Art Club is for those students who want to participate in Art Showcase as well as those interested in Art. Art Showcase is an on-demand, state-wide Art Competition.

Interested students should email Ms. Bradford for more information and the WebEx link for meetings.

Battle of the Books is perfect for dedicated sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students who love to read and enjoy the thrill of competition!

Team members read from a list of 22 young adult titles, create questions about them, and are tested in their knowledge of the books’ plots, settings, and characters. Battle of the Books allows students to enjoy great literature, to strengthen reading skills, to spend time sharing books with other readers, and to showcase Seventy-First Classical’s top-notch academic and study skills.

During the 2020-2021 school year, Battle of the Books meets every Thursday, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., via WebEx with Ms. Potter, Mrs. Schriefer, and Ms. Fulcher.

The 2020-2021 North Carolina Middle School Battle of the Books List:

• “Home of the Brave” by Katherine Applegate
• “The Iron Trial” by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
• “Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish” by Pablo Cartaya
• “Book Scavenger” by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
• “New Kid” by Jerry Craft
• “Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25” by Richard Paul Evans
• “90 Miles to Havana” by Enrique Flores-Galbis
• “Prisoner B-3087” by Alan Gratz
• “Fatal Fever” by Gail Jarrow
• “Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky” by Kwame Mbalia
• “Nyxia” by Scott Reintgen
• “Look Both Ways” by Jason Reynolds
• “The Hired Girl” by Laura Amy Schlitz
• “Bluefish” by Pat Schmatz
• “The Alchemyst” by Michael Scott
• “Death on the River of Doubt” by Samantha Seiple
• “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys
• “Outcasts United” by Warren St. John
• “Other Words for Home” by Jasmine Warga
• “Genesis Begins Again” by Alicia D. Williams
• “The Watch That Ends the Night” by Allan Wolf
• “Wolf Hollow” by Lauren Wolk

A club for Chess enthusiasts, from beginners to experts. All are welcome.

Chess Club meets every Wednesday, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in WebEx, with Mr. McKinley.

Forensic speech is the study and practice of public speaking and debate, according to the American Forensic Association. Students learn and practice speech and research skills to inform or persuade an audience. We compete in four tournaments during the school year, from November through March. At Seventy-First Classical Middle School, students participate by attending after school practices. The team meets each week from 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. by category. Please be prompt in picking up your student after practice. Meeting information will be included in the daily announcements. Students with questions about Forensics should see Ms. M. Johnson in Room 12 or Mrs. Israel in Room 28.

During Plan B and Plan C in the 2020-2021 school year, meetings are held in WebEx. Interested students should email Ms. Melanie Johnson for more information.

In the beginning, students work on choosing a piece to perform during the meetings. Students MUST PRACTICE at home. The coaches expect to see improvement in preparing a piece from one week to the next. School meetings are for getting suggestions about improvement and demonstrating that improvement.

We are permitted only five participants in each event at a tournament. We try to take everyone to at least one tournament (if they have the piece memorized by the end of November). If there are more participants than five in an event, the individual coaches hold try-outs approximately two weeks prior to a tournament to choose those who will go.

If a student is selected to go, he/she will receive a letter of instructions and a permission slip to be filled out by a parent/guardian. After the registration for a tournament is submitted (about one week before the competition), we cannot change the list of competitors. Therefore, it is important for parents/guardians to be sure that their child participates if he/she is chosen. We travel to the tournament by bus from school, but parents are responsible for picking up their students from the tournament site.

The categories are:

• Dramatic Interpretation (D.I.)
• Duo Interpretation (DUO)
• Extemporaneous Speaking (EXTEMP)
• Humorous Interpretation (H.I.)
• Original Oratory (O.O.)
• Storytelling (STORY)
• Public Forum (Forum)

The 2020-2021 scheduled Forensics competitions are:

• Fall Festival – To Be Determined
• Mini Tournament – To Be Determined
• District Tournament – To Be Determined
• County Tournament – To Be Determined

Are you looking to connect with friends in a club that's fun and also helps others? The Knights Lighthouse Club is just that!

