Hello Colleagues!

Congratulations to the Tri-M Chapter at Lakewood Middle School in Salina, Kansas, for being recognized as the NAfME Tri-M Junior Division Chapter of the Year First Runner Up for 2011. This is the second year for these students and their advisor, Lindsay Modin, to receive a national honor. Last year they were selected as the NAfME Junior Division Chapter of the Year. I am also announcing that Lakewood is the KANSAS Chapter of the Year and the runner up is Piper High School, Kansas City, sponsored by Shelly Cole. Our congratulations to both these outstanding chapters! I want to encourage all Tri-M advisors to look at the Chapter of the Year point sheet and keep a running log of the great activities their chapters complete. The point sheet will also remind you of events you might want to include throughout the year.

Start planning to attend the Tri-M sessions on Friday at this year's KMEA In- Service Workshop in February. Your students can prepare a short skit or make a presentation of the highlights of your Tri-M activities for the year. There is no cost for your students to attend the convention but they will need to have an official KMEA badge. You will be able to register your Tri-M students online prior to the ISW, be sure to continue checking at: www.ksmea.org. The students will have scheduled sessions until 12:00 noon, lunch on your own, and time to visit the exhibits, honor group rehearsals, or other sessions/performances during the afternoon.

There are so many schools (including your geographical area) that would benefit from the recognition Tri-M gives to students. I challenge each existing chapter to bring one other school into the Kansas Tri-M group. This could be done by sending a few students to a neighboring school to promote Tri-M and encouraging the creation of a new chapter. You could also invite the other school's students to visit one of your Tri-M meetings or events. School budgets are tight, but Tri-M can bring unity to schools with a variety of music classes/ensembles and provide needed recognition to our dedicated and talented music students!

Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you this year.