2012 Earthfest Essay Contest

Clive C, eighth grader, won an Earth Day essay contest
sponsored by the Earth Day Coalition. In the middle grade
division, writers had to propose a comprehensive plan involving
school, home, markets, and/or fast food restaurants to encourage
children to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Clive
was eligible to attend the award ceremony at the Metroparks
Zoo to receive his certificate and monetary award.

2012 Future Problem Solving State Bowl Winners

Last month we shared the names of the 26 students who
qualified as state finalists for their performance on the state
bowl qualifying problem on human rights. At the state bowl
these teams grappled with the issue of trade barriers with the
following impressive results: Third Place Team (state of Ohio):
Christine B, Clive C, Alexander I, Kavya R and Second
Place Individual (state of Ohio): Ammar L.

A separate competition which tests spontaneous creativity is
the skit presentation of the team’s action plan. Birchwood’s
teams fared very well. Out of 26 teams in the intermediate
division: Second Place Skit Presentation: Anthony C, John
H, Adam I, Hana L, Third Place Skit Presentation: Prathna
K, Vinny K, Megan P, Haley Y, Top six making the run-offs:
Jorgen K, Cameron S, Shan S, Kareem T.

A huge thank-you to all the parent volunteers who help
us pull off this fun two-day event!

2012 FPS Scenario Writing Competition

Eight seventh and eighth grade students chose to enter the
scenario writing contest, another component of FPS where
they each wrote a 1500-word science fiction narrative related
to any of the topics from this year. Birchwood took the first,
second, and third place in this intermediate category. Vinny
K earned first place for “The Last Stand” about an Indian
rebel in a prison camp who was incarcerated for exposing
highly technological advancement that posed grave risks to
the Indian society. In second place was “Not a Mere Number,”
Naomi’s exploration about human rights from the standpoint
of a clone in servitude to her mistress. Katelyn’s “Twinkle
Twinkle” was third place, set after a Nuclear World War where
a Lower citizen, imprisoned in an underground workstation,
escaped the Uppers. Although the other scenario entries did
not place in the top five, they all received high ranks from the
state evaluators.

2012 Regional Power of the Pen

The regional qualifiers for the Power of the Pen competed
at Hudson Middle School on March 31 with 40 other schools
from several districts. Birchwood team members in seventh
grade included Anthony C, Pheby L, Ammar L, Megan P,
and Michael T who won the first place team trophy. Joan C,
Katelyn V, and Naomi W comprised the eighth grade team.
Individually Pheby L and Ammar  L placed first and eighth
respectively, among the seventh graders, while Katelyn V
and Naomi W earned seventh and tenth place among the
eighth graders.

Additionally, previous pieces written by Katelyn and Megan
which won the district Best of Round Awards earned the Best
of the Best Awards. These girls earned publication privileges
in the upcoming Power of the Pen book and twenty-five dollars
in savings bonds. Birchwood School also came in second
place for the Sweepstakes Award, an accumulation of points
earned from districts and regional for both grades.

The state competition will be on May 25 at the College of
Wooster involving these finalists: Pheby L, Ammar L, Megan
P, Joan C, Katelyn V, and Naomi W.

We thank Mark Gianetta who graciously helped in the tab
room and escorted the students to lunch. In addition we
appreciate Karen Kufahl for volunteering her Saturday to
help us judge the regional competition.

Noetic Learning Math Contest 2012 (3rd-4th)

The third graders
also participated in the Noetic Learning math contest recently.
The Noetic contest consists of 20 questions. The children are
given 45 minutes to complete the questions and each correct
answer is worth 5 points. The top scorers in each class are
recognized on the contest website. Congratulations to Stella
C, who scored 18 out of 20 correct answers. Check out the
second grade math entry for site information and where to
find other top scorers.


Congratulations go to Arjun B, the top scorer in the Noetic
Learning math contest. Arjun scored a fourth grade best 18
out of 20. See the second grade entry for where to view other
qualifying scores.

Noetic Learning Math Contest 2012 (2nd grade)

Recently the second graders participated in the Noetic
Learning math contest. This is a national contest for second
through fifth graders that takes place each fall and spring. The
top scorers are recognized on the Noetic website at http://
www.noetic-learning.com/mathcontest/. Congratulations to
Praveen K, who scored a perfect 20 out of 20 on the contest.
Other top scorers will be posted May 1st.

Harvest for Hunger 2012

Harvest for Hunger Results
The third and fourth grade students ran another successful
Harvest for Hunger Drive during the 2011-2012 school year.
The Classroom Drive brought in $112.60 and close to 300
food items, and students donated $423.83 and approximately
20 food items to participate in the Carnival activities. The
biggest fundraiser this year was the Penny War, which
raised $537.08, for a grand total of $1,073.51 and more
than 300 food items! On behalf of the third and fourth grade
students, thank you to the entire Birchwood community for
your generosity.