We will be doing lots of fun activities throughout the year that focus on being positive and dealing with the challenges of middle school life in creative ways. We also want to serve others through some possible volunteer projects later this year.

If this interests you, meetings are Tuesdays, from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m., in WebEx with Mrs. Garrison.

MathCounts is a national competition for middle school students. Its goal is to enhance achievement in all areas of mathematics, including probability, geometry, algebra, and general problem-solving skills. It consists of both individual and team competitions. Students who enjoy mathematics and solving non-routine problems in mathematics are encouraged to participate.

Because MathCounts is a nationally recognized organization, it is an excellent extracurricular activity for students to include on college applications or other applications requesting extracurricular information.

Students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades may participate. Meetings are held on Tuesdays, from 2:35 to 3:30 p.m., in Mrs. Moore-Allen Personal WebEx Room. Interested students should email Mrs. Moore-Allen for more information.

Quiz Bowl is a game in which two teams face off in a head-to-head competition to answer questions from all areas of knowledge including history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, sports, and popular culture. It is a co-curricular activity similar in design to the game show “Jeopardy.” This activity promotes team-building and reinforces classroom content. Our school competes with other middle schools in individual and team formats.

All students are welcome to tryout. Students will “test in” to make the team after receiving study materials. If you are interested in joining, please email Ms. Brady.

Regular meetings are every Thursday, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in WebEx with Ms. Brady and Mrs. Whiting.

NOTE: At this time, all events (both practice and competition) are virtual. Please contact Mr. Regensburger by email for more information.

Science Olympiad allows students to compete in 22 different Science events. This activity is open to all students; however, students must be strong in two events (Sixth Grade) or three events (Seventh and Eighth Grades) to participate in the competitive team.

• Anatomy & Physiology
• Circuit Lab
• Crimebusters
• Codebusters
• Density Lab
• Digital Structures (formerly Boomilever)
• Disease Detectives
• Dynamic Planet
• Experimental Design
• Food Science
• Fossils
• Game On
• Heredity
• Machines
• Meteorology
• Mousetrap Vehicle
• Ornithology
• Picture This
• Reach for the Stars
• Road Scholar
• Water Quality
• Write It, Do It

Students interested in Science Olympiad should plan to attend the annual Interest Meeting in October, with Mr. Regensburger in Room 17. Practices are held regularly, beginning in November, with meeting days and times varying by event. All information for students who have signed up is available in Google Classroom. Interested students are encouraged to visit the North Carolina Science Olympiad website.

The mission of Science Olympiad is to promote and improve student interest in Science and to improve the quality of K-12 Science education throughout the nation.

The Science Olympiad vision to accomplish this mission is:

• To create a passion for learning Science by supporting elementary and secondary Science Olympiad tournaments at building, district, county, state, and national levels, with an emphasis on teamwork and a commitment to excellence.
• To improve the quality of K-12 Science education throughout the nation by changing the way Science is perceived and the way it is taught, with an emphasis on problem-solving and hands-on, minds-on Constructivist learning practices. This goal is accomplished through in-depth core curriculum training workshops and the distribution of curriculum materials to thousands of teachers.
• To celebrate and recognize the outstanding achievement of both students and teachers in the areas of Science and Technology by awarding thousand of certificates, medals, trophies, and scholarships.
• To promote partnerships among community, businesses, industry, government, and education.

The specific purposes of Science Olympiad tournaments are:

• To bring Science to life, to show how Science works, to emphasize problem-solving aspects of Science and the understanding of Science concepts.
• To develop teamwork and cooperative learning strategies among students.
• To make Science education more exciting so more students will enroll in Science courses and engage in other Science activities like Science reading, fairs, meetings, and field trips.
• To promote high levels of achievement and a commitment to excellence and to demonstrate that American students can perform at levels that surpass expectations of even practicing scientists and engineers.
• To attract more students, particularly females and minorities, to professional and technical careers in Science, Technology, and Science teaching.

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD COMPETITIONS:

• Regional Competition – Split between February 20th, 2021 and March 6th, 2021
• Opening/Parade of Champions – TBA
• State Competition – TBA