Another school year comes to an end.
As the school year closes symbolizing the end of a chapter, a new chapter is about to unfold, expedition to Summit Greenland! But before I close the book on the current chapter, I would like to highlight some of the accomplishments of the wonderful students I worked with this year.
First, I had a group of students who participated in a “Green My School” contest last year. They won the competition and became motivated to start their own club. At the beginning of this year, the “Green Team” met to discuss ways to promote recycling, encourage “green” habits and spread environmental awareness. Many of those students have gone on to be more active in their communities and in college.
Picture of the students who co-founded the Green Team.
Next, the Hometown High Q team of seniors performed exceptionally well at this season’s academic competition. They made it all the way to the semi-finals earning the school a $2000 grant for educational use. Great job!
Picture of Hometown High Q team. Made it to semi-finals for the first time!
Engineering is becoming a very popular activity in the high school. With the development of a robotics program and several engineering competitions to choose from, students can explore the great world of engineering. Our junior team of future engineers earned the “Best Use of Gravity” award at the Carnegie Science Center Chain Reaction Contraption contest in December. The teams prize was a behind the scenes tour of Westinghouse Waltz Mill Facility, which specializes in Nuclear Energy.
This is a picture of the team with the Rube Goldberg device that demonstrated the best use of gravity.
Here, the students got a behind the scenes tour of the nuclear research facility. We actually got to go inside of a containment dome!
The next engineering competition held was the East Allegheny Engineering Apparatus Organization. Here, the students had to build a Rube Goldberg device, construct a “Tennis Ball Tank Bowler” and complete a spontaneous build on site. The sophomore team ended up finishing first with the junior team finishing second.
The tennis ball tank bowler moved through the use of potential energy and stopped on a dime. It then autonomously launched tennis balls at a target 25 feet away with no human intervention!
The last group I want to recognize is the group of sophomores that participated in the Pennsylvania Future Problem Solving Program, International Division. They composed an outstanding Qualifying Problem packet that earned them a trip to the State Bowl where they took first place in the presentation of their action plan. Way to go!
The group of sophomores who won the presentation of action plan at the Pennsylvania State Bowl.
Well, It’s been a great year. I look forward to closing the school door for the last time this year and opening the door to Greenland in two months! But, first stop – Boulder, Colorado in July to visit Dr. Konrad Steffen, the researcher I will be working with at Summit Station. More to come…
This is Jim Pottinger signing off. Enjoy!