Genius Hour at Tri-Central Elementary is a program started in 2018 with our 5th grade students and is in connection with our community partner, Fiat Chrysler Automotive World Class Manufacturing Academy as part of our workforce development initiative.

   In 2017-2018, our students were given the challenge to identify safety concerns within our school, present a plan and solution to our Safety Officer, Mr. Miller, and get his approval to implement their plan to correct the issue. Community assistance was provided by members of FCA. Four out of eighteen projects were completed. These projects included raising funds to purchase safety mats in front of our water fountains, the purchase of first aid kits by each recess door, a share table in the cafeteria and germ patrol group that educated our students about safe hand washing procedures.

  Our 2018-2019 5th graders worked on a new challenge: Community Service. Sixteen out of eighteen projects were approved and implemented. One of the projects this year included selling candy bars to raise money to purchase items for a local nursing home. Cards were also created in our art classes for the students to deliver to the residents with the help of art teacher, Andrea Buchko. One of our other genius hour groups chose to help tutor Kindergarten during their recess time. Another group chose to help beyond the school walls by starting a dog walking company for their neighbors. Students created a rain boot school garden, collected art supplies for our art teacher, built a lending library with the help of our custodian, Kurt Pace, collected over 200 cans of food and delivered them to CAM, Inc to benefit the homeless, planted several "Welcome to TCE" flower pots for our building, painted and hide kindness rocks, created positive thinking lessons with the help of our counselor, Amie Anderson, assisted with cafeteria clean up, school grounds clean up, raised funds to purchase Kindergarten books by sponsoring dress-up days. and held a staff and student dodgeballl/relay tournament and donated the entry fees to the American Red Cross.  All these projects reinforce our lifeline empathy, and help our students learn why it's important to think of others before themselves.

On April 5th, volunteers from FCA, Tonia Fetters, Tanya Foutch, Marsha McCorkle, Stacy Sullivan and Kelly Goad shared with our students their own community service involvement. Mrs. McCorkle's group experienced a tiny bit of what it's like to be in the Polar Bear Plunge by holding their hands in a bucket of ice water. Each volunteer listened to the students' presentations and gave invaluable suggestions for improvement.  Thank you to our community partners for the help and guidance they give our students, as well as, their wonderful example of community service.

Thank you also for the continued support from our parents, administrators and staff. With the help from our 5th grade teachers, Carissa Coe, Chaz Gabriel and Christy Dewitt, and the multitude of staff involved with these projects, our students are able to take what they have learned here and apply it to real-world experiences.