This year we have a new high school class called CAPS, which stands for the Center for Advanced Professional Studies where students get professional experiences in a variety of ways working with different business partners. This semester, we have one student, Thomas Eliades, who is part of this program. He took on the project of Veteran's Day, coordinated with our Veteran's Day Speaker, Legion Commander Dave Bak, created the program, and was the host of ceremonies for our students and staff in grades 4-12 as well as community members. He did a wonderful job honoring our Veterans. We are very thankful to everyone who was part of the program including Thomas, Commander Bak, our Color Guard, and our 9-12 band and choir programs.

National Honor Society Induction was Tuesday, November 14th. Congratulations to our new inductees, which include:

Gabe Anderson, Kaden Barrett, Jacob Bishop, Haley Copenhaver, Ruby Harper, Rylie Hermelbracht, Haylee Jarvis, Drew Keller, Addison Kovarna, Ava Lang, Kyle Leary, Rachael McGaffey, Cooper Nelson, Natalie Nelson, Olivia Petersen, Hannah Poulson, Kenra Ruden, Crayten Stusse, Carlton Torres, Ava Townley, Morgan Vogt, AndieJo Walker, Addison Weitzel, Avery Welte, Kyle Wiese.

We're always open to bringing in guest speakers into our classrooms. Most recently, Mr. Crawford invited Darwin Bishop, and engineer from the DOT, to speak to our geometry students about the geometrical shapes related to building bridges. Students are continuing their learning by creating their bridges and testing how much weight they can hold.

On November 7th, our 7-12th graders listened to professional basketball player Wesley Fleullen who had the message of:

“We are not born winners, We are not born losers, We are born CHOOSERS!”

Congrats to Addie Oelke for all of her success at State in these events: 200 yd Individual Medley, 100 yd Butterfly, 200 yd Freestyle Relay, 400 yd Freestyle Relay!

Congratulations to Ashlyn Kovarna as being chosen to be in the volleyball All-State Classic! Only seniors are chosen.

Here is our schedule:

Thursday, December 21st

8:15-9:20 is 1st period

9:25-10:30 is 2nd period

10:35-11:40 is 3rd period

11:40—1:00 LUNCH

1:05-2:10 is 4th period

2:15-3:20 is 7th period

Friday, December 22nd

8:15-9:20 is 5th period

9:25-10:30 is 6th period

10:35-11:40 is 8th period (8th graders will take this test on Wednesday, 12/20)

11:40—1:20 LUNCH (Friday, Official district dismissal is at 1:20)

7th graders will not test first semester, but will 2nd semester while 8th graders will take semester exams both semesters. 7th graders will still have this schedule with their teachers on Thursday, December 21st and both 7-8th graders will have a field trip on Friday, December 22nd.

9-11th graders can have open campus on both semester test days during their study halls IF they have a C- or better for a semester grade. If students have a D+ or worse in any of your classes for a semester grade, then they may not leave during study halls, but can still have open campus during lunch. School permit rules still apply. 9-11th graders who don't leave for open lunch will go to the cafeteria or lobby.

Unverified absences during semester test dates double in consequences. If students are late for a semester test, they will receive a tardy or an unverified if later than 15 minutes and risk not being able to take the semester exam.

Students will need to stay in the classroom the entire testing period even if they finish early and have open the following period, with the exception of 7th period on Tuesday (3:15 earliest dismissal).

Students who will be gone on Thursday or Friday of that week will need to communicate that to the office by Friday, December 15th and then will test early, likely with Mrs. Clausen.

Our Journey through the Intricacies of Biology and Anatomy

We're excited to share some updates on our recent activities in Biology and Anatomy classes this year. Our students have been exploring the depths of cellular structures and the skeletal system in unique and creative ways.

Biology: Cellular Analogy Projects

In our latest venture, students embarked on a project to make analogies of the intricacies of cellular structures. They related an animal or plant cell to a system of their choice and created a model to represent their understanding. Each model clearly illustrated at least 13 cell organelles as analogous components within their chosen system.

