The Lincolnton Wildcat Band traveled to Atlanta, Georgia on April 26-27, 2013 to compete in the regional Music in the Parks Competition at Six Flags Over Georgia. The Wildcat Band competed in the middle school concert band division for the first time in school history and received  FIRST PLACE.
The band is under the direction of Mrs. Amber Hoyle. They performed 2 selections which included Korean Folk Rhapsody by James Curnow and Imperium by Michael Sweeney. While in Atlanta, the band had the opportunity to take in some popular tourist attractions which included The Varsity, Georgia Aquarium, Olympic Centennial Park, and the Hard Rock Cafe.
The LMS Band would like to thank the following people for helping make this trip possible and a great success:

• Burke Educational Travel, for planning the trip.
• Lincoln County School Board and Senior Staff of Lincoln County Schools for approving the trip.
• Scott Carpenter, Tracy Livingston, and Kevin Senter Administration of Lincolnton Middle School for their support of the band program.
• Mr. Heath Barkley, LMS teacher for chaperoning and leading Bus 2.
• Mr. Josh Belvin, LHS Band Director for chaperoning and aiding in preparing the band for performance and helping in all aspects of the trip.
• Parent Chaperones: Mike Hance, Maxine Cortez, Barbara Bynum, Billy West, Chris Robinson. Without them, our trip would not have been possible.
• All band parents of the Lincolnton Middle Band program for their continued support.
• All band students for their fantastic performance and their representing LMS with pride, dignity, and professionalism not seen in most middle school students.

We would like to invite everyone to come to our Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 to hear the Lincolnton Wildcat Band in their final performance for the year. The concert will be at the Lincoln County Citizen’s Center at 7:00 p.m.

TEST PROCTORS NEEDED
Yes, it is approaching that time of year again... The flowers bloom, the weather becomes warmer, and yes, proctors are needed for the EOG's.  If you are interested in helping proctor the EOG's this year, please email or call Mrs. Goins at 704-736-1017 ext 34204 or email her at mgoins@lincoln.k12.nc.us.  The dates we are in need of proctors are the weeks of May 20-24 and May 29-31.  Even if you can only help for 1 day, we could desperately use you.
Below are the requirements to proctor:

-Must be at least 18

-Must have registered and been approved through the LCS Volunteer system  (Mrs. Goins will help you with this)

-The initial day of proctoring you must attend an EOG Proctor training session beginning at 7:30 am in the LMS Media Center

-Be able to proctor from 7:30 am until at least 12:00 pm 

Again, thank you for helping us with this important endeavor, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Martha Goins—Counselor

Lincolnton Middle School students participated in the 2013 National Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest which is sponsored by the VFW local post 1706. The contest is open to students in grades 6-8 for $5000 college scholarship, if chosen the national winner. This year’s topic was: “What Patriotism Means to Me.” Local VFW members commented on the outstanding essays that LMS submitted to the contest, but one essay stood out from the rest. 

Elizabeth Noles, 8^th grader, won at the local level. On Jan 30, 2013 Elizabeth was presented with a medal, a certificate of recognition, and gift card. Additionally, she was saluted for excellence by members of the local VFW. Elizabeth’s essay moved to the next round of competition where she represented LMS well. Congratulations!

Holiday Spirit Shines Bright at LMS

At a time when students are creating their own wish lists for the holiday season, Lincolnton Middle School students have demonstrated a change in attitude.  Instead of asking “What’s in it for me?” they are asking, “What can I do to help others?”  Helping others through the difficulties of the season has been a tradition at Lincolnton Middle School through the Communities in Schools program, directed by Cynthia Williams, and the Student Council Organization, coordinated by Joanna and Matt Hovis.  The annual Can Food Drive to support the efforts at Christian Ministries and the Lincoln County Marine Corporation Toys for Tots campaign provide students with an opportunity to help those in need throughout Lincoln County.

Lincolnton Middle School is proud to announce that 1,000 items have been donated to Christian Ministries to help alleviate hunger in Lincoln County.  The generosity toward others continued as student council representatives encouraged classmates to collect donations for the Toys for Tots campaign.  Lincolnton Middle School was able to collect a total of 900 new toys for children who might not have been able to receive a gift during this holiday season.

We would like to thank our parents and family members who were able to contribute to our efforts to help others in our community. We are please to once again set the high standards which encourage our students to look first at the needs of others. Lincolnton Middle School is proud to be the leader in donations among all the middle schools in Lincoln County. Working together for a united cause reveals to students that through hard work, dedication, generosity and teamwork we can achieve our goals and attain success.  Lincolnton Middle School is truly the “Best Middle School” in Lincoln County!

Congratulations to Lincolnton Middle School Wildcats for collecting 1,000 can food items for Lincoln County Christian Ministries.

