Club News: October 2025

Alina Nguyen, Managing Editor

October 30, 2025

(Ella Nelson )

Academy of Rock

The Academy of Rock is Marco Island Academy’s after school rock band, created to give students a place to pursue their love of music and make new friends.

The Academy of Rock has made their mark on and off campus. They recently held one of their first school shows at the pep rally. They had an exciting performance that got everyone on their feet. Beyond school grounds, the band has also played at community events, showing off their talent and representing MIA with their pride. Their performance continues to draw attention and excitement wherever they go.

Photo created by Luca Garcia-Perfecto

Calculus Club

Calculus club is a collection of students dedicated to applying mathematical equations to the real world. The representative of the club is Mr. Kraft, our very own engineering teacher who is a pro at applying school knowledge to the outside world. The club meets once a month on Friday in room 316. Recently the club has been hosting games at their meetings with a chance to win prizes!

The leaders of this club are Mekyle and Veleon Nazarko. They aim to provide learning to students in a fun way and keep calculus alive. To join Calculus Club, email Veleon or Mekyle at [email protected] or [email protected] and ask when the next meeting is.

(Celeste Forester)

Culinary Club

The Culinary Club meets every Thursday, right after school, in Dr. Lombardi's room (#234). Each week, they discuss plans for school food events, like acai bowls for breakfast or chicken quesadillas and cheeseburgers for lunch. Each member of the club volunteers to bring the necessary food items for each event, help create the food, and help manage the sale of the items. This past month, the Culinary Club has made Chili Dogs for the whole school. They are looking forward to doing more throughout the year

If you plan on joining the Culinary Club, they will be doing some food demonstrations during club meetings. Yes, the members get to eat the food. They also plan to create a pasta bar and maybe even some walking tacos for lunch sales. Ideally, they are working towards providing items for sale at lunch at least once per week, as well as working hard to become more consistent.

(Ella Nelson)

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meets every Thursday morning at 7:45 AM for a time of fellowship, reflection, and community. Each week features a discussion centered around a verse from the Bible, offering meaningful conversations about faith and everyday life. Breakfast is provided, including donuts.

The group is led by Kyle Rahtjen, the youth pastor of Christ Community Naples, whose mission is to share the message of Christ and encourage spiritual growth among students.

If you are interested in joining, you are encouraged to reach out to Kyle ([email protected]) or speak with a current member. All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Image created by Reid Baur

Fishing Club

At Marco Island Academy, students are casting more than just lines; they’re casting friendships, skills, and a deeper appreciation for the outdoors. The Fishing Club, led by Mr. Montgomery, continues to grow stronger each year. Meeting every Wednesday morning from 7:45–8:15 in Room 133, the club has become a place for students to share their love of fishing while connecting with others who enjoy the same peaceful, yet exciting, hobby.

Since its start, the club has seen tremendous growth. More students are getting involved, not just those who already fish but also those who want to learn more about it. With a bigger and more active group than ever before, the Fishing Club has quickly become one of the most popular outdoor clubs on campus.

This year, the club has introduced new activities, including both team and solo fishing tournaments. Their first big event of the year, a Labor Day fishing tournament, brought students and community members together on the beach to compete for who could catch the biggest fish. These events have been such a success that the club has even been able to award large prizes to the top catches, marking one of its biggest accomplishments so far.

Looking ahead, members are excited for their next fishing tournament, which promises even more fun, competition, and community involvement. As Mr. Montgomery puts it, “Fishing isn’t just about catching fish, it’s about patience, teamwork, and enjoying the outdoors. It gives us a break from screens and stress while bringing people together.”

Tristan Troemner, one of the club’s active members, shared his excitement for what’s next: “The future of the fishing club looks like it’s going to grow, and we’re gonna find new ways to improve and make it more enjoyable. It will become something that gets people more involved with the community and lets you be around people who have similar interests as you.”

With its steady growth, creative events, and passion for connecting people through fishing, the Marco Island Academy Fishing Club continues to prove that outdoor traditions still thrive in modern student life.

