Congratulations to Alexus Powell for winning the National Geographic Bee recently held at Tri-Center Middle School!

The First Lego League team, the TC Blockheads, have advanced on to the Global Innovations Award at the national level. They were one of 20 submissions from over 32,000 teams to be selected. They will participate and demonstrate their design in Washington, D.C. at the awards convention from June 18th-June 20th.

The team has developed a bat house with a watering system to provide housing for bats while helping combat a devastating disease called white-nose syndrome. This syndrome has killed over 6 million bats since 2006 and no cure has been found. The TC Blockheads bat house idea was innovative enough that they were recommended by the judges to seek a patent for their design.

The nomination for advancement onto nationals, is the highest honor attainable through the league. The Global Innovation Awards is a worldwide competition, with over 33 countries competing for the coveted spots in Washington, D.C. Awards will be given for the top three teams and they will be given scholarships to help advance their design within a business model. The TC Blockheads team consists of Alex Corrin, Cael Corrin, Karis Corrin, Kyla Corrin, Michael Denning, Brant Freeberg, Brecken Freeberg and Olivia Matson. They are coached by Chris and Shiloh Corrin.

Congratulations to the Battle of the Books team. They competed in the final battle in Harlan yesterday. The team placed sixth out of the twenty teams that competed. Beauty and the Books consist of team members: Olivia Matson, Kyla Corrin, Karis Corrin, Annie Dahir, Emma Wulff, and Addison McAtee.

On March 16th, Bea Karp shared her own personal memories of World War II  and the Holocaust with the Tri-Center 8th graders. She explained the events leading to her family’s deportation to a work camp in France. Bea described the details she and her family encountered at the hands of the Nazis. Karp described the physical and mental struggles she experienced before, during, and after the war. When the presentation concluded, students had the opportunity to ask questions. Karp’s answers gave the students insight on what it meant to live in Europe during this historical time. Students left the presentation with several facts and a message of hope for the future. 

Congratulations to  Battle of the Books group Beauty and the Books for qualifying to the final battle on April 19th. The team will compete against 19 other groups to for the BOB championship title. The group consists of Addison McAtee, Emma Wulff, Kyla Corrin, Olivia Matson, Karis Corrin, and Annie Dahir. Wish them luck as they prepare for April 19th! 

Kyla Corrin, from Tri-Center Middle School has qualified to compete in the state level competition of the National Geographic Bee!

The Iowa State Bee will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017:

Eligible state Bee competitors must be in grades four through eight, and must have participated in and won the competition at the school level that involved at least six students. 

One champion from each state and territory will advance to the National Geographic Bee Championship, which will be held May 14-18 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. Transportation and accommodations for the Washington, D.C. trip are provided for each state champion and one parent/guardian.

Congrats Kyla!

Tri-Center Middle School is holding its annual spring book fair during parent-teacher conferences. There are several books to choose from ranging from early elementary to adult novels.  The book fair will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  All proceeds from the book fair go toward buying books for classrooms and both libraries.  Thank you in advance for your support and helping our kids continue their love of reading.

The High School Cheerleaders will be hosting a Middle School Halloween Dance (6th-8th grade) on Friday the 28th from 8:00-11:00 p.m. in the high school cafetorium.  There will be prizes given for the best couples costume, the scariest costume, and the most creative costume.  The cost of the dance is $5 per person.  

When: October 11th, 2016, Keynote begins at 6:00 p.m.   

Where: Fine Arts Center, Iowa Western Comm College

Keynote Speaker:  Adam Haeder, Assistant Operations Manager for Google’s $2.5 billion Council Bluffs Data Center

Registration for Event:  Registration online at https://goo.gl/IRx162