Education

Need to improve your skills in Microsoft Word or Excel? Perhaps you are interested in the resources the Library offers to you via your home computer? Maybe you are ready to dive into social network sites? If the answer is YES, then the Troy Public LIbrary has a computer class for you.

Registeration is now open for the Library's February classes in Beginning Word, Beginning Excel, Intermediate Excel, Finding Friends on Facebook, and troyilibrary -- A World of Resources on the Web.

Each month, the Library offers free, hands-on, public computer classes taught by Library staff. For information, email the Technology Department, or phone 248.524.3542.

Troybery 2012 is underway! All middle school students in the Troy School District can participate in this popular reading program. Students should register at their school and read a minimum of three selected titles. Readers then have the opportunity to vote for the winner in April. 

Once again, the Troy Public Library is happy to be a partner in Troybery 2012. The Library has all the titles selected for the program. In order to make the books available to as many students as possible, individuals may check out only two Troybery titles at a time. Books are checked out for seven days and cannot be renewed.

If you have any questions or would like assistance placing holds for these Troybery 2012 books, please contact a Youth Services librarian at ysref@troymi.gov or 248.524.3541.

How would you like to have perfect eyesight?

Drop by the Troy Public Library on Thursday, January 26, at 7 pm, to learn how to naturally improve your vision. Robrt T. Lewanski, Certified Ayurvedic-Nutritional Consultant and co-author of Perfect Eyesight: The Art of Improving Vision Naturally will be presenting the latest and most powerful time-tested natural vision improvement techniques from around the world.

There is no registration, but seating is limited, so arrive early!

The City of Troy is looking for volunteers interested in participating in a Lifelong Learning Committee. The committee will be involved in the Troy Library's strategic planning process and subsequent implementation of the plan, and will continue to work with the Director afterward to provide input and community involvement.

Committee members will help determine community lifetime learning needs; evaluate content and format to meet these needs; and communicate opportunities at the Library to people who live and work in Troy. They will also evaluate and measure the success of these efforts with an eye toward continuous improvement.

The City is especially looking for representatives from the following: private and home school organizations; institutions of higher education; PTA, PTO and boosters; student councils; Troy businesses and artists; and Friends of the Troy Public Library and other service organizations.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail with your name, address, phone number and the organization you represent to Library Director Cathy Russ at c.russ@troymi.gov.

FIRST LEGO League is a robotics competition program for children ages 9-14. Annual challenges promote research, problem solving, and teamwork. These challenges are based on real-world problems to help expose children to possible future careers in science and mathematics. This year's challenge is Food Factor: Keeping Food Safe.

Since September, members of the Boulan Park Middle School FIRST LEGO League Team 1538 have been researching food safety. Sharing with the community is an important part of FIRST LEGO League challenge. The Team members will present their project on safely eating cantaloupe at the Troy Library on November 13, from 1-2 pm. Their presentation includes poster displays, passing out flyers from the FDA, and answering questions about food safety.

The members of Team 1538 are sixth-graders Cole Busselle, Brittany Ngia, and Esha Ghosalker; seventh-graders David Nie, and Kevin McIntyre; and eighth-graders Alex Zhang, Brian Lee, Jason Chen, and Richard Jevarjian. Their coaches are Jimmy Zhang and Jan McItyre.

Stop by the Library and learn some valuable information on food safety!

(Photo by Rosa Say)

Could you use a little help paying for college? The AXA Achievement^sm Scholarship offers college scholarships to high school seniors who have "demonstrated outstanding achievement in their activities in school, the community or the workplace." There will be one $10,000 winner chosen from each state, and from the pool of state winners another ten will be selected to receive $25,000 scholarships.

There is no cost to apply. The 2012 program will be accepting applications from September 1 through December 1, 2011, and interested students are encouraged to apply early! Check the AXA website for more information and how to apply online.