On March 7th, a talented group of students from Peet, Holmes, and Orchard Hill all participated in the Kennedy Honors Orchestra in Cedar Rapids, IA. Of the 200 students gathered from over 40 schools, 19 of them were representing Cedar Falls Schools. These students participated in the Gold Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. Holmes Jr. High’s very own Orchestra teacher, Kim Tura, conducted the Green Orchestra. We give our highest congratulations to all the students who participated and sho [...]

Holmes Jr. High Science Club competed in the Science Olympiad on the University of Northern Iowa’ campus this past weekend. The two teams did outstanding! The Red Team placed 3rd overall and the White Team placed 9th. The Science Club also had individuals achieve great success. Here is a list of all the medals students received: 1st Place - Anatomy and Physiology Nadia Patel & Param Sampat 3rd Place - Circuit Lab         [...]

Holmes Jr. High 7th Grader Britain Atkins competed in the State Knights of Colombus Spelling Bee this past weekend and ended up taking first prize!The state spelling bee comes after a long process of competitions. Competitors must first survive their local and regional spelling bee competitions in order to qualify for the State Contest. Only the top 2 from each competition move on. At the State Competition, Atkins endured 1.5 hours of intense spelling, outlasting the rest of his competitor [...]

Students around the country gathered together this weekend in their home states to practice the art of recitation of poetry in the Poetry Out Loud competition, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Holmes Junior High's very own Amya Thornton (9) was selected as the winner for the Iowa contest and will be headed to Washington D.C. to compete in the national contest, all expenses paid! Amya memorized and performed three poems. She recited "How to Triumph [...]

Holmes 8th Grade Science students reently started a Unit on Waves.  Some may remember the crests, troughs, and the amplitude from their own learning experiences. Holmes students got to that knowledge into the 21st Century, by studying the waves in the hallways and the rest of the school. Science teachers Mrs. Lauritsen, Mr. Hartman, and Mr. Welter, all sent their students into the hallway and other classrooms to track and map the wifi in Holmes Jr. High.  Students used an iPad app along wi [...]