volunteer organization, where volunteers 3D print and assemble prosthetic hands for children and adults who are missing fingers or a hand. The goal of this club, which is also a chapter of this international organization, is to teach members how to use software programs to size and create prosthetic hands. After members have mastered the process of creating a prosthetic hand, members will reach out to people in the community to make a hand for a specific person.