BLUEprint SUMMER 2010 - Riverfield Country Day School

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5 pIg-oMEtRY Math students made paper pets last semester using “pigometry.” Putting their math skills to work, students cut various sizes of circles then measured and labeled the diameter and radius of each. Four rectangles with labeled measurements completed the project – a cute and mathfriendly little pig! middle School Egg dRop A biennial tradition, the Egg Drop challenges 4th and 5th graders to construct a container that will safely cushion a raw egg when dropped from a fire truck ladder. The designs were varied and creative, with more than half of the eggs surviving both the 30 and 60 foot drops. 8th gRadE RoCkEt CaRS Physical science students in Miss Smith’s class built rocket cars this semester as part of their studies of energy and simple machines. The cars were constructed from various objects like wooden blocks, sticks, and even Tinker Toys. Pairs of students worked together to create a fast, longrunning, and smart-looking car. A small rocket was placed in each car and trial runs were made with the opportunity to perfect the design. The final races were held in the Upper School parking lot to determine the vehicles with the best speed, distance, and style. After the races, students wrote a report explaining the cars results, changes made after trial runs, and the scientific principles at work during the experiment. 8th gRadE CloSIng ExERCISES At Closing Exercises, the thirty 8th grade students each gave a speech about their experience at Riverfield. This tradition started many years ago and continues under the guidance of Speech teacher Michael Lackey and English teacher Linda Massey. “The students work hard to make the speech their own, sharing unique memories about former and current teachers and students,” said Mr. Lackey. The night also included a special tribute to the class from 7th graders who performed “Imagine” while a year-in-review slideshow played in the background. Several special awards were given during the evening. They include the following: Academic Excellence Chandler Bair & Amanda Sowell Athletic Excellence Female: Emy Gore Male: Garrett Pugh & Jeff Saizow Citizenship Alex Rogers Fine Arts Drama: Logan Mitchell & Molly Monroe Music: Foster Pace Leadership Cailey Kesselring Community Service Ryan Coretz Sequoyah Award for Mentorship Sarah Carson, Emy Gore, Cailey Kesselring, Alex Rogers & Amanda Sowell Academic Discipline Awards: English – Chandler Bair German – Chandler Bair Math – Chandler Bair, Everett LeViness, Nate Newman & Amanda Sowell Science – Alex Rogers Social Studies – Luke Johnson & Amanda Sowell Spanish – Alex Rogers, Jeff Saizow & Amanda Sowell tRaSh to tREaSURE Middle School students took recyclable materials such as boxes, plastic bottles, and newspapers to construct threedimensional pieces that were then covered with paper mache and painted with acrylic. The resulting artwork was featured around the campus. THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT By Hank Williams The other day I sat down to talk with Mrs. Pugh to ask her questions about designing all the stuff for sale at Riverfield. I learned that she is part of the marketing department, which designs the logos and themes that appear on all the items for sale, like T-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, sweat shirts, and Christmas cards. The marketing department works on their projects all year; yes this means summer vacation when most of us are on vacation! The office where they work is at the back door by carline at RCDS. There are five marketing employees all in one space because they need to communicate on each project. They work hard to make new designs each year to keep the for sale items up to date and fresh looking. I feel lucky that we have a marketing department so good at what they do. If we did not have a marketing department we would not have the extra money that we can spend on cool stuff for school. Alexis Katherine Anderson Chandler Joseph Bair Christopher James Barton Robert Alan Beers Arthur Forrest Brogna Philip Alpay Bulak Lilliana Judith Burgy Madeline Hailey Butler Sarah Danielle Carson Ryan Jacob Coretz Georgia Ford Emily Deming Gore Hunter Zane Hoffman Luke Daniel Johnson Cailey Grace Kesselring oERB gRant Riverfield Middle Schoolers learned about the mathematics side of oil and gas this semester. Made possible by the OERB, teachers Andrea Shaw and Kay Hilton attended a conference that focused on real world applications of mathematics. They returned to campus with a plastic tub of resources including an overhead graphing calculator for classroom use and a binder of project ideas. Additionally, an oilman representing the OERB came to Riverfield to discuss how he uses math elements on a daily basis with his occupation. MRS. thoMaS’ nEwSpapER In Shurley English, students produced a one-of-a-kind newsletter, from topic selection and conducting interviews, to writing and proof-reading the final drafts. To the left is Hank Williams’ article. A complete list of 8th graders is found below: Everett Aidan LeViness Logan Edin Allison Mitchell Molly Anne Taylor Monroe Zachary James Morrissey Nathaniel Joseph Newman Foster Ethan Pace Wayne Garrett Pugh Zachary Taylor Robinson Alex Lauren Rogers Brooke Nicole Rogers Jeffrey William Saizow Amanda Reed Sowell Micah Tillotson Claire Elise White Zachary Davis Whitney
