STUDENT LIFE

St. Giles offers a wide range of enrichment programs and extra-curricular activities.

Student Council
St. Giles Student Council consists of six officers and homeroom representatives from grades 5-8. Officers are elected in May for the following year. Seventh graders run for President, Vice President and Executive Officer. Sixth graders run for Secretary and Treasurer, and fifth graders run for Sergeant at Arms. Homeroom representatives are elected in September. Two staff serve as moderators.

Student Newspaper and Yearbook
The Lion's Pride, our school newspaper, is published eight times a year. Junior High Language Arts reporters scout out news while Mrs. Guenthner, their teacher, coordinates getting their news into newsletter format.

* Lion’s Pride, May 2010 PDF

8th grade students are given an opportunity to participate in the Yearbook Committee moderated by Mrs. Janush, their literature teacher. Students create lasting memories of the school year in words and pictures. Yearbooks are sold in the spring.

Scouting Programs
There are four level of active participation in the Girls (Cross Roads Council)
   • Daisies - Kindergarten
   • Brownies - 1st - 3rd grades
   • Juniors - 4 - 6th grades
   • Cadets - 7th - 8th grades
   • Parents volunteer as leaders

There are four levels of active participants in the Boys (Des Plaines Council)
   • Tigers - 1st grade
   • Cubs - 2nd & 3rd grades
   • Webelos - 4th & 5th grades
   • Boy Scouts - 6th - 8th grades
Parents volunteer as leaders.

Safety Patrol

Several grades take responsibility for assuring safety during arrival and dismissal.

• Fifth graders serve as primary patrol in the morning assuring that children exit cars safely.

• Sixth graders serve as primary patrol in the afternoon assisting students into their cars and assuring

the car line keeps moving.
• Eighth graders serve on the four major corners of the school block before and after school to protect the

safety of all the walkers.

Peer Mediation
Older students may be trained by the counselor and the assistant principal in peer mediation. When students request mediations to help solve a problem/conflict, a mediation is led by two peer mediators with an adult observer in attendance.

Acolytes/Altar Servers
Students in grades 5-8 are given the opportunity to assist at daily and Sunday liturgies. The parish Ministry Coordinator trains and schedules altar servers.

Art Club
Special interest art classes are offered each quarter after school.

Diplomat Club
A club for 6th to 8th graders, members of the Diplomat Club serve their school as ambassadors, escorting guests and giving tours at events, taking pictures of school functions for the archives and managing a bulletin board display of school activities.

Chess Club
As a confirmation service project, two eighth graders have restarted a Chess Club a former parent moderated several years ago.The club meets in two sections: grades 1-4 meet on the first Friday of the month and grades 5 - 8 meet on the third Friday at 7:30 a.m. in the Science Lab.Enthusiasm is high as the students catch on to the game and learn new moves.  

Junior High Dances
The Student Council Sponsors four dances a year for the 7th and 8th graders. The council picks a theme, decorates the gym, and organizes special events during the dance. The dances are enjoyed by all of our junior high students.

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