|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring student science competition recognition, appeared in Bexley News on June 6, 2007) Students continue successful run in science competition Achieving national recognition in any field is a remarkable feat, but to achieve such recognition in the field of science makes it extraordinary. Our students have enjoyed such status three times over the previous six years as they participated in a science competition sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in cooperation with the National Science Foundation. The foundation, an independent government agency, was "created by Congress in 1992 to encourage and support research and study designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind. The foundation is endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Middle School Association and the National Science Foundation." The competition begins annually with a challenge offered by the foundation to every middle school student in the United Stated. Students are invited to form teams of three to four students, and by using their imagination and creativity, come up with an idea to make their community a better place to live. The students are asked to do some research on possible solutions that include science and technology. They need to discover scientific ways to resolve a community issue. The teams must also seek out community partners and make them a part of the solution. After the teams have defined the problem and developed some possible solution, they are required to field test the solution, to determine if it will work. Failure is not an option in this contest. If a solution falls short of the expectation, then the team must not give up. They must explore and brainstorm alternative solutions and test them until they discover and reach the best possible result. This year, three of our Bexley students achieved national recognition with their entry. Nan Boyle, Meghan Heckman and Maranda Gammage were recognized for their project to recapture natural gas generated from a landfill. In 2003, four students who also are members of this year's Bexley High School graduating class, won first place nationally for their project. Those students are: Sarah Friedberg, Emily Roth, Carrie Schedler and Kathryn Scurci. The 2001 national first place winners were: Danny Marous, Kendall Leser, Raphael Arar and Mike Schottenstein. These four students are now sophomores in college. Jon Hood, principal of Maryland Elementary School and a former Bexley Middle School science teacher, has led this effort for several years. His leadership has been an essential element to the ongoing success of the program in Bexley. I believe the successes enjoyed by our students are also due to Jon's coaching, encouragement and dedication to these most talented students. He now directs the Christopher Columbus Academy in Disney World each summer. The academy consists of a week-long camp for the contest finalists. The contestants are able to meet with NASA astronauts and Mars mission engineers. The students also work with, meet and ride with Disney engineers on the rides the engineers designed. Jon's most recent work has been with Pentagon this past year. He was invited to speak with Pentagon staff about improving science education for middle-level students in America. I wish to thank Jon Hood for all of his hard work and dedication. The Bexley City School District and community are fortunate to have an individual with this knowledge, expertise and versatility on staff. This column was provided by Michael Johnson, superintendent of Bexley City Schools.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
