Birchwood receives two grants for the Preschool

Thanks to Director of Advancement Michelle Ehlert, The Bruening Foundation and The Hershey Foundation each awarded Birchwood a $10,000 grant for our preschool. The Bruening grant enabled us to design and furnish the classroom, and the Hershey grant made it possible to construct and equip the preschool playground. Our thanks to Rhonda Franklin for her invaluable help with the interior design and furniture, our maintenance staff for construction and painting, Ben Shumway for landscape support, Peter Debelak for landscape design research, and for Kathleen’s expert work out tting the room, and Christine’s endless research and design decisions.

Broadcom Masters Semifinalist

Congratulations go to Dhweeja D. This is the second year in a
row that she was chosen as a Broadcom Master seminalist.
Seminalists were selected from more than 1,460 applicants.
Dhweeja qualied to enter the Broadcom MASTERS by placing
in the top 10 percent of the participants at the Northeastern Ohio
Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF) at Cleveland State
University (CSU).

PBS Kids Go Writing Contest

Ehren C’s story Tacky Turkey’s Big Adventure placed 3rd in
the nation in the 2012 PBS Kids Go rst grade writing contest.
Way to go Ehren!

Governor's Thomas Edison Award for third consecutive year

Once again Birchwood School received the Governor’s Thomas
Edison Award for Excellence in STEM education along with
Birchwood’s science and math teachers Linda Brown  and
Charles Debelak respectively for the third consecutive year.
They were Greater Cleveland’s sole recipients of the award for
their accomplishments during the 2011-2012 school year. Great
job Birchwood, Ms. Brown and Mr. D.

Presidential Physical Fitness Testing

Twenty five students scored at or above the 85th percentile
on each of the five test items of the President’s Challenge
Physical Fitness Test and were awarded with the Presidential
Award. These students are Arjun B, Channin M, Layla N,
Annessa W, Abby M, Grace X, Christine B, Joan C, Sachi
G, Katelyn V, Sofia R, Marissa B, Abeedah H, Nurah N,
Alex D, Maide S, Haley Y, Grace C, Megan P, Maya F, John
H, Mihir S, Keyvan R, Anika R, and Ben L. Twenty eight
students scored at or above the 50th percentile on the fitness
testing and received the National Award. These students are
Mehr B, Sofia B, Amara B, Niah B, Mark K,  James M,
Morgan S, Leah S, Farah S, Isabella D, Anjali K, Tejal P,
Paul A, Dalilia P, Peter P, Josh S, Sylvia B, Tony L, Sean
M, Sami S, Jaden S, Van W, Nikhita K, Sahej B, Vinny K,
Cameron S, Prathna K, and Jorgen K. Great job athletes!

National History Day National Level

On June 10, nine Birchwood students traveled to The
University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland to compete
in the national level of the National History Day competition.
These nine students excelled at the state level and were up
against state winners from all 50 states, Guam, American
Samoa, and the International Schools of Central Asia and
Southeast Asia. Our students had a phenomenal showing.
Joan C  and Sachi G  placed third in the group website
category with their website on the Hough Riots in Cleveland
in 1966. Nate C and Clive C also advanced to the final round
with their group website on the Microchip, placing 13th. Anna
H advanced to the final round with her individual exhibit on
the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and placed 14th.
Congratulations to these students for their accomplishments!

WVIZ/PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest

Congratulations to Ehren C for winning first place in WVIZ’s
PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest in the first grade division! His
story, Tacky Turkey’s  Big Adventure, has been sent to the
national level of competition. It can be viewed at
www.ideastream.org/education/writers.
PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest is a national contest designed
to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills by
encouraging students in kindergarten to third grade to create
orginal illustrated stories for submission.

Another Bruening Foundation Grant

After receiving the library grant in
2011, Birchwood recently received a second $10,000 grant
from the Bruening Foundation for the start-up of our Preschool
Program. This is much to the credit of development consultant
Michelle Ehlert who has taken the full time position at
Birchwood as our new Director of Advancement. Michelle
brings a broad range of experience to this position having
worked in a development capacity for organizations such as
University Hospitals, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The World
Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, and the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. See her full bio on our website. Michelle is a wonderful
addition to our team as we move forward with strategic plans
into the future.

NCTE Promising Young Writers Program

Katelyn  V, eighth grader, has been selected as a winner in the
2012 program sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of
English. Open to eighth graders, schools nationwide nominated
276 students. Out of the 85 outstanding writers selected, only
three including Katelyn were from Ohio. Each school is only
allowed a few nominees.  Each student submitted two pieces
of writing, which were evaluated by two judges on the basis of
content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization,
development, and style.

She is “presented with a certificate in recognition of her writing
talents and of the importance of writing,” according to Kent
Williamson, the Executive Director of the program. The results
of the 2012 program are posted on the NCTE website http://
www.ncte.org/awards/student/pyw/2012.

State Science Fair

Vinayak K earned a Superior rating at the State Science Fair on
May 5 receiving a perfect score from both judges. He also won
the Future Physician Scientist Award for an outstanding project
related to the fields of medicine and health science.

National History Day State

Birchwood students had an impressive showing at the state
level of the National History Day competition on Saturday,
April 28. Held at Ohio State University in Columbus, the event
brought together the top place finishers from nine district-level
competitions across Ohio. Twenty-two Birchwood students
qualified to compete at the state event. Against very strong
competition, nine of the students received top honors as national
finalists and will be advancing to the national competition in June
at the University of Maryland.

In the historical paper category, Prathna K was a finalist with her
paper on Nellie Bly, an investigative reporter from the late 1800s
and early 1900s. Also in that category, Maya F qualified as a
national alternate for her paper on Jane Edna Hunter, a Cleveland
reformer from the early 1900s. In the individual website category,
Kavya R qualified as a finalist for her website on revolutions in
Renaissance surgery and anatomy. Dhweeja D was awarded
an honorable mention for her website on the smallpox vaccine.
Birchwood students swept the group website category, with two
groups qualifying as national finalists and one group designated
as the national alternate. Nate C and Clive C were finalists with
their website on the integrated circuit. Sachi G and Joan C were
also finalists with their website on the Hough Riots in Cleveland
in 1966. Ammar L and Michael T were national alternates for
their website on the conservation movement in the early 1900s.
In the group documentary category, Pheby L and Grace X were
national finalists for their documentary on the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. Peter A was awarded an honorable mention for his
individual documentary on President Truman’s firing of General
MacArthur. In group performances, Katelyn V and Alexander I
were national alternates for their performance about investigative
journalists from the early 1900s. Kareem T and Cameron S
received an honorable mention for their performance about
the space race. In the individual exhibit category, Anna H was
a national finalist with her board about Rachel Carson’s book,
Silent Spring.

In addition, Birchwood students received several special awards.
Maya F received two awards, with the first one from the Ohio
Historical Records Advisory Board for the best use of Ohio’s
Historical records in a History Day project. Her second award
was from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
for “the most outstanding project focusing on an individual who
has contributed significantly to the advancement of freedoms and
the assurance of the civil and human rights of others.” Grace X
and Pheby L received an award from Ohio State University’s
Department of History for their outstanding historical research.
As an additional note, Birchwood alumni Zaeem L placed as the
national alternate in the senior individual website category. He
also received a prize from the National Underground Railroad
Freedom Center. His website focused on the Freedom Rides
in the early 1960s.

Congratulations to all these students for their hard work and
accomplishments! Projects will be on display at Birchwood’s
Parent Night on May 16.

Cricket Art Contest

In January, several first through fourth grade students entered
the Surviving In Nature Art Contest. Congratulations to Sami S
whose underwater scene earned him 2nd place in the Age 10
and Under division. Ehren C earned third place in the same
division for his drawing “Thorny Devil Surviving the Australian
Outback.” Birchwood also had three students earn Honorable
Mentions - Mitch B for “Eagle Flying Over the Ocean,” Paul A
for “Cat Catches Mouse,” and Isabella D for “Tulips and Birds.”
Congratulations to all the winners! Their work was featured in
the April issue of Cricket magazine.

Earth Day Photo Contest

Congratulations to Van W for his winning photograph for the
Earth Day Photo Contest sponsored by the Cuyahoga County
Solid Waste District. The winning photo was announced at a
reception last month. Look for the poster of his adorable photo
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Ruff!” hanging in the hallways.

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.