Student Activities

Athletic Director: William Muhlstadt 

Athletic forms

Travel Form - Parent Permission

Dunedin Highland Middle School is in a competitive league and playing time for all sports is not guaranteed. It is left to the coach’s discretion based on practice and game performance as to how much playing time is garnered by your child.

Requirements for Eligibility
All students are required to fulfill the following requirements at the time of tryouts. Any student that does not comply will not be eligible to try out. The GPA requirement does not apply to incoming sixth grade students during the first grading period.
• Participation Form signed by the legal guardian
• 2.0 GPA that is checked at the end of every six weeks
• $7.00 school insurance - Student Insurance
• Updated sports physical dated after (these are good for 365 days from the date of the doctor’s signature)

All paperwork must be copied and brought to the appropriate tryout and handed to the coaches. Paperwork that is on file in the offices will not be accepted as proof due to Pinellas County regulations and liability. The paperwork that is submitted will be kept on file for the year and is accepted for all of the school sports. You do not need new copies for every tryout that is held.

Transportation and Requirements for Driving Students

The county does not provide buses for away games and all schools rely on parent volunteers for transporting players to away game sites. Upon completion of an away game, players are not provided a ride back to Dunedin Highland Middle School and it is the parents’ responsibility to pick up their child from the away site promptly upon completion of the event. PCSB policy only requires coaches to remain at practice or the game site for no more than 30 minutes following completion of the event.

Because we depend on volunteers to drive, we are required to comply with county policies applicable to being with students when not in the presence of a school board employee. All drivers must be Level II cleared by the county and fingerprints and a background check are required. For information regarding Level II screening, please visit www.pcsb.org. Also, the proper amount of insurance coverage on your vehicle and passengers is required. The volunteer and driving forms are located in the front office. Background checks and fingerprinting are completed by a third party and take approximately three weeks to complete. If you plan to drive for volleyball, which begins at the beginning of the year, please consider completing your Level II screening prior to the start of the school year. When driving only your own child, the forms are not necessary.

Basketball season runs November - January.

The 2025-2026 Basketball season is now over.

Congratulations to the boys team for making it to the district championship!

Cheerleading season runs September - December.

The 2025-2026 Cheerleading season is now over.

Cross Country season runs August - October.

The 2025-2026 Cross Country season is now over.

Cross Country season runs February - March.

The 2025-2026 Flag Football season is now over.

The 2025-2026 Track season is now over.

Congratulations to our Boys team for placing 1st in the district and to our Girls team for placing 2nd in the district.

Volleyball season runs August - October.

The 2025-2026 Volleyball season is now over. 

Builders Club is a student-run club that teaches students leadership through service. They learn leadership skills as they plan and complete various service projects benefitting their school and community.

Builders Club members who are interested can also participate in "Builder Buddies." Builders Buddies are partnered with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through engaging in social skills activities, students form meaningful friendships. Builders Buddies fosters a more inclusive environment school-wide.

Meeting Information

Club Sponsors

Girlfriends of Pinellas County is a mentorship and empowerment program designed to support young ladies in developing strong academic skills, self-confidence, leadership, and positive behaviors. Through mentorship from educators, community leaders, and role models, participants gain the tools they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

Students engage in goal-setting, tutoring, cultural enrichment, and community service projects that build self-awareness and pride. Open to girls at schools with an active Girlfriends program, this initiative fosters self-discipline, social growth, and lifelong success.

Meeting Information

Club Sponsors

Junior Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society is the only national organization for middle or junior high school students that recognizes excellence in the field of Social Studies. Any accredited public or private middle or junior high school can apply for a local chapter, through which individuals will be inducted into the Junior Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society. Dunedin Highland Middle School initiated its chapter in the spring of 2025 and inducted its first membership class the following fall semester. The DHMS Junior Rho Kappa Honor Society for the Social Studies provides national recognition for your outstanding students and encourages an interest in, understanding of, and appreciation for the social studies.

Club Sponsor

 

National Website

Meeting Information

Club Sponsor

Mighty Mu is an annual math competition for middle and elementary schools held at Palm Harbor University High school. The entire competition is run by PHUHS Mu Alpha Theta members. Mighty Mu features divisions for 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 and Geometry. DHMS participates annually and has a fantastic showing with multiple awards across the divisions.

DHMS Mighty Mu tryouts are Thursday, 12/4 at 8:15am in the classrooms of Mr. Riquetti (6th/7th grade math), Mrs. Vaughan (Algebra), and Mrs. Finch (Geometry).  Selected students will be expected to attend practice on Friday's from January 9- March 27.  The competition is all day Saturday, March 28^th at PHUHS.

Meeting Information

Club Sponsors

National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic program for students (grades 6-12) that encourages historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through projects like papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites, and performances, culminating in local, state, and national competitions, teaching vital research, critical thinking, and presentation skills by connecting students with primary sources and a yearly theme. It turns history into an engaging, project-based learning experience, helping students understand the past to better navigate the present and future, according to the National History Day's website. 

Every year, the National History Day competition is dedicated to an annual theme for students to explore through their chosen topics. The 2026 National History Day (NHD) theme is "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History" chosen to align with the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, inviting students to explore moments of dramatic change, responses to those changes, and efforts to improve society through projects. Projects can focus on revolutions, the reactions they spark, or the reforms that follow, often intertwined, requiring students to connect their chosen historical topic to these core concepts. 

