Technology

King Philip Students Earn Liberal Arts and STEM Graduation Distinctions

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King Philip Regional School District
Paul Zinni, Superintendent
18 King Street
Norfolk, MA 02056

For Immediate Release

Friday, May 17, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

King Philip Students Earn Liberal Arts and STEM Graduation Distinctions

WRENTHAM — Superintendent Paul Zinni is pleased to announce that 11 seniors at King Philip Regional High School have earned Graduation Distinctions in liberal arts and in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

King Philip High School’s two Graduation Distinction programs were launched in 2016 in an effort to provide students the opportunity to work on long-term projects of their choosing and conduct research in either the liberal arts or in STEM. The projects are required to have a community service component, and students in the program must also present their work and findings to teachers and administrators for review.

Achievement of each distinction will be noted on the students’ school transcripts, and a liberal arts or STEM Graduation Distinctions program description will be included in the school profile that is sent to colleges.

Students that earned the liberal arts distinction completed a specific program of classes throughout their high school careers including four years of English, two years of U.S. history, world history, and five credits in a liberal arts elective such as world language or art.

To earn the STEM distinction, students were required to take four years of science and mathematics classes, as well as five additional elective credits in science.

Both distinctions required students to develop a project under the guidance of an adviser that reflected the “real world” applications available through the liberal arts or STEM. Students worked on their projects for a year or more.

On Friday, May 10, students presented their projects to a faculty panel.

“These 11 students have worked incredibly hard not only in the classroom, but outside of school to apply these concepts in real life contexts,” Superintendent Zinni said. “They have fully earned these distinctions, and have completed a comprehensive course of study over their high school careers in these fields.”

Students that earned the liberal arts distinction include Jessie Kornfeld, of Norfolk; Jimmy Dumont, of Plainville; Ethan Ball, of Norfolk; and Max Armour, of Norfolk.

Kornfeld used graphic design experience she had gained from an internship to generate publicity for an art department fundraiser for her project. Dumont wrote an article that was published in the town pages of a local newspaper about the efficacy of service dogs. Ball developed a computer game and tested it on gamers. Armour gave out brochures about opioid addiction and awareness at a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) walk.

Students that earned the STEM distinction include Ally Wood, of Norfolk; Caroline Robertson, of Norfolk; George ElMassih, of Wrentham; Justin Willson, of Wrentham; Olivia Atkins, of Norfolk; Maria Fabiano, of Wrentham; and Nikita Murli, of Plainville.

Wood gave a presentation at the Norfolk Grange about colony collapse disorder in bees. Robertson gave a lesson to King Philip health classes about cell phone addiction. ElMassih taught a computer coding class to middle school students. Willson conducted an experiment to test the efficacy of engineered materials on reducing zebra mussel attachment to pipes, and his research is also going to be published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators. Atkins presented research from her Rhode Island summer fellowship. Fabiano worked to increase awareness about physical therapy. Murli gave a lesson to King Philip health classes about the overuse of antibiotic medicines.

“Congratulations to each of these students for earning these remarkable distinctions and creating such thoughtful, well-researched projects,” said King Philip High School Principal Lisa Mobley. “These distinctions encourage students to take their studies one step further by making a real-life impact, and each of them found a way to share their findings in a meaningful way.”

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Rockland Students Attend STEM Day at Fenway Park

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Rockland Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Monday, May 6, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Rockland Students Attend STEM Day at Fenway Park

ROCKLAND — Principal Elizabeth Bohn is pleased to share that Rogers Middle School students attended a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Day at Fenway Park last week.

On Wednesday, May 1, a group of about 30 National Junior Honor Society students from Rogers Middle School attended the STEM Day event at the home of the Red Sox.

At the event, students had the opportunity to take part in demonstrations from the Museum of Science, Zoo New England, IRobot, Project Lead the Way, JetBlue Foundation, Lego Master Builders, Mad Science and Meteorologists from Boston 25’s Weather Team.

Prior to the event, Rogers Middle School students also built an apparatus at school that was designed to protect a raw egg during a 37-foot “egg drop” from the Green Monster. Their design successfully protected the egg during the drop, and the students were presented with a STEM certificate recognizing their design.

“It was an experience of a lifetime, I really loved everything about our Fenway Day,” said Emma Cameron, an eighth grade student.

The day culminated with a Red Sox game, which the Red Sox won.

“This event was such a wonderful opportunity for students to learn and share their love of STEM,” said Susan Lonergan, the Rogers Middle School National Junior Honor Society adviser. “Students were engaged and excited to be introduced to so many STEM demonstrations and organizations, and had so much fun at Fenway.”

