Isabella , Avery Rose and Ryleigh flew to Phoenix, Arizona, recently to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2016 (May 8-13). The Intel ISEF is the largest pre-college science fair in the world. Isabella joined 1760 students from over 75 different countries and territories who were competing for $4 million dollars of grant money for research. She got to be among some of the world’s most promising young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Avery Rose and Ryleigh were chosen to be observers and guides.

Isabella won the all-expenses paid trip by taking top prize at the Lowcountry Science and Engineering Fair, held at the College of Charleston in April.

Isabella said the quality of projects was extremely high. “People were really smart, so it was kind of scary,” she said. “The guy across from me pretty much had success at curing OCD and he didn’t win a prize.”

 The much-coveted awards were announced at the end of the week. Han Jie (Austin) Wang, 18, received first place Gordon E. Moore Award and $75,000 for developing microbial fuel cells that more efficiently convert organic waste into electricity. Syamantak Payra, 15, of Friendswood, Texas was awarded one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 for developing a low-cost electronically-aided knee brace. Kathy Liu, 17, of Salt Lake City, Utah, received the other $50,000 award for developing an alternative battery component that could improve battery performance and safety. In addition, more than 400 Inter ISEF competitors received scholarships and prizes.

For Isabella, Avery Rose, Ryleigh, and the other participants, the week wasn’t all serious. On the first evening, they all broke the ice through an organized pin exchange. “With almost 2000 nerds who don’t know each other, what else are you going to do?” Isabella laughed. Dr. Neubauer, Isabella, Ryleigh and Avery Rose also visited the Grand Canyon and drank cactus milkshakes. “I hope I get invited to Los Angeles next year,” said Isabella.

 

 

Kingfishers were at the school by 7:15, then rolling north on Highway 701 just after 8:00.  It was our first real bus trip! All we had to do was sit through Finding Nemo and The Lion King and Robin Hood … and suddenly, we arrived in Charlottesville, VA, and began moving into the Cavalier Inn. Then we were off for a tour of the grounds of the University of Virginia, meeting student guide Diane at the top of the Lawn. Diane told us all about the great academics and sense of community that makes this school so special. Students were intrigued to hear about the professor who held his office hours while jogging and about all the secret societies.

 

Dinner was the all-you-can-eat student cafeteria at Newcombe Hall, a hot spot for all the college students. There were almost too many options, from vegan dishes to pizza to comfort foot—it took a while to learn the system but after some scouting, hunting and gathering, Kingfishers were eating heartily. We ate a lot of desserts but definitely did not break the soft-serve machine!

The next adventure began the following morning: ice skating at the Main Street Arena in downtown Charlottesville. We bravely strapped on our skates in the chilly air. For many of us, it was the first time. A few of us had skills, like Turtle who took off gracefully and even skated backwards. We helped each other and also used stacked paint buckets to get around the rink, eventually joining in a game of “hockey soccer.” The ice skating brought back childhood memories for some and became a great first-time memory for others. “It was really funny when people fell,” said Victoria.

 

The bus picked us up at the top of the Mall and we left Charlottesville for Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, where we had a pleasant picnic, then a couple of tours with really excellent guides. Students learned that Jefferson was an insatiable reader and book-lover, an innovator, architect, farmer, and patriarch in addition to all his service to our country. Under the house, we saw his wine cellar and kitchen, then emerged on the side of Monticello where the slave village stood. We got to see how the slaves lived and worked, and to hear their fascinating and very moving personal stories.

Back in Charlottesville, we had an early dinner at Citizen Burger before going to our evening destination: Jump Charlottesville, a large indoor trampoline park. All of us had a blast, especially Jesse who is a good jumper. There was a foam cube pit to hurl yourself into. “People couldn’t get out, said Jesse, “and it was fun to watch.” Daring students tried the “ninja warrior” obstacle course. Joe completed the circuit in an amazing 28.8 seconds while Avery Rose led the girls with a time of 1:21. Students really enjoyed the wall-to-wall trampolines where you could jump, dunk a basketball or play dodgeball. The experience was great and very equalizing!

Thursday morning, we boarded a new bus with a new bus driver, then headed towards Washington D.C. Our first stop was the Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

 

Students were given free rein to wander through the museum in small groups. There, we were able to see such interesting and amazing artifacts of the aerospace industry as WWII fighter planes, gliders, and the space shuttle Discovery. Students could also ride in simulators or follow the evolution of plane engines throughout the 20^th century.  All of us enjoyed viewing the wide assortment of planes and learning about the science of aeronautics. Doug said, “It was a very interesting experience to see these stunning feats of aviation.”

