Victories Clinched at State Elementary Science Olympiad

Half of the top 10 teams at the 2011 Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad are from Fayette County.

Fayette’s elementary schools battled 65 teams from throughout the state to secure their top 10 victories. Kedron’s team finished in second place followed closely by Huddleston in third. Teams from Peeples, Crabapple Lane, and Oak Grove took fifth, seventh and ninth places, respectively.

The Georgia Elementary Science Olympiad is the largest science Olympiad in the United States; the competition challenges students with team events that cover earth, life, and physical science topics, each aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards.

The event was held May 14 at Kennesaw State University.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Booth Secures Third at Olympiad

The Science Olympiad team at J.C. Booth beat their fourth place finish from last year, making them one of the top three ranked teams in the nation.

Booth came in third out of 60 teams competing at the 2011 Science Olympiad National Tournament held May 20-21 at the University of Wisconsin. There were 46 competition categories spanning the sciences from chemistry, biology, and physics to engineering, robotics and astronomy.

This year marked Booth’s 18th trip to the national competition. In order to get an invitation, a team must place first or second at the state competition. The Booth team won the state championship this year as it has done every year since 1999.

Tammy Pakulski is the team’s coach.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Science Projects Advance to State/International Competition

Ninety-nine percent of the Fayette County projects that advanced to the Griffin RESA Regional Science and Engineering Fair earned placements, and one of them was selected to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

A total of 25 of the 31 projects that were selected for the regional fair brought home first place honors. The first place winners are eligible to attend the State Science and Engineering Fair April 1-2 at the University of Georgia.

Middle school first place winners include (Bennett’s Mill) Laura Phillipp; Dale Chapman; Nicholas Powell; Matthew Harmon; Michael Koenig, Matthew Melatti, Hudson Huber; Ian Belwood, Tiana Sherman; (J.C. Booth) Jonathan Ciecka; Amelia Traylor; Benjamin Naber; (Flat Rock) Ellie Klarl; Preston Earle; (Rising Starr) Annefloor de Groot, Brooke Wade; and (Whitewater) Sarah Chapman, Stephanie Johnson.

High school first place winners include: (Fayette County) Areesha Ikram, Nageen Merchant, Donna Pham; Menaka Reddy; Omar Martinez-Uribe, Dae Kim; Sarika Reddy, Malika Reddy; (McIntosh) Hannah Mason, Leslie Sellers; (Starr’s Mill) Jessica Richey; Vivian Nguyen, Mynah Holloway; Rebekah Livingston; Morgan Caola; and (Whitewater) Drew Halbert, Tommy Erbe; Austin Dill.

Other placements include: (Bennett’s Mill Middle) Jamie DeCicco, Jordan Watson, second place; (J.C. Booth Middle) Lianna Arcelay, second place; (Fayette Middle) Anna Franklin, second place; (Rising Starr Middle) Emilia Ruzicka, third place; and (Sandy Creek High) Helen Davidson, second place.
The science fair judges selected first place winners Mynah Holloway and Vivian Nguyen from Starr’s Mill High to automatically advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California May 8-13.

Special awards from various organizations and institutions were also given to the following teams and individuals: (Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association) Ellie Klarl, Flat Rock Middle, and Areesha Ikram, Nageen Merchant, Donna Pham, Fayette County High; (Association for Women Geoscientists) Jessica Richey, Starr's Mill High; (Genius Olympiad) Areesha Ikram, Nageen Merchant, Donna Pham, Fayette County High; (Georgia BioGENEius Challenge) Meneka Reddy, Fayette County High; (I-Sweep-Outstanding Sustainability Award) Hannah Mason, Leslie Sellers, McIntosh High; (I-Sweep-Recognition Award) Areesha Ikram, Nageen Merchant, Donna Pham, Fayette County High; (Mu Alpha Theta) Mynah Holloway, Vivian Nguyen, Starr's Mill High; (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Sarah Chapman, Whitewater Middle; (National Society of Professional Engineers) Tommy Erbe, Drew Halbert, Whitewater High; (U. S. Army) Morgan Caola , and Mynah Holloway, Vivian Nguyen, Starr's Mill High; (U.S. Air Force) Rebekah Livingston, and Mynah Holloway, Vivian Nguyen, Starr's Mill High; and Areesha Ikram, Nageen Merchant, Donna Pham, Fayette County High; (U.S. Navy/ U.S. Marine Corps) Ellie Klarl, Flat Rock Middle, and Mynah Holloway, Vivian Nguyen, Starr's Mill High.