Mrs. Sheridan, Mrs. Hullette, and Mrs. Gary's Special Needs classes have been invited to decorate a tree for the 2nd Annual Festival of Trees. Please stop by and support them by voting for them. The Festival of Trees is in the old hospital building located behind the YMCA and is every weekend in December.

The sixth graders traveled to the Schiele Museum on Friday, Nov. 2nd. The kids enjoyed two shows which were the planetarium and learning about ancestry.  During the planetarium show, the kids learned about the solar system and the planets.  The show included pictures and descriptions of each planet and their surrounding moons.  During the ancestry show, the kids learned how the stone age people survived by making tools and weapons from materials from nature.  The presenter also demonstrated how early man created fire.  All the students enjoyed a tour of the museum and the outdoor nature trail.

On Thursday, October 25 the Charlotte Bobcats hosted the 8^th annual Cool School Field Trip at Time Warner Cable Arena, presented by Jordan Brand.  Over the years, this event has become a cornerstone of the Bobcats’ commitment to education across the Carolinas, and this year the LMS STARS students attended the preseason NBA game between the Bobcats and Milwaukee Bucks as a reward for demonstrating outstanding performance, character and service in the classroom.   Students were able to participate in the curriculum-based activities planned throughout the game.

National School Bus Safety Week was recognized during the weeks of October 22nd with an emphasis on students safely boarding and un-boarding their bus. The theme of this year’s week was “I See The Driver-The Driver Sees Me.” School districts across the country and our state take great pride in School Bus Safety.  During this year’s National School Bus Safety Week  students at LMS participated in the State’s 2013 School Bus Safety Poster Contest. The theme for the contest and for next year is “AT MY STOP – YOU STOP.”  The school winner is Heather Mottram and her poster will be entered in the 2013 state contest.

Lunch VIPs Designed To Encourage Healthier School Eating Habits

AMANDA SEBASTIANO

Staff Writer/Lincoln Times-News

In hopes of drawing awareness to healthier lunch options that schools across the county provide, Lincolnton Middle hosted an event last week to encourage eating cafeteria food.

School Lunch Week ran Monday through Friday, various speakers passed through the LMS cafeteria, giving some students the opportunity to eat lunch with the mayor or converse with N.C. Rep. Jason Saine during lunchtime.

Friday, Saine sat with Assistant Superintendent for Business Steve Zickefoose and a few others as he ate his lunch and waited for students to sit down for a chat. During the two hours he spent on campus, he spoke with a few students about technology in the classroom and was impressed with what he heard.

“I know they (students) could’ve just been saying it, but they all seemed to genuinely enjoy school,” Saine told the Times-News last week.

Children who are members of the Nutrition Advisory Council (NAC) had the chance to sit with visitors, such as eighth-grader Beulah Chesser, who has been enjoying the fruits and vegetables shes been munching on over the last few months.

Students like Chesser are putting more leafy greens and other produce on their trays in response to a mandate that altered nutritional standards for meal requirements in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. Now, fruits, vegetables and whole grains must be incorporated into the lunches children are eating at school. Changes went into effect at the beginning of the school year to comply with the legislation.

At first, students seemed to have a hard time adjusting to the new food rules and were formerly-reminded to grab a milk with their lunch. Area cafeteria staffs are now switching gears to comply with the requirements.

The crew at Lincolnton Middle hoped the presence of local authority figures would show students the importance of a balanced diet and that cafeteria food isn’t what it used to be — it’s better, Saine laughed as he remembered what he ate at school when he was growing up.

Lincolnton Fire Chief Mitch Burgin was also among the visitors of the week, bringing along a fire truck — a prop that excited the children.

LMS cafeteria employee and NAC advisor Joy Clark said she was glad to have the opportunity to bring humility to the names of the participants who showed up last week.

“When the kids see these big names, like President Obama or whoever, they think those people are untouchable,” Clark said, “I want them to know that they are people, too.”

Children were curious about the area leaders and were eager to learn about their daily tasks, inquisitively asking the mayor about his schedule and other details about his life.

At the end of the week, the cafeteria staff was happy with the students’ positive responses to the guests and the food — hoping to put a healthy diet in a better light for the youth.

“A lot of these kids don’t have access to fruits and vegetables at home, but at school, they do,” Clark said.

In June the Lincolnton Middle School Nutrition Advisory Council (NAC) won the NAC of the year award at the state School Nutrition Association (SNA) conference.

The 2011-2012 LMS NAC Club had approximately 30 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders.  Using the Communities in Schools after-school program as its base, Joy Clark, the club advisor and LMS cafeteria employee, worked with students to improve students’ general happiness with the school lunch program and increase the number of students who eat in the cafeteria.  In addition, they participated in activities to increase overall student awareness about the importance of healthy eating.

Students conducted surveys about cafeteria food, made posters featuring nutritious food choices, and learned about general good nutrition.