After eating sandwiches prepared on the bus (speaking of amazing feats!), we went downtown to the Washington Mall. Middle School split off with Mme Gates, Dr. Neubauer, Dr. Razzi and Mrs. Crosby to visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Tour guide Joe Eisner took us down to the Q?rius Lab, where there were lots of interactive stations (whale ear-wax!) and a whole wall of drawers full of specimens: human skulls, dead birds, minerals, shells, ferns, and much more, with table and microscopes for examining them. Lucy said, “I liked how you could open the drawers and see everything inside them. “It was fun!” Amelia agreed, “We got to touch a bunch of specimens.”

 

For the second time in our school’s history, the high school entered the National Gallery with Dr. Gates and Mrs. Patrick. We split into two groups led by two different curators. The first group explored the gallery where Daniel in the Lion’s Den by Rubens is located and discussed the art. The second group visited the gallery where Impressionist and Fauvist art is displayed.

The High School and Middle School regrouped, then headed off to the Newseum in the cold drizzle. We were immediately escorted downstairs to watch a short introductory video, then students wandered around the Newseum in our scavenger hunt groups. Most of us saw the Berlin Wall exhibit, then rode the glass elevator up to the top-floor outdoor platform, where we could enjoy a view from the Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument. Groups saw the history of journalism room, an exhibit on presidential dogs, and a look at the Civil Rights Movement at age 50.

 

 

The bus took our tired and damp group to Cantina Marina Restaurant, down on the Potomac River. As guests of Bruce and Joyce Gates, we enjoyed a delicious buffet of tacos and barbeque. The wait staff was very complimentary of our students. “Everything was please, thank you and yes m’am,” one waitress told Joyce, “Those kids are great!”

 

Friday morning we packed the bus and went to the Mall again. This time we visited the newly opened Museum of the American Indian, which had tons of cool and very colorful artifacts. The building itself is quite interesting from an architectural standpoint. It is constructed of what appears to be sandstone, layered liked the desert cliffs of the American West.

For lunch we enjoyed the food in the Cascade Café at the National Gallery, then boarded the bus for our long trek home. You would think kids would be worn out and tired, but we kept chatting and bouncing around almost the whole way. When the bus rolled in to our parking lot at 1:00 am, everyone was glad to get off but happy to have gone. Spring Trip 2016 was a great experience! We are just left wondering, who’s got the BearMoose?

 

(By all the members of the Journalism class)

Sarah showed a piece of her art work at the Cultural Council’s first annual Art Walk on May 7 and 8. She had painted a still life of some dried fruit in a basket. “I was inspired by the color pink,” she said, “It was really pretty.” Sarah’s still life took the People’s Choice Award. For her achievement, she received a check for $500. Congratulations to Sarah and to her art teacher Mrs. Patrick. We are proud of you!

6th graders Molly and Ethan have won first and second place in the 2016 essay contest sponsored by the Georgetown Soil and Water Conservation District. Mrs. Crosby organized the writing of the essays and submitted them by the due date. It turns out that Molly got an award of $50 and Ethan received $25. Congratulations to these two and to their English teacher Mrs. Crosby!

Kingfishers love to get up and go on adventures, so on Tuesday April 19, Middle School took a trip to Columbia for the day. Mrs. Crosby, Mrs. Montgomery, parents, and kids, piled into cars at 8:45 and headed out to have a wonderful day! Their next stop: the South Carolina State Museum.

Students visited the exhibit Julius Caesar: Roman Military Might and Machines, doing tons of neat things. They went on a scavenger hunt, they built walls and arches, and they saw a model Roman amphitheater and a water clock. There were many other shows for them to explore as well: dinosaurs, American History, and inventions. “The exhibits were so cool,” Nick said, “I thought the people were real.” (He was referring to a plantation exhibit that had mannequins in front of a life-size slave cabin.) One hands-on activity students did was about friction—they tried to win a tug-of-war while wearing slippery socks!

The Kingfishers had a fun-filled day. Thank you to our chaperones and drivers: Mr. and Mrs. Hensley, Ms. Higgins, Mrs. Bredemeier, and Mrs. Shumard and thank you Mrs. Crosby for organizing.

By Meredith Owens and Zachary Wesolowski

On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Mrs. Patrick and Dr. Neubauer invited 6^th and 7^th-graders to help fix up a garden on the corner of Dozier and Highmarket Streets so that it will attract butterflies and bees. The garden is our school’s contribution to Earth Day 2016 (Friday, April 22).

The group of gardeners (“dream team”?) went out to an abandoned raised bed on county property. They found the bed in a sad state. Lantana bushes which the county had planted were doing fine, but the bed had been invaded by weeds and fire ants. First, Mrs. Patrick killed untold amounts of fire ants.  Then she took her magical “pickaxe” (as the kids called it) and began fiercely pulling weeds left and right. Then everyone started to pitch in. There were many jobs to be carried out, but as everyone knows, with a little teamwork anything can be accomplished. Everyone worked hard and had a good time weeding, planting some new plants and carrying water (9 buckets across Dozier Street!). There were also many roots to be pulled, but again Mrs. Patrick saved the day with the magical pickaxe.