The event was sponsored by Citgo.

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Easton Middle School Receives $10,000 Anonymous Donation for New Technology and Equipment

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Easton Middle School Receives $10,000 Anonymous Donation for New Technology and Equipment

 

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral is pleased to announce that a generous anonymous donation has funded the purchase of new technology and equipment at Easton Middle School.

Easton Middle School received an approximately $10,000 anonymous donation in December, and has used the funds to purchase six Breakout EDU kits and an “innovation” cart equipped with 30 Chromebook laptop computers.

“Thank you to the anonymous donor who has made it possible for us to purchase this new equipment,” Superintendent Cabral said. “With this new technology, our teachers have a great opportunity to compliment and fortify their lessons through engaging, multidisciplinary challenges.”

Breakout EDU uses boxes, locks, clues and an immersive game focused around cross-curricular concepts to engage students in solving problems to “break out.” As students work together to solve different Breakout EDU challenges, they also develop critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication skills.

There are pre-designed games for Breakout EDU for all content areas including the arts, computer science, world languages, math, physical education, science, and social studies. It also allows educators to create their own game designs.

“Breakout EDU is inquiry-based learning at its best, where students have an authentic setting to practice communication, perseverance, problem-solving and inference skills,” said Suzana Somers, director of instructional technology at Easton Public Schools. “Breakout EDU is a highly engaging and fun experience for student learning.”

Easton Middle School launched its new Breakout EDU classroom programming late this March. Jeannie Baxter, English Language Arts Curriculum Leader and sixth grade teacher at Easton Middle, recently had her social studies students complete “The Riddle of the Sphinx” Breakout EDU task as a culminating activity to their Ancient Egypt unit.

“My students and I loved using Breakout EDU,” Baxter said. “The game was engaging, challenging, interactive and fun.”

The district also purchased an innovation cart that allows educators to sign-out Chromebooks for a longer period of time than they were able to before. The new Chromebooks can also be used to compliment the Breakout EDU kits, which can require devices to breakout.

“We are excited to offer a new opportunity for teachers to integrate technology purposefully in the learning experience that would not have been possible without the donation,” Somers said. “Thank you to the anonymous donor who made this new programming possible for our students.”

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Medway’s Burke-Memorial Elementary Holds STEM Saturday Event for Girls

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 5, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway’s Burke-Memorial Elementary Holds STEM Saturday Event for Girls

MEDWAY — Burke-Memorial Elementary School Principal Amanda Luizzi is pleased to share that female students recently had a chance to explore a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and topics.

On Saturday, March 23, approximately 150 girls in grades two through six attended the fourth annual STEM Saturday for Girls at Burke-Memorial Elementary School. The free event was sponsored by Exelon Generation.

At the beginning of the event, students were encouraged to explore an array of science projects completed by female middle school students before moving on to participate in a series of workshops. These included a coding activity using a “bee-bot” robot made to look like a cartoon bee, tide-pool adaptations, chemistry lab, “squishy circuits” activity where students learned the principles of open and closed circuits, and an overview of the anatomy of a flounder.

“The goal of this event to show girls from a young age that they can pursue careers and interests in these subject areas,” Principal Luizzi said. “It’s all about challenging the gender stereotypes that have kept women away from these fields for generations and introducing students to female role models in STEM fields.”

A group of local STEM professionals and educators in the field also spoke to students during a panel at the event. Panelists included Sinead Bergeron, a seventh grade student at Medway Middle School and member of the Sense and Sound robotics team; Ceramic Engineer Susan Rozak; Electrical Engineer Jenn Forsyth; Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science senior Marissa Langille; Medway High School junior and aspiring doctor Amanda Heafey; and Medway High School junior Olivia Dennehy, an officer of the school’s Women in STEM club and member of the Girls Who Code club.

Several middle and high school girls volunteered at the event, sharing their knowledge and acting as role models to younger students. Members of Women in STEM (WiSTEM) club at Medway High School conducted a workshop that included a series of five short hands-on experiments, the Sound and Sense Robotics team conducted a demonstration at the start of the event, and 10 middle school student volunteers helped set up the event and assisted younger students during workshops.

Approximately 24 faculty also volunteered to support the event. The event is organization annually by a STEM Saturday for Girls Committee, which is co-chaired by Annie Colamaria and Mary Evans.

“Each year, STEM Saturday is full of excitement, fun and exploration,” Principal Luizzi said. “Thank you to all of the faculty, students, parents and community volunteers who took time to celebrate women in STEM and support our students, and for Exelon Generation for supporting us in this initiative as well.”

 

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