(Collette Combs)

History and Culture Club

The History and Culture Club had their second student-parent meeting yesterday, October 15th, where the parents were given information about the itinerary that the students on the Europe trip will be following. The parents were also briefed on the code of conduct for the students and how they must respect it at all times during the trip.

The club had its first car wash fundraiser for the trip on Saturday, October 18th at Kretch’s restaurant from 8:45 am to 1:00 pm. If you want to show your support for the club, stay on the lookout for the next one with your car ready to be washed!

(Elizabeth Chiscavage)

HOSA

Members of HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) have been meeting during the week. Due to it being a new club created this year, they are just starting to get all of their ideas together to find the easiest way to get them to states and make a difference in the world.

Sarah Friedhoff, the creator of the club, has gotten a ton of different kids that are interested in health into this club, gaining a population of a strong group of kids. They have a competition on December 6th and events coming up that they have been preparing and studying for. They have been making friendship bracelets, greeting cards, bookmarks and activity kits to donate to Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

(Sophie Braun)

Interact Club

This month has been very good and exciting for the club. It's been filled with fun activities and exciting school events. Some highlights are their hard work and dedication to our members. One of the biggest highlights was painting the island pink to honor those involved in Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Our campus was decorated in pink, changing the halls into a bright party. This event was not just about decorating it was about raising awareness. The turnout and level of participants were inspiring, and it truly demonstrated how powerful a school community can be when it unites around a cause. Looking ahead, Interact is preparing for the Fall Festival on October 30th, which is one of the most exciting events of the season. Planning is going well, members are planning fun games and activities that will bring students together. Fall festival is always a favorite tradition, and this year we aim to make it the best and better than ever. Another continued success this semester has been our weekly coffee bars, which are every Thursday. The coffee bar has become a staple at the school, it gives students and staff a warm and energized start to their mornings. This has grown to a favorite tradition at school. It also provided the club with a great way to raise funds for the future events.

In addition, we are still continuing our BOO Grams this month. Students will get to purchase small candy bags and send them to their friends with a message. This fun activity has been very popular, it shows kindness and also spreads Halloween cheer. Altogether, October has been busy for the Interact club. With the success of Paint the island pink, the excitement of Boo Grams, the Thursday coffee bars, and the excitement for the Fall Festival, we are proud of how their efforts are bringing the student body together. Interact members continue to work hard to plan events that are enjoyable and are exciting to keep building on the momentum as the school year moves forward.

(Bella Shymske)

Key Club

Key Club is starting back up as the events start to come in. They have recently started to participate in road clean-ups. These have been successful and a great way to communicate with other members. One of their most important events they participate in is the Chili Cookoff. Key Club participates in this event making their own chili while also having their members volunteer helping other participants with their materials.

(Deneen Rose)

Kindness Club

Kindness Club is a brand-new club, started this year by Alina Nguyen. The Club’s mission is to spread kindness around the community of Marco Island, not only in the school, but the whole island. Their job is to do random acts of kindness and make people’s days better. Having their first meeting on October 27th, it was a big success. Around 16 people showed up and had a blast making bouquets of flowers to hand out to people.

In the future, this club hopes to collaborate with Tommie Barfield Elementary School and help out there, as well as making notes of encouragement to disperse around the high school. Even though the club has just started, there’s already big plans for it. The next meeting is on Monday, November 10th at 7:45 A.M. If there’s any questions, reach out to Alina at [email protected].

(Celeste Forester)

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a distinguished club in Marco Island Academy that strives to recognize students with outstanding academic achievement and leadership skills. Core values of the NHS include community, leadership, and a studious manner. Meetings occur once a month on a Monday, where planning for future events and looking for ways to give back to the community occurs.

Recently, the NHS had an event where the members painted houses alongside habitat for humanity. Their next event is going to be working alongside meals of hope to give back to the community. Joining NHS means that you represent a group that holds these strong values and engages in the world around them.

(Keith Scalia)

Quill & Scroll

The Quill and Scroll is an international honor society established to empower and acknowledge high school journalism students' excellence in writing and leadership skills.

The Quill and Scroll was founded almost a century ago and to this day, still manages to uphold its eight guiding principles. These principles include truth, learning, leadership, initiative, integrity, judgment, and friendship.

