STUDENT LIFE
Students engage in a vibrant series of activities both inside and outside the classroom.
From classroom discussions and debates to various after school activities, New Hope School seeks to challenge its students to develop their talents and skills in a number of different fields.
Art Club
This once-a-week club allows students to develop their artistic skills and to pursue creative projects over a several week period. Students are exposed to different types of art, including but not limited to, finger-painting, oils, acrylics, and water colors, drawing, and sculpture.
Dance
We offer dance classes for both older and younger students once a week. Students learn basic and more advanced dance moves in various styles such as hip hop and classical. The dance class performs twice a year at the annual Winter Concert and Graduation Concert.
Choir
Students may also join the school choir, the New Hope Singers Junior, which performs at the Clifton City Hall and senior citizens clubs each year. This past year our choir participated for the fourth time in the Young Voices concert along with 8,000 other students from schools throughout the NJ/NY/CT area. Interested students may also receive piano lessons for a fee and perform in a school recital each May.
Martial Arts
We offer a weekly afternoon martial arts class in Tong-il Moo Do, a unified martial arts that incorporates styles from various traditions, including karate, judo, tae kwon do, and kung fu. Students are instructed by a black belt grand master in self-defense techniques as well as in the internal aspects of the discipline, emphasizing self-control and mind-body unity.
Mad Science
In the fall and spring, we offer special classes in science and technology once a week as part of the aftercare program. Here students are given opportunities to both learn and apply science and technology in interesting and innovative ways. Subjects are robotics, exploring outer space, brixology, game design, and apprenticing in various types of engineering, including chemical, electronic, industrial, aerospace, environmental, and mechanical. Classes are offered by Mad Science.
Drama Club
This once a week club allows students to learn acting, develop their stage presence, and boost their self-confidence, and freedom of expression and creativity. The club puts on skits as part of the school’s Winter Concert and Graduation Concert as well as performing a stand-alone show in honor of Black History Month at the end of February.