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 23 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 2021-2022 school year, Battle of the Books meets every Wednesday, from 2:40 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., in the Media Center with Ms. Potter and Ms. Fulcher.

The 2021-2022 North Carolina Middle School Battle of the Books List:

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Are you looking to connect with friends in a club that's fun and also helps others? Campus Life is just that!

The club 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 Thursdays, from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m., in the cafe with Dr. Jones, Mr. McMillan, and representatives from Campus Life. 

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 Tuesday from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m. in Room 21. Please be prompt in picking up your student after practice. Students with questions about Forensics should see Ms. M. Johnson in Room 12 or Mrs. Israel in Room 28.

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 2021-2022 scheduled Forensics competitions are:

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

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 TBD, from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m., in Room 9. Interested students should email Mr. Kirby for more information.

Q & A (Queers and Allies) is SFCMS's newest club! This club is about supporting and being part of LGBTQIA+ and about equality. Its founding members want everyone to feel safe at SFCMS at all times. The club's goals are helping people feel like they can be themselves, supporting each other for who they are, having fun, and maybe learning a little bit about each other. The Interest Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19, 2021, from 2:50 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 17, with Ms. Raffaelli and Ms. Drummer-Chaney. Students must be picked up by 3:30 p.m. in front of the school by the cafeteria. 

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 try out. 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 2:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m., in Room 3 with Ms. Brady and Mrs. Whiting.

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 27. Practices are held regularly, beginning in late October, 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 the 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 the 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 – TBA
• Opening/Parade of Champions – TBA
• State Competition – TBA