Members of the Quill and Scroll participate in tasks such as service projects to help our community, writing for our school's paper, fundraising, and more.

The Quill and Scroll has been working on new story ideas, intended to win the Wave awards. These stories tackle more serious topics compared to the ones assigned in the journalism class.

The Quill and Scroll is also gearing up to begin preparations for the club's second annual Saint Baldrick’s, ‘Love is in the Hair’ fundraising event.

This event was a huge hit last year, raising over 3,000 dollars going towards childhood cancer research and 11 shavees.

More updates about our club and such events will be available as soon as everything is finalized.

For more information about the Quill and Scroll, you can contact our club advisor.

Keith Scalia, [email protected], or the club president, Lola Green, [email protected]

(Jordan Rodden)

Science National Honor Society

At Marco Island Academy, the Science National Honor Society is a student organization, dedicated to recognizing excellence in science and promoting scientific learning beyond the classroom. It gives students who are passionate about science a chance to explore, serve, and lead.

The Science National Honor Society (SNHS) at Marco Island Academy recognizes the brightest scientific minds among juniors and seniors. Sponsored by MIA’s chemistry and physics teacher, Brandon Swope, the society meets monthly to organize events, coordinate volunteer opportunities, and plan fundraising efforts.

This year, SNHS has held 2 events in the first month of the SNHS year. October 2nd was the first event held and it was volunteering to help the Collier Landfill. October 6th was the first SNHS meeting we have held this year. Followed up with this, the second event was a trip on the Dolphin Explorer.

November has only 1 event and 1 meeting. The event is during the meeting, where Dr. Braun will come in to be a guest speaker for cancer.

(Elizabeth Chiscavage)

Student Government Association

At Marco Island Academy, the Student Government Association (SGA) continues to play an important role in showing school spirit, community, and leadership throughout campus. October has been a busy and exciting month, filled with fundraisers and preparation for the upcoming winter season activities. On October 14th, SGA hosted a Walking Tacos sale during lunch, offering students an alternative instead of the basic frozen lunches served at the snack shack. For five dollars, students could grab a snack-size bag of chips loaded with taco meat, and all their favorite toppings, plus a cup of lemonade for just one dollar more. The event was a hit, bringing energy and excitement to the lunches while raising funds for future SGA events.

SGA continues to build community, celebrate creativity, and make Marco Island Academy a place where students can lead and have fun doing it.

(Celeste Forester)

Spanish Honor Society

The Spanish Honor Society started the year with volunteering at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. Their members are going out to help with registration every weekend. Recently, Our Daily Bread has hosted a beach clean up at residents beach, where our members volunteered. The Spanish Honor Society has been selling pulseras (bracelets). This is a yearly event that helps support the non profit organization called The Pulsera Project. They fund programs in areas such as education, healthcare, and leadership.

Poster made by Julianna Pisculli

TableTop Gaming

TableTop Gaming is a club where gaming lovers can come and hang out after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30- 4:30 in Ms. Pisculli’s room (237). This club is very chill and cozy, where any student can pop in and hang out. They play a variety of games. Tuesdays, they play general games; lately, they have been playing a variety of Chess, Settlers of Catan, Trading Card Games, and even a video game like Jackbox Party games. On Thursdays are designated Dungeons and Dragons. Thursdays have been the most popular day of the club so far, challenging everyone’s creative abilities. According to the advisors, Ms. Pisculli and Mr. Figueroa, the atmosphere is very relaxing and a great place to decompress after a stressful school day. The club has become very popular within the school, with other clubs coming in and challenging one another often. Ms. Pisculli and Mr. Fig still encourages others to join in, in hopes of making the club even greater.

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About the Contributor

Alina Nguyen, Managing Editor

Alina Nguyen is a senior at Marco Island Academy and the Managing Editor for The Wave. When she’s not at school or at cheer, you can probably find her with a microphone, putting her bank account into the negatives, or doomscrolling. She plans to attend a good college, preferably an Ivy, but if all else fails, she plans to marry somebody with a yacht.