Notably, these projects not only tested their understanding, but also triggered their creativity and critical thinking skills. The students' innovative approach to demonstrating their grasp of cell structures has truly been impressive.

Building upon our study of cellular structures, we are now turning our attention to the intricate processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. In this upcoming unit, students will have the unique opportunity to architect their own lab experiments. They will be empowered to create or complete any lab that aligns with the study of photosynthesis or cellular respiration. This approach encourages not only a deeper understanding of these crucial biological mechanisms, but also enhances their skills in critical thinking and experimental design. We look forward to witnessing the innovative lab experiments our students will devise in this exploration.

Anatomy: The Skeletal System Exploration

Our Anatomy class has been delving into the skeletal system. The students constructed and labeled life-sized replicas of the human skeleton, offering them hands-on experience in understanding the structure and function of the human skeletal system.

For an even more interactive learning experience, we conducted a scavenger hunt, utilizing our new augmented reality Visible Body Suit software. The class was divided into six teams. Each team was challenged with a series of riddles about different teachers. Upon solving a riddle and identifying the respective teacher, the team was given a bone-related riddle from that teacher. Once the bone was identified, students used the Visible Body Suit software to take an augmented reality picture of the skeleton superimposed on the teacher. This activity encouraged teamwork, problem-solving, and an in-depth understanding of the skeletal system.

With the exploration of the skeletal system behind us, we're ready to dive into the complex world of the muscular system. In this next unit, students will not only learn muscle names but also their specific actions within the body. We'll examine how muscles work in pairs to cause movement, and the impact of muscle contractions on our daily activities.

After this comprehensive exploration of the muscular system, we hope our students will be ready to flex their newfound knowledge!

PHYSICS

The year has certainly flown by for the physics students! They have studied motion in both one and two dimensions. One thing they really have to work on is learning how to utilize all the equations that are possible, and whether or not they need to find more information before they can solve the problem. We spent a class period trying to calculate personal velocities based on different movements. The students used homemade clinometers to try and calculate the height of various items in the multipurpose room. The final activity for the unit involved a scavenger hunt around the school based on their homework answers, with snacks for later in the day as the prize.

They have moved on to studying different types of forces. Several years in a row the students have taken a quiz with a problem about sledding down Titan on a snow day - then we end up having a snow day within a day or two!! We will hopefully avoid that happening before Christmas break. Sledding is a great way to study firsthand the small coefficient of friction between the sled and the snow. Many times I relate moving into a college dorm to the problems involving moving things - just to get them ready for next fall!

CHEMISTRY

The year started off with lots of math and converting for the chemistry students. Hopefully they recognize the importance of including labels in their work. Next they started working with significant digits, which will continue all year. We worked with how to graph information on a computer and turn it in digitally. After a quick review of properties of matter we moved on to atomic models. The classes had a competition to see who could do the best job separating different materials.They also had a contest to see which group got the largest and best formed crystals from the mixture.

The class simulated Rutherford’s famous gold foil experiment, which led to the idea of the nucleus being “in the middle” of an atom. The students got to look at emission spectrum tubes to compare different elements’ spectra - similar to how scientists study emission spectra of stars.They also burned splints soaked in different chemicals to see what color was produced by that specific metal, which is how “fireplace crystals” you buy at a retail store work. With just a few short weeks left before semester tests, they will be busy with schoolwork!

UNIFIED SCIENCE

The freshmen started out the year learning how to convert between metric and US standards. Next they reviewed maps, and learned about topographic maps, which was all new information for them. The class studied the topography of Hinton, and did a great job picking out all the local land features. We spent several weeks on basic chemistry topics. The students built molecules of common chemicals used in everyday life. A lab involving determining the pH of items found around the house followed that up. I think the kids were surprised by items that were actually an acid versus a base. The current unit is about time periods and eras on earth, and how radioactive isotopes are used to date fossils, objects, and rocks. They will finish up with plate tectonics before semester tests.

