Important Dates

Feb. 28-March 2-Round 1 ISTEP March 3-10 Make Up ISTEP March 10– End of 3rd Quarter March 10-11-High School Musical March 17—Report Cards March 24-31—Spring Break

Chad’s Cafe If you could have any wish fulfilled, what would it be? One Tri-Central student, Chad Keown, was offered just such an opportunity. After facing numerous medical issues in the last year, Chad was given an opportunity from the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund to see his dream of a café realized. The café had its grand opening earlier this month and is an opportunity for Tri-Central students to gain valuable work force skills such as money-handling, inventory, organization and planning. Thanks to the generous donations from Lakeside, Keurig Green Mountain, Marsh, Tri-Central Student Council and the Indiana Make a Wish Fund, Chad and his fellow students at Tri-Central will be learning in a real-world environment, the kind of learning that they will take with them through the rest of their lives. The grand opening was attended by several doctors from Riley and members of the community. Chad thanked everyone for helping him to shape “his legacy.”

Girls Basketball

Middle School PE classes received a visit from the Colts 60 Play organization this month. This is a health and wellness program that is

part of the NFL’s Play 60 initiative. Needless to say it was pretty exciting for everyone involved, as the pictures indicate.

It is time for the first round of I-STEP+ testing. This year the test is on-line, and students will use their school-issued computers to take it. The MS/HS grades testing are 6, 7, 8, and 10. Testing will take place on Tuesday, February 28 through Thursday, March 2 in the morning. Make-up days will be from Friday, March 3 to Friday, March 10.

Please encourage your child to do their best; stay

positive and serious; get plenty of rest; eat

something those mornings (he or she can buy

breakfast at school); and realize that this is only a

small part of his/her education. Also, please try not

to schedule AM appointments on those days if

possible.

NFL PLAY 60 Colts Visit Tri-Central

ISTEP (ROUND ONE)

Chad’s Café Opening

Ceremony

Congratulations to the girls’ basketball team, who won their second con-

secutive Sectional Championship with a 43-41 overtime victory over

Clinton Prairie on February 4t. In addition to winning the sectional, the

girls finished as runners-up in the conference tournament, and senior

Taylor Davis scored the 1,000th point of her career on January 25

against Western.

Could you tell us a little about what your life has been like in the past year, Chad? After my accident in December 2015, I had to recover and rehab back from two lung surgeries and a traumatic brain injury. As I got better, I was moved to the Riley Rehab Unit. That is where I had to learn to walk, talk, and eat again. This was hard for me since my body and mind were not together. This is where

I met Dr. Dietzen. He focused on my ability, not my disability, and that was encouraging for me. He brought in visitors like Dwayne Allen from the Colts and I beat him in thumb wrestling. I was also visited by the Riley Dog and played bingo and air hockey with some new friends I

made along the way. This summer I got out of my wheelchair and wrestled Dr. Dietzen in a charity event called "Timmy Take Down.” I decided to call myself "3CountKeown" since I was defeating heart, lung, and brain injuries. This past year has been hard, and I have felt sad and frustrated at times, but I am going to therapy when I'm not in school. I still have a way to go but I am determined and going “loud and proud” to get my life back. Why did you choose to make “Chad’s Café” for your make-a-wish? I wanted to give back! I wanted to help other kids like me that struggle daily with life and job skills. We all have fight in us and through the Indiana Wish Fund I had an opportunity to give back to the school that I love! I hope I inspire others to give back, too. It's like throwing a pebble in the pond that starts a ripple effect. It makes me feel great to help others since life can take you in an instant. I wanted a lifetime of something special so that one day my two little sisters who are in elementary can run the cafe. I also wanted to open a cafe because I often get hungry after lunch!

115 word article with 9 pt font

CHAD KEOWN

TROJAN OF THE MONTH

TROJAN OF THE MONTH

The Trojan Times was able to sit down recently with Chad Keown after his long year of rehabilitation and the opening of Chad’s Café at Tri-Central.

WHO AM I? Each month, one staff member will be the “Mystery Person”. If you can guess his/her identity, e-mail your guess to TrojanTimes@mytccs.com to be entered into a drawing for a free gift! The winner will be announced in next month’s newsletter.