This butterfly garden now looks pretty good and will be enjoyed by many people and bugs for years to come. It was definitely a good deed for our community and our environment. Thank you to Mrs. Patrick for assisting in this wonderful action and a big thank you to Dr. Neubauer for putting this project together. These Kingfishers wish everyone a Happy Earth Day!

By Zachary Wesolowski

First-year Kingfishers dissected jellyfish on Wednesday, April 13 for Biology. The whole lab smelled like the ocean as Dr. Neubauer plopped a fresh jellyfish from a paint bucket onto all the students’ trays. Students had different reactions to these invertebrates: Ashley was sort of afraid of them while Ty started digging right in there. Students found the jellyfish very slimy and squishy, but also tougher than you might think.

For most of the students, this was their first dissection. Some thought the whole process was gross but others thought it was fun. Most of them made neat cuts but at least one chopped, poked and stabbed his poor creature. The actual dissection procedure was rather complicated: students had to carefully cut open the jellyfish in specific areas in order to find and identify its parts. Surprise! Grayson’s and Wilfredo’s jellyfish had a crab living inside of it.

By Zachary Wesolowski

Avery Rose’s 3-dimensional piece The End earned her a major prize at the Horry-Georgetown County High Schools 15^th Annual Juried Art Exhibition. After considering about 95 entries, jurors awarded her an Honorable Mention for her use of non-traditional materials. Everyone is thrilled with her success, especially Mrs. Patrick. “Last year, Avery Rose made us proud by being chosen for the show,” she said, “And this year she gets an award! What does the future hold?”

The End features three black plastic filigree dolls in the act of falling on the pages of an open book. You can see it and many other great pieces at the Burroughs and Chapin Art Museum through May 22.

On April 9, Kingfishers got together in New Beginnings, in downtown Georgetown, for their annual prom. The theme was “Alice in Wonderland.” The junior class had worked long and hard to have everything ready. They got up bright and early Saturday morning to finish decorating before going home to get ready for the night. After everyone got dressed up and went to dinner, the students and staff started coming in around 6:30 and the party began.

“The entire night was full of good vibes,” said Josh. As soon as the students arrived the dancing started. Josh and Joe created a playlist and manned the DJ station. Everyone had a blast dancing, but Langston stole the show! (He was beet red and sweating, having the time of his life, to the point of slow dancing with one of the cardboard cut outs!). Everyone was dancing—even Sra. Yorky and Dr. and Mme Gates. The dance floor was rocking all night until the music cut off at 10.

The juniors did an amazing job on the decorations this year, most of which were hand-made under Lochlyn’s direction. Juniors had hand-painted cardboard cut outs, turned books into center pieces, created paper flamingos, and cut out cardboard streamers for the front windows. There was a black light tunnel with glowing paintings representing the Rabbit Hole. Some of the food even went with the theme, like Joe’s card rice crispy treats. Cameras were placed around the room for the guests to use and one even printed the pictures right there. Savanna said, “The Polaroids really made the moments come alive that night!” Juniors went all out and did a great job.

Prom this year took a lot of work and time, but when the guests arrived that night and saw how well it turned out, the effort was all well worth it. “This was the best prom yet,” said Nathan. Thank you to students, parents and faculty for making Prom 2016 a great occasion.

by Meredith Owens

Mrs. Patrick’s high school art students have been pushing themselves lately.  Nine of them completed individual projects to compete for entry in the Horry-Georgetown County High Schools 15^th Annual Juried Art Exhibition. Jurors viewed some 400 pieces at schools all over these two counties, judging them on craftsmanship, originality, and a clear understanding of the principles and elements of design.

Avery Rose’s 3-dimensional piece The End was selected for display at the Myrtle Beach Museum. The End, whose main colors are black, red and white, features three stages of a falling figure, black plastic filigree dolls atop an open book. “In just a brief moment, a life can end, like the ending of a book,” Avery Rose said. “Her story is never told.” Avery Rose also said that working on her piece was interesting: “I was just studying falling and then remaking it.”

The Annual Art Show will be held at Myrtle Beach Art Museum from April 17- May 22, 2016. The opening reception and awards ceremony will take place on April 17 from 1pm-3pm at the museum and everyone is invited. Jim Arendt, Coastal Carolina University Gallery Director, will be judging the art work. We are so proud of the hard work and artistic skills of our Kingfishers, and special congratulations to Avery Rose and Mrs. Patrick!

(by Meredith Owens and Laura Gates)