The Griffin RESA Regional Science and Engineering Fair is a regional competition among middle and high schools in the Griffin RESA region that consists of Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Over 30 Science Projects Headed for Regional Contest

What’s the most natural light bulb for cosmetic purposes? Do electric golf carts leave a smaller carbon footprint than gas ones? Does the color of the greenhouse affect plant growth? And what about tomato plants, can hydrogen peroxide affect their growth?

These are just a few of the questions raised by student science projects that took first place at the 2011 Fayette County Science and Engineering Fair. A total of 31 high and middle school projects earned first place honors.

The projects are now heading to the Griffin RESA Regional Science and Engineering Fair that will be held in Griffin on February 28. Below are the students who will participate; they compete individually or as a team.

High School First Place Winners

Fayette County High: Nageen Merchant, Areesha Ikram, Donna Pham; Omar Martinez-Uribe and Dae Kim; Sarika Reddy and Malika Reddy.

McIntosh High: Hannah Mason and Leslie Sellers.

Sandy Creek High: Helen Davidson.

Starr’s Mill High: Vivian Nguyen and Mynah Holloway; Morgan Caola; Rebekah Livingston; Jessica Richey.

Whitewater High: Tommy Erbe and Drew Halbert; Austin Dill.

Middle School First Place Winners

Bennett’s Mill Middle: Tiana Sherman and Ian Belwood; Jamie DeCicco and Jordan Watson; Michael Koenig, Matthew Melatti, and Hudson Huber; Matthew Harmon; Nicholas Powell; Dale Chapman; Laura Phillipp.

J.C. Booth Middle: Lianna Arcelay; Jonathan Ciecka; Amelia Traylor; Benjamin Naber.
Fayette Middle: Anna Franklin.

Flat Rock Middle: MarcJamal LaGrande; Preston Earle; Ellie Klarl.

Rising Starr Middle: Annefloor de Groot and Brooke Wade; Emilia Ruzicka.

Whitewater Middle: Sarah Chapman; Stephanie Johnson.

Special awards were also given at the competition. Both Jessica Richey (Starr’s Mill High) and Sarah Chapman (Whitewater Middle) received the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association Award; Lionel Jones (Bennett’s Mill Middle) received the Institute for Environmental Insight Award; Jenny Ritter (Bennett’s Mill Middle) received the Capital Microscope Teacher Award.

Additionally, the following students received the Fayette County Association of Educators Special Recognition Award: Nageen Merchant, Areesha Ikram, and Donna Pham (Fayette County High); Vivian Nguyen and Mynah Holloway (Starr’s Mill High); Morgan Caola (Starr’s Mill High); Nicholas Powell (Bennett’s Mill Middle); Laura Phillipp (Bennett’s Mill Middle); Preston Earle (Flat Rock Middle).

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

National Math and Science Award Finalists Announced

Three of the five educators selected as Georgia finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are Fayette County teachers.

Catherine Douthard at Cleveland Elementary is one of two teachers selected as a math finalist, and Gail Frantz and Nancy Boyle, both of Peeples Elementary, are two of three teachers selected as science finalists.

Fayette has had four teachers win the PAEMST for Georgia since 1990, all of them in K-6 mathematics. If Frantz or Boyle wins in science, they will make history for the county. Both say they are honored to have the opportunity to represent Georgia and Fayette County.

“It is an honor to be selected as a finalist for this award. Developing a love for science in my students has always been my passion, and I am grateful for the acknowledgement I have received. If chosen as the state winner, I would be proud to represent Fayette County Schools and the state of Georgia,” says Frantz.

Like Frantz, Boyle is excited about being chosen as a finalist and added, “I love to incorporate science into all areas of our curriculum. By preparing young children to think, use, and develop basic scientific vocabulary we set the stage for future scientific learning. Being scientifically literate has become more and more critical to our nation’s future work force.”

Douthard is also proud to represent Fayette in the competition and hopes to join the past mathematics recipients when the National Science Foundation announces the 2010 winners in several months. Fayette won its last K-6 mathematics award in 2001.

Each awardee receives a citation signed by the President of the United States, a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, and gifts from a broad range of donors. Awardees and their guests are honored during events that take place in Washington, DC. These events include an award ceremony, celebratory receptions, professional development programs, and discussions with policy-makers on how to improve mathematics and science education.