I am pleased to be blessed once again with hardworking and talented students. We are always working on a variety of projects in all of the woods, welding and building classes, giving our students the opportunity to outwardly express their inner creativity. If you thought the shop was “Going to the birds” last year, well.. you would have been correct, as we finished our first ever chicken coop for one of our staff members. We like to keep things as fun as possible when incorporating new ideas, trends and technology into our projects. A majority of students in welding class are incorporating that idea by literally being “ON FIRE” or making “Smoking Hot “ projects. However you want to word it, by making a variety of ROCKET STOVES and Fire Pits this year as their introductory projects. They are pretty cool.( Pun Intended) Google Rocket Stove for an example. I like to take every opportunity to incorporate into the classroom the “Value Beyond School '' standard. We completed a sandbox project for the grade school and various small fix-it projects for community members. It is also that favorite time of year that the preschool wil come up to visit us and we get to talk tools!

I also stress that there are so many possibilities for students that do not want to travel the traditional 4 year college path and maybe want to explore trade schools or enter the workforce upon graduation. There is no better way to do that than with field trips to introduce what is actually going on in industry and what jobs are available and what skills are needed to fill those positions. We were fortunate once again to go to the “Build My Future Expo” in Sioux City back in October. We were part of over 1600 area students who went to visit over 35 businesses at the Siouxland Expo Center and have interactive opportunities at their booths. Students could try their hand at everything from shingling, concrete and brick laying, welding, electrical, HVAC and also 3D architecture, skid steer and backhoe operating to accompany many more cool hands-on opportunities. Representatives from the Army Reserve, Iowa DOT and law enforcement as well as MidAmerican Energy were also there to explain job opportunities and careers to students.

The year is another stellar year, not only in the classroom but also watching students excel in all sorts of extracurricular activities as well. We have had a fall sports season like no other! Being the coach, I have to give a special shout out to the Cross Country teams. We had a season for the record books!! We have had a lot to cheer about here at Hinton this year and I don’t know why you would want to be anything but a Blackhawk!! I ask the question every year… Is there a better job than being a shop teacher and coach at Hinton? If there is, I don’t know what it would be? Proud to be a Blackhawk

Honor Bands

Five students auditioned for the Northwest Iowa Bandmasters Association honor bands in October (JH) and November (HS). Two of these hardworking students had the privilege of being selected for the bands. Congratulations to Joey Gordon (trumpet) and Caden Koopmans (trombone) for achieving this honor.

Other honor bands:

University of Northern Iowa: Rylie Hermelbracht (tenor sax)

Strong Foundations: Katelyn Hodgson (flute), Josephine Hunter (clarinet), Rian Van Roekel (clarinet), Ella Michalsky (tenor sax), Lexi Burns (bari sax), Ashlyn Musselman (bari sax), Wesley Gordon (trumpet)

Fundraisers

Many band students are currently selling Seroogy's chocolate bars. The chocolates are $2 and support band activities and equipment. Find a band kid outside of school hours between now and December 6 to purchase yours!

Thank you to everyone who supported the bands at our Pizza Ranch fundraiser earlier this month! We were able to raise over $600 for honor bands and instruments in one night.

Upcoming Performances

Thursday, December 7 at 7pm: 4-6 Holiday Concert

Friday, December 8: first HS pep band basketball game

Thursday, December 14 at 7pm: 7-12 Holiday Concert

Give yourself a gift by completing scholarships over the holidays. Please go to Hintonschool.com and click on the 7-12 Counseling link to access our local list with 100 different scholarships that are local and regional. Local and regional scholarships continue to be where our students find the most success in winning extra dollars. Continue to also look at the schools in which you have been accepted for additional scholarship applications.

Some seniors are now finding that upon acceptance to the school, the next step is to submit the deposit or the student scholarship portals are not available to them online. Often the deposits are refundable up to May 1, so if you are looking at 2 schools, you may have to pay deposits to both schools to gain scholarship link access. Then let the schools know your final decision before May 1 to receive a refund on one of the deposits. If you are unsure, please call the admissions office of your school to inquire.