Clubs

The Academic Super Bowl consists of five squads that address questions in different academic disciplines. The 2017 Interdisciplinary Team was the Indiana Academic Bowl State Champion.

The German Club exists to celebrate and learn about aspects of German language and culture. We will meet both before and after school approximately once per month. Students will participate in many different activities such as viewing films, making crafts, sampling German food, leading service projects, and attending German community events. The club is open to all students, but only current German students are eligible to be officers.

Students raise money for Riley Children's Hospital by sponsoring a Dance Marathon in the spring. The MD Dance Marathon has raised over $200,000 in eight years for Riley. The 2017 Dance Marathon raised over $41,000.

Our Teen Power club is sponsored by Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana. This club helps to promote a drug-free lifestyle year-round and offers our students opportunities to lead among their peers and serve their community in prevention-based activities. Our goal is to empower students to maintain and improve their quality of life by promoting individual health and well-being, which subsequently strengthens our club, our school and our community.

Students are inducted into the National Honor Society based on their demonstration of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. As a group, these students participate in various school-sponsored events such as Open House, Grade School Visitation, and Meet the Teacher Night. Members also conduct fundraising drives for worthy causes: Tsunami victims, Ark Crisis Nursery, and Ozanam Family Shelter. National Honor Society members are also available for tutoring both at the high school and grade school level.

Sponsors: Mrs. Wynn Mitchell & Mrs. Kelly Ubelhor

Peer Mediation is a program that trains students to help other students experiencing conflict with their peers. It is a rewarding program for both the mediator and the one being mediated. What students learn about conflict resolution in peer mediation will be beneficial for their entire life. Mediations are always supervised by two teachers, but it is designed to be a student-driven program. Referrals come from counselors, teachers, and sometimes the students themselves. In its 19th year, Peer Mediation Program has trained over 1,000 students to not only help solve student conflicts but be an instrument of peace and resolution in their community when they leave Mater Dei.

The Pep Club at Mater Dei is all about promoting school spirit. This group of students supports the efforts of all extracurricular activities by making posters, decorating hallways, and performing skits at pep assemblies-all in the spirit of acknowledging the hard work of our students.

The Robotics Club builds a machine to enter in local competitions. Students are involved in the design and development of the robot from concept to completion. They will be hosting a robotics competition at Mater Dei in April.

The MD Spanish Club usually meets before school. We do activities to explore the cultural aspects of the Spanish speaking world. We make crafts, such as piñatas, maracas, and tissue paper flowers. We explore music and dance, holiday traditions and other aspects of the culture. This club is open to all students.

The Speech Team is open to all Mater Dei students. The purpose of the Speech Team is to promote public speaking and oratory skills, while at the same time promoting the interpretation of literature. Students compete at the local, regional, state, and national level, and are encouraged through a spirit of fellowship, competition, and achievement. Levels of recognition are awarded ribbons and trophies. The Speech team won the State championship in 2017 and was runner-up in 2018

Mater Dei Spell Bowl team is made up of students who compete with other area high school students with the potential to compete at the state level.

The Student Council is modeled after city government and is called Mater Dei-ville. The mayor, clerk, and judge are the chief officers. Our student police force and court system uphold the laws of Mater Dei-ville, which are written by our legislative branch. Our parks and recreation department is in charge of the school-wide recycling program. Other appointed offices include fire chief, defense and prosecuting attorneys, clerk affiliates, public relations commissioners, service board, historian, comptroller, and chaplain. Homeroom representatives are elected to represent each homeroom. Student Council also sponsors the annual Luau, May Day activities, dances, canned food drive at Thanksgiving, and many other fundraisers throughout the year for charity.

Student teams conceive, design, and build fuel-efficient cars in an attempt to get the highest gas mileage. The Mater Dei Supermileage Team has a winning tradition in the national Shell Eco-Marathon of the Americas. The competition includes universities and high schools from around the country, Canada and Mexico. In 2012, the team entered four cars. The Mater Dei Supermileage Team brought home four championship trophies and $8,000 for their hard work. They have also earned first place finishes each year through 2018. The past two years, the team has earned a spot in the World Driving Championships in London, England, and finished in the top four each year. Their accomplishments have been featured on the Canadian Discovery Channel, Jay Leno Show, Good Morning America and the Weather Channel. Shell Oil Company highlighted the Mater Dei team in their full-page ad in Time magazine. Team members begin work each autumn on the cars for the next competition.