The PAEMST is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1983, this program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards each year. The National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Awards are given to mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four U.S. jurisdictions: Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; Department of Defense Schools; and the U.S. territories as a group (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The teachers are recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make progress in mathematics and science.

In addition to honoring individual achievement, the goal of the award program is to exemplify the highest standards of mathematics and science teaching. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Sara Harp Minter ASP Students Learn the Fun of Science

Dr. Fran Norflus, assistant professor of biology at Clayton State University, shows Sara Harp Minter After School Program students how mold and bacteria cultures grow.


Slime and mold got After School Program (ASP) students at Sara Harp Minter Elementary School in Fayetteville interested in learning more about science.

Clayton State University assistant professors Dr. Fran Norflus (biology) and Dr. Rich Singiser (chemistry) visited the students last month to show them the fun of science. The professors brought slides of mold and bacteria for the students to examine as well as showed them how to make slime and gave out samples to take home.

Finding ways to keep students interested in learning is what led ASP Site Coordinator Dianna Robertson to call on the professors to present the science activity. She says she is always on the lookout for activities that disguise learning as fun.

“My staff and I enjoyed the presentation as much as the children. The children were so engrossed in the experiments, they are still talking about them,” says Robertson.

Norflus says she enjoyed the opportunity to talk to the students about science, noting that the United States is in critical need of more scientists and technical professionals.

“There is an obligation to instill a sense of wonder and excitement for science in young students so they may opt for science majors as they advance in their studies,” she says.

Because of the students’ interest in the presentations, more science programs are in the works including one on plants that will be presented by Marion Smith, a horticulturalist from Fayette County High.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Booth Teacher Prepares for Weightless Flight on October 7

The community can track Pakulski’s flight at www.flightaware.com. Enter Tail Number for G-Force One: N794AJ.

One teacher is literally going to throw her weight around to get students excited about science.

Tammy Pakulski, seventh grade science teacher at J. C. Booth Middle, has been selected to participate in the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery Program where she will experience a zero gravity flight. The experience is comparable to what humans would encounter during space travel to the moon or Mars. It also mimics how astronauts train for space flights.

“I’ve always dreamed of being an astronaut and going into space. This flight brings me as close as I can get to that dream,” she says.

Here’s how it works. She will board a 727 aircraft named G-Force One at Hartsfield/Jackson International Airport on October 7. At 24,000 feet altitude, a specially trained pilot will pull the plane up to a 50 degrees ‘nose high’ then push it over the top at 31,500 feet to reach zero-gravity, leaving everyone and everything inside the plane weightless for 25-30 seconds. At a 45 degrees ‘nose low’, a gentle pullout will start allowing the participants to stabilize on the aircraft floor. The maneuver will be completed a total of 15 times giving participants about 6-7 minutes of weightless flight.

Pakulski completed a training workshop in August where she was fitted for her flight suit and given instructions on the commands she will need to know for when the plane comes out of the zero gravity environment.

“You don’t want to be in the middle of a flip when that happens,” she jokes.

She will conduct several of her own experiments during the flight. For one, she will demonstrate the affects of Lunar and Martian gravity on the human body by doing as many pushups as possible.

“It will be videotaped and shared with my students. This will be compared to by ability, or lack of, to do pushups on earth,” she says.

She will also wear a vest that contains probes to measure heart rate and acceleration. Her students will graph and analyze the data the probes collect.

Pakulski will work with a group of other teachers to conduct three formal experiments including testing the affects of zero gravity on the vortex produced inside a tornado tube and Newton’s third law of motion (action-reaction) using various toys such as clackers and slinkies.

The last experiment will demonstrate amazing feats of human strength. The teachers will conduct a teacher toss (tossing one teacher between two others), one-fingered pushups and count the number of somersaults that can be completed in 25 seconds.

Pakulski says she is excited about being able to demonstrate abstract concepts and bring the demonstrations back to her classroom so that students can visualize them, such as the affect of gravity on weight. She also says she hopes her experience will be an inspiration to her students.

“I want to inspire them to follow their dreams, pursue careers in science and technology and that getting an education is important. Education provides you with more opportunities,” she says.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery program is designed to inspire students to pursue science and technical careers by inspiring their teachers first. Practicing classroom middle school teachers and future middle school teachers have the opportunity to participate in the hands-on science workshop.

“I am grateful to Northrop Grumman for providing this program for teachers and inspiring teachers to inspire their students. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait for until October 7,” says Pakulski.

_____
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia