THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321
Birchwood School Students Produce Outstanding Results in State National History Day Competition, Six Qualify for National Competition
CLEVELAND— Birchwood students had another excellent showing at the state level of the National History Day competition held at The Ohio State University on Saturday, April 24. With many quality projects, six students will be moving on to the national competition in June at the University of Maryland. In the paper category, Sam Z (Fairview Park) qualified with his paper on the Gatling Gun, while Amir F (Avon Lake) qualified with his paper on Garrett Morgan, a notable Clevelander who invented the gas mask and traffic light. Amir also received two special awards from the Society of Ohio Archivists and the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board for his use of historical, archival records in his research.
In the website category, Nathan C (Lakewood) earned a place in the national finals with his website on Alan Freed, the Cleveland deejay who popularized the term “rock-n-roll.” In the group performance category, Clare P (Lakewood) and Zaeem M (Strongsville) had a strong performance on the Marshall Plan that helped them advance to the finals. In the individual performance category, Ben W (Cleveland) moved in to the national finals with his documentary on the invention of the printing press
The National History Day Competition is an educational program which requires students to conduct primary and secondary research on a particular theme and present their work through creative and scholarly projects. After a series of district and state contests, the program culminates with a national competition. Birchwood School has produced 152 national qualifiers and 64 national finalists over its history.
Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasehistorydaystatewinners5510.doc
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Birchwood School Bucks the Trend - Middle School Girls Excel in Regional Math Contest
THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE
May 4, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321
Birchwood School Bucks the Trend-Middle School Girls Excel in Regional Math Contest
CLEVELAND— Birchwood School is proud to announce that three of its female students were recent State and Regional winners in the Continental Mathematics League (CML) competition. Kavya R (sixth grade, Westlake) Sunny R and Sue R (seventh grade, Avon) scored 35 out of a possible 36 points (97.2%). The CML was created in 1980 to aid schools in helping their students apply basic math skills to complex logic and reasoning problems. The region they competed in consisted of students from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
In addition, four Birchwood girls also placed very high in the Ohio Mathematics League Competition (OML). Kavya R placed first in the state, while Dhweeja D (sixth grade, Highland Hts.) and Hajira A (sixth grade, Rocky River) had the third highest score and Sue R had the fifth highest score. The OML Competition is a 30 minute exam covering forty complex word problems that require fluency in computation and problem-solving strategies.
In a recent report on the under representation of women in science and math by the American Association of Women, the effects of the learning environment on girls’ achievement in science and math were well documented. The study found that when parents and teachers encourage girls to expand their experience and knowledge in math, they tend to do better on math tests and are more inclined to study math in the future. This helps offset the negative stereotypes that boys are typically better than girls in science and math.
At Birchwood School, children develop the habits and attitudes that will enable them to reach their potential. This includes learning opportunities beyond the core curriculum, such as the CML and OML competitions. Consequently, we believe these teaching tools will encourage our female students to pursue careers in math if they choose to.
Additionally, one of the largest gaps in cognitive abilities is in spatial skills, where boys consistently outperform girls. Spatial skills are considered imperative for success in engineering and other scientific fields. Girls that are in an environment that has spatial skills training are more likely to develop these necessary skills needed to succeed in scientific fields. At Birchwood, we emphasize the hands on approach in science at an early age, with experiments and demonstrations beginning in kindergarten.
Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasegirlsexcelinmath5410.doc
PRESS RELEASE
May 4, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321
Birchwood School Bucks the Trend-Middle School Girls Excel in Regional Math Contest
CLEVELAND— Birchwood School is proud to announce that three of its female students were recent State and Regional winners in the Continental Mathematics League (CML) competition. Kavya R (sixth grade, Westlake) Sunny R and Sue R (seventh grade, Avon) scored 35 out of a possible 36 points (97.2%). The CML was created in 1980 to aid schools in helping their students apply basic math skills to complex logic and reasoning problems. The region they competed in consisted of students from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
In addition, four Birchwood girls also placed very high in the Ohio Mathematics League Competition (OML). Kavya R placed first in the state, while Dhweeja D (sixth grade, Highland Hts.) and Hajira A (sixth grade, Rocky River) had the third highest score and Sue R had the fifth highest score. The OML Competition is a 30 minute exam covering forty complex word problems that require fluency in computation and problem-solving strategies.
In a recent report on the under representation of women in science and math by the American Association of Women, the effects of the learning environment on girls’ achievement in science and math were well documented. The study found that when parents and teachers encourage girls to expand their experience and knowledge in math, they tend to do better on math tests and are more inclined to study math in the future. This helps offset the negative stereotypes that boys are typically better than girls in science and math.
At Birchwood School, children develop the habits and attitudes that will enable them to reach their potential. This includes learning opportunities beyond the core curriculum, such as the CML and OML competitions. Consequently, we believe these teaching tools will encourage our female students to pursue careers in math if they choose to.
Additionally, one of the largest gaps in cognitive abilities is in spatial skills, where boys consistently outperform girls. Spatial skills are considered imperative for success in engineering and other scientific fields. Girls that are in an environment that has spatial skills training are more likely to develop these necessary skills needed to succeed in scientific fields. At Birchwood, we emphasize the hands on approach in science at an early age, with experiments and demonstrations beginning in kindergarten.
Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasegirlsexcelinmath5410.doc
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Students Advance to National Level in History Day Competition
Birchwood had a wonderful showing at the state level of the National History Day competition. Held at the brand new Ohio State University student union building in Columbus, 22 students went with strong projects and high hopes. There were many high quality projects from other schools as well and the competition was tough. Birchwood students excelled in a number of categories and six students are advancing to the national competition which will be held at the University of Maryland in June. In the paper category, both Sam Z and Amir F were national finalists. This is the first time Birchwood has sent on two historical papers to nationals. Sam’s paper is on the Gatling Gun and Amir’s paper is on Garrett Morgan, the Cleveland inventor of the gas mask and traffic light. Also advancing to the national competition is Nathan C with his website on Alan Freed, the innovative Cleveland radio deejay who coined the term “rock and roll.” In the individual documentary category, Ben W will be competing with his documentary on the printing press. Zaeem M and Clare P will be representing Birchwood in the group performance category with their performance on the Marshall Plan. In addition, Amir received two special awards from the Society of Ohio Archivists and the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board for his use of historical, archival records in his research.
There were also a number of other strong showings by Birchwood students. In the group documentary category, Munim, Zach I, and Deepak K were the national alternates with their project on the polio vaccine. Hassan S was a national alternate in the individual documentary category for his project on the Apple II computer. Making the finals of the state competition and thus receiving honorable mentions were Kavya R for her website on the Bill of Rights, Lulu Sun for her website on the Northwest Ordinance, and Trevor L and Sunny R for their group performance on Yellow Journalism.
Good luck to all at the national competition in June!
There were also a number of other strong showings by Birchwood students. In the group documentary category, Munim, Zach I, and Deepak K were the national alternates with their project on the polio vaccine. Hassan S was a national alternate in the individual documentary category for his project on the Apple II computer. Making the finals of the state competition and thus receiving honorable mentions were Kavya R for her website on the Bill of Rights, Lulu Sun for her website on the Northwest Ordinance, and Trevor L and Sunny R for their group performance on Yellow Journalism.
Good luck to all at the national competition in June!
Future Problem Solving Piece Qualifies for State
Nardine T submitted her science fiction piece to the 2010 Future Problem Solving Scenario Writing Contest. She developed the topic of "Sensory Overload," where a child's life was turned topsy-turvy when his older brother became handicapped from a car accident. Normalcy came in the form of a neuro-implant device that allowed the older brother to regain mobility, that is, until side effects started to surface. Compounding the turmoil in the family was how the younger brother begrudged all the attention his brother was getting. This piece qualified to go on to the state level and tied for fifth piece. Congratulations!
Earth Day Poster Winners
This year 920 students from 27 different schools in Cuyahoga County entered the Cuyahoga Solid Waste District's Earth Day Poster Contest. Students had to depict some aspect of composting. Although top picks were chosen because of their art work and best use of design and color there were many excellent student posters that did not make the top ten. Fortunately, with parental permission, Mrs. Kutis allowed us to scan student work into Artsonia. You can look at student artwork online at http://www.artsonia.com/, and even order a mug or note cards with student work on it.
Students recognized for being in the top ten of their grade were: Elizabeth P (3rd grade); Alexis H and Anna H (5th grade); Sarah C, Sarah D, Sean F, Alex P, and Brad S (7th Grade); Zach I, Clare P, LuLu S, and Ben W (8th Grade).
Each grade winner and runner up had their posters featured on the Earth Day Calendar. The four Birchwood students were: Shruthi R (1st grade Winner), Avi B (3rd grade Runner up), Pheby L (5th grade Winner), and Hannah Y (7th grade Winner).
Students recognized for being in the top ten of their grade were: Elizabeth P (3rd grade); Alexis H and Anna H (5th grade); Sarah C, Sarah D, Sean F, Alex P, and Brad S (7th Grade); Zach I, Clare P, LuLu S, and Ben W (8th Grade).
Each grade winner and runner up had their posters featured on the Earth Day Calendar. The four Birchwood students were: Shruthi R (1st grade Winner), Avi B (3rd grade Runner up), Pheby L (5th grade Winner), and Hannah Y (7th grade Winner).
Continental Mathematics League Cumulative Scores
The Birchwood students did an impressive job with the CML testing this year. Sue R, Sunny R, and Kavya R all were State and Regional champions! Both the seventh and eighth grades classes turned in scores that placed Birchwood as the top school in the State and the Region. The sixth grade class finished 3rd in Ohio and 3rd in our region, while the fifth grade class finished 2nd in Ohio and 3rd in the region. Great Job to all!
2010 Ohio History Day Teacher of Merit
In the April issue we proclaimed that Mrs. Miller won an award for the History Teacher of the Year at the regional level. Now we must blow the trumpet! We just received the news that Connie Miller was named 2010 Ohio History Day Teacher of Merit! She received a plaque and a monetary award for her dedication to the teaching of history and excellence as an educator. This prestigious award was sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society and, at the national level, by National History Day and the Patricia Bearing Fund.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)