Special Programs

21st CENTURY AFTERSCHOOL

Students enjoy enrichment activities such as STEM, robotics, and art. This program offers tutoring/homework for one hour per day. It is available to kindergarten through eighth-grade students from 3:00 - 5:45 Monday through Friday each week. 

SPELLING BEE

Each year our middle school competes in a classroom spelling bee where three students from each grade levels move on to the school competition. Nine of the best contestants compete for one of three coveted spots to represent our middle school at the district spelling bee.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

Hiwassee Dam has two Battle of the Books teams which compete each year by reading a list of books, putting facts to memory, and studying the titles and authors of each book on their list. The middle school team must read 27 titles, and the elementary team must read 18 titles each year. Their first competitors are student teams from schools in their same district. If a team wins, they move on to regional, state, and national competitions.

ROBOTICS CLUB

The HDEMS STEM-E Club was started in 2015.  The club competes in state and regional First Lego League Robotics and STAC Robotics competitions each year. Participating students learn to build and program autonomous robots to complete missions based on real-world problems we face today. Students attend conferences twice during the school year where they have the opportunity to take hands-on courses led by industry professionals and college professors. The STEM-E Club also builds and launches model rockets, builds solar-powered cars and learns fundamental principles and skills students can take with them into the competitive modern workforce. The club meets twice a week after school.

Project Mars/Americorp/Big Brothers Big Sisters Program 

Project MARS/AmeriCorps members will serve as School Engagement Coordinators in Western North Carolina. Our goal as a program is to both serve the children as well as provide professional development and experience for our members. Members will be placed within schools to serve children. Our AmeriCorps members can help mitigate some of the negative impacts of poverty.