I came down with osteomyelitis [Mickey Mantle's disease] as a freshman and went from 175-115 pounds.

I ate at Scotty's hamburgers every day for lunch. I would run when the bell rang from downtown Kokomo High School so I could eat those oniony bits of deliciousness.

I was a National Honor Society member.

In high school, I worked at the Kokomo YMCA as a camp counselor every summer, worked on a crew that reapplied tar to roads, and managed a minor league baseball team at Lafayette Park Little League. *Last month’s mystery person was Mrs. DeAngelis.

This year's choir production will be "My Fair

Lady,” by Lerner and Loewe. Set in

London in the early 1900's, this musical

tells the tale of Professor Henry Higgins

(Noland Kimbrough), a language specialist

who takes a bet that he can transform Eliza

Doolittle (Katilynn Burke), a common flower

girl from off the street, into a duchess at an

Embassy ball merely by teaching her to

speak proper English. In the process,

Professor Higgins undergoes his own

character transformation. The production

will be presented by the TCHS choirs on

Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11

at 7:00 pm. Doors will open at 6:30. Adult

tickets are $9 in advance ($10 at the door), and Senior Citizens and students (18

and younger) are $7 in advance ($8 at the door). Faculty and staff can get a

complimentary ticket by seeing Mrs. Williams or a choir student. Ticket sales will

begin Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Tri-Central Choirs Set to Perform Musical

MY FAIR LADY

One of the most powerful ways to connect learning

to the broader community is through service

learning opportunities. Ms. Buchanan’s Child

Development class was afforded just such an

opportunity this week. The class of ninth and tenth

graders designed and handmade cozy baby

blankets to donate to the Pregnancy Resource

Center in Kokomo. The students’ hard work will be

much appreciated and allows them to connect their

learning to real-world applications. Thanks to Ms.

Buchanan for creating this opportunity for the

students.

SERVICE LEARNING

We have two fun-loving cus-

todians at Tri-Central, Kurt

Pace and Mike Tharp. Mike

works in the middle/high

school while Kurt works in

the elementary and middle

school. Together, they clean

the cafeterias after lunch, fix

broke or jammed lockers,

clean the hallways, and are

always doing continuous

maintenance throughout the

day. When the weather is nice, you can find them outside doing many

more things. So, if you see them around, say “HI!” They would love it!

Meet Kurt & Mike!

DO YOU KNOW….

Cleaning Closets?

Tri-Central MS/HS is accept-

ing donations for gently used

and laundered clothing for our

Tri-Central Clothes Closet. All

donations can be dropped off

at either the middle school or

high school office or in room

119, Mrs. Henderson’s room,

which is where the closet is

located. Students may “shop”

for free in the closet during

activity period or on an emer-

gency basis. A big thank you

goes out to those staff mem-

bers who are organizing and

volunteering their time to

make this a reality.

More photos from Chad’s Cafe

Do you know what you want to do after high

school? Do you want to go to college? Do you

want to enter the work world right away? One of

the options offered to students at Tri-Central

High School is to be able to attend the Kokomo

Area Career Center located at Kokomo High

School. Typically the programs offered are for

juniors and seniors. Students have to provide

their own transportation, however, they have the

opportunity to not only leave high school with a

diploma, but also dual credit(s), and/or a

technical certificate. Some of the programs the

career center offers are architecture,

construction, building trades, certified nursing

assistant, cosmetology, criminal justice, AV

technology, collision repair, and many more!

Questions or comments? Have a school-related event you’d like to see

highlighted in the Trojan Times? Email us: TrojanTimes@mytccs.com.

WorkOne, an employment agency in Kokomo, is coming to

the Preparing for College And Career (PCC) class to provide

information on skills, such as; interviewing, employability,

resume building, soft skills, etc. They hope to empower

students by providing them with the necessary skills to

complete their career goals. WorkOne is a great resource for

juniors and seniors who would like assistance in obtaining a

job, as well as, guidance in attending post-secondary

education and/or training. Also, check out Indiana Career

Exploration on the web to see what is available. 

WORKONE