STUDENT COUNCIL MISSION STATEMENT: To serve our school and community to make McCombs the number one middle school.
LEADERSHIP FIELD TRIP TO THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING
McCombs’ Student Council visited the Iowa State Capitol Building on February 25th for a leadership development trip. The students met with Representative Bruce Hunter, who represents the south side district of Des Moines. Mr. Hunter invited them into the chambers of the Iowa House, showed them his office area, and answered questions about his role in the Iowa Legislature. Mr. Hunter explained his personal journey to becoming an Iowa Representative, outlined the process for becoming a Representative,and described his duties. He gave a detailed description of a typical day at work while the Legislature is in session. Mr. Hunter serves on several committees and explained the committee process.
Students asked Mr. Hunter his stance on several issues and the status of upcoming legislation involving legalization of fireworks and medical use of marijuana. He told students that in a two-year term as a member of the Iowa House, around 2,000 bills will be proposed. He welcomed feedback from the students and their families about issues that are important to them.
Students also met with a Legislative Page, who is a high school student who is paid to assist members of the Iowa Legislature while it is in session. They learned the typical duties of a page, the selection process for becoming a page, and how pages balance their work responsibilities with their academics. Several McCombs students expressed interest in becoming a page in a few years!
As part of the trip, the students also took a 90-minute tour of the State Capitol Building, including the law library, Senate and House Chambers, and rotunda. They learned the history of the building and its role in Iowa government. A highlight of the trip was getting to take a picture with Representative Bruce Hunter in the Speaker of the House’s podium. Twenty-eight students attended the trip, including both student council officers and class representatives.
DISTRICT & STATE SCIENCE FAIRS
McCombs Middle School had a great number of students participate in the District Science Fair, and several of those students have qualified for State. The following is a list of students who showed their projects at the district level, and the qualifiers for state.
DISTRICT SCIENCE FAIR: STATE SCIENCE FAIR:
Maria Cruz Maria Cruz
Alexis Perez Alexis Perez
Kylie Grant Miguel Vazquez
Yessica Correa Yessica Correa
Viridiana Virgin-Garcia
Miguel Vazquez
Luke Keyser
Jessica Perks
Nyla Lamp
Julie Warburton
Brooklyn Burgess
FEBRUARY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
7TH GRADE FIELD TRIP: The 7th grade students went on a field trip to the Science Center. The students spent an hour exploring and then attended the fire and ice show. The students had a great time learning about science.