Meeting Information

Club Sponsors

DHMS National Competition Participants

• Shaila Ghanekar; Individual Performance
• Amy Paskiewicz; Individual Website

• Alexandra Shanabrook, Kristin Shanabrook, and Sophia John; Group Performance
• Caitlin Katz, Meghan Lobley, and Jillian Carta; Group Performance

• Divya Arora; Individual Documentary (Finalist)
• Jennifer Gilby and Gabrielle Hines; Group Exhibit (1st Place)
• Amy Paskiewicz; Individual Website (3rd Place)

• Hailey Sherrell, Chloe Baker, Tiffany Dove, and Ashley Mattson; Group Performance
• Olivia Fuller; Paper

• Prisha Sherdiwala; Paper
• Austin Vo; Individual Website
• Emily Hayes; Individual Documentary
• Reagan Fitzgerald and Raegan Matthews; Group Documentary (Special Prize)
• Mackenzie Wallace and Chaz Wain-Nye; Group Performance (Finalist)

• William Kent, Owen Toal, and Naveen Yengera; Group Documentary (Finalist)
• Ayden Khalil; Individual Website

• Teagan Carroll, Dylan Foster, AKash Pai, and Aditi Pai; Group Performance
• Musah Totah and Emile Totah; Group Website

• Saashiv Gupta, Liam Jacobs, Jai Popuri, Arush Shah, and Matthew Sherrell; Group Performance (1st Place)
• Ritchel Mesidor; Paper (Finalist)
• Kennedy Hang, Melina Garcia-Pascual, and James Bohn; Group Website
• Amelia Lane, Walt Kent, and Tyler Jones; Group Documentary

• Darian Grob; Individual Documentary (Finalist)
• Eleanor Nartker; Individual Performance

The Dunedin Highland Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society

DUNEDIN HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL - NJHS BY LAWS

Club Sponsor

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving club where students work together in groups to solve problems that nobody has ever solved before! In their teams, they will engage in a long-term problem-solving process where they will create their own performance from scratch using the problem expectations set before them. In each performance they will have props, sets, costumes, moving parts, style elements, and more. The best part is that the problem solution will be unique to their creative minds- no outside help is allowed! Their entire solution must fit within a specific budget, so students are encouraged to recycle things they already have. Our teams work together to open doors into their imagination and see what comes alive. Please note that teams have already been created for the 2025-26 school year.

Club Fee: $70 (includes school membership dues, team regional tournament fees, basic building/crafting supplies, and a team shirt. For teams that advance in the competition, additional fund raising will be required.)

Students will be:

• Working weekly with their teams
• Attending the Odyssey of the Mind Competition
• Creating, building, researching, exploring
• Problem-solving in a new and innovative way

Meeting Information

Club Sponsor

Ms. Walters walterska@pcsb.org

The Principal's Multicultural Advisory Committee (PMAC) is a multicultural student leadership program designed to empower students to have a positive, sustainable impact on the culture and climate of their schools and communities. The program became a school board mandate in order to ensure that students had the right to attend a school where all ethnic and cultural heritages are welcomed and respected. 

The multicultural committee members represent a balance of students by gender and grade level, and representing a cross section of the racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds of the students at the school. 

At the secondary level the responsibilities include the following:

A.  Act as an advisory group to the principal
B.  Engage in a facilitative dialogue about diversity centered concerns and make recommendations to the principal
C.  Promote multicultural activities and programs school-wide
D.  Learn and implement conflict resolution and mediation skills
E.  Provide service to school and community
F.  Improve school climate

Meeting Information

Club Sponsor

Ms. Norton nortons@pcsb.org

Spelling Bee Club helps students strengthen vocabulary, learn effective spelling strategies, and build confidence for the Dunedin Highland Middle School Spelling Bee competition. Through practice rounds, games, and teamwork, members sharpen their skills and have fun along the way. All students interested in competing, or just improving their spelling, are welcome!

**Note: This club is offered during Semester 1**

Meeting Information

Club Sponsor

Ms. Heitmeyer heitmeyert@pcsb.org

In STEM club we participate in various competitions and STEM challenges. Some competitions we participate in are; The Model Water Tower Competition and the Trashion Show.

Meeting Information

Club Sponsor

Ms. Marley marleyh@pcsb.org

Advanced Pipe Band members only/enrolled in Instrumental Techniques 1 or 2.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

Beginning Bagpipes and Scottish Drums. Anyone welcomed. Must be in a music elective (orchestra, band, chorus, theater/musical theater). Must take Instrumental Techniques the following year.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

Open to beginning band members who have played for more than one year on their instrument and for advanced band members to mentor them.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

Audition only. Must have prior piano/drum/guitar experience.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

Audition only - guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, drum

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

The DHMS Drama Club brings together talented 6th–8th graders for an exciting, creative after-school theater experience. Students audition and rehearse for our fall and spring musicals, spending 4–6 months preparing shows that have become a beloved tradition in the Dunedin community. As director, choreographer, and vocal coach, I love guiding our performers as they grow in skill, confidence, and creativity. Our productions truly shine—complete with show T-shirts and special collaborations with our neighbors at Dunedin High School. Together, we build something magical onstage and unforgettable offstage.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor

Audition only. For members enrolled in Dance 1, 2 or 3. Competitive dance team.

Meeting Information

Staff Sponsor