StICkY-notES pUt to good USE Independent reading has been one focus of freshman English, with the intention of further developing the habits and skills Riverfield Middle School students acquire in Book Club. In addition to the literature assigned to the whole class, the 23 Freshmen read 128 books chosen from a long list of suggestions, for an average of 5.57 books per student. They reported on their reading by completing a “sticky-note” report that was required during three quarters and was an option during one. The “stickies” report assignment required students to select books to read attentively, noting their responses on sticky notes they inserted in their books. Categories of response ranged from asking questions and visualizing scenes, to selecting “golden lines” and analyzing the writer’s craft. Students finished the assignment by submitting the books, complete with at least 20 sticky notes. UPPer School Moot CoURt One of the unique things that occurred during the 4th quarter for the Senior class took place in History class. The Seniors conducted Moot Court assignments as a final project, which involved the students simulating a Supreme Court trial using an actual case that the Supreme Court is currently considering. Students were assigned the roles of justices or attorneys and were responsible for preparing the documents and conducting the research that the “real” people do, except in a more basic way. They then conducted court according to the actual process. Student justices assumed the identity of past or present Supreme Court justices, donned judicial robes, and then listened to oral arguments from the student attorneys before rendering a decision on the case before them. Overall, it was a great way to conclude the first year of this Supreme Court Survey Course for the Senior class and allowed them to experience a major part of U.S. history and government. gERMan ExCEllEnCE Several Riverfield students were recognized for outstanding achievement on the 2009- 10 American Association of Teachers of German National Exam. Students placed 5th - 8th, 10th, and 11th among the 39 students statewide who took the Level Two exam. Chandler Bair led the charge, closely followed by Emily LeViness, Everett LeViness, Nick Pond, Matt Faeth, and Caitlin Pond. Chandler further distinguished himself by scoring in the 93rd percentile of 9,400 participants nationally. Carl Berry came in first in Oklahoma of those who took the Level Three test and placed in the 94th percentile nationally out of 6,900. All RCDS students in German II and III took the AATG exams, which are intended for second through fourth year students, usually 10th-12th graders. Students are tested on listening and reading comprehension and grammar. Herr Clark, German teacher and previous Oklahoma German Teacher of the Year said, “I am very proud of these students’ accomplishments, especially when one considers the length of time they have studied the language and the ages of the other participants.” Later this spring, Carl Berry took his German placement test at OU and received the highest score possible on the test. This meant he tested out of all of the credits necessary to graduate. Carl plans to start coursework at a sophomore level so that he can minor in German. gREEn paCkagIng Students in 10th grade Geometry class exercised their math skills while taking on a “green” task this semester. Teacher Kay Hilton challenged the students to select a product and then find a way to reduce the surface area of the container while still holding the original volume of the product. “It was amazing to see the creativity the students brought to this task,” said Mrs. Hilton. “They showed some very feasible adjustments companies could make that would help the environment and save money.” Brandon Miller achieved the most loss of surface area, ridding a package of minute rice of over 125 cubic centimeters of packaging. hoME EC pREpaRES “MEal of thE CEntURY” In May, one Upper School home economics class planned and executed a four-course gourmet meal, complete with china, crystal, and linens. The dinner was hosted by teacher Margaret James at her parents’ home. Though the adults provided the location, the project was totally student driven, as they selected the table settings and menu items, created floral arrangements, shopped for fresh produce, made all of the dishes, and plated and served the meal as well. On the menu for this culinary feast: Caesar salad; tomato bisque; roasted pineapple and ginger sorbet with honey from Shelby Hellen’s grandparents; alfredo orzo pasta with baked chicken thighs and sautéed purple asparagus and onions; and pannacotta with fresh strawberries. nEwSpapER wInS BIg In early April, Riverfield’s Upper School newspaper staff participated in their first-ever competition at Northeastern State University’s Media Day. Staff members attended workshops and submitted individual articles from 2009-10 editions of The Commons newspaper for competition in the 1A- 2A division. In addition, Riverfield students Malachi Keeter and Carl Berry participated in an on-site writing competition across all classifications of schools, 1A-7A. In total, Riverfield students entered 13 categories, placing in 11 of them. Congrats to the staff who won 1st place Overall Newspaper! Daniel Hodges, newspaper advisor, commented that he was very pleased with the staff’s achievements. “It has been a great year for The Commons and these awards are proof of the students’ hard work.” Individual award winners were: On-Site Sports Writing – 1st Place, Carl Berry On- Site Feature Writing – 3rd Place, Malachi Keeter Front Page Design – 1st Place, Kenzie Zwayer; 2nd Place, Ryan Peake Inside Page Design – 1st Place, Ryan Peake; 2nd Place, Chris Dickey, Kenzie Zwayer, Claire White News Writing –1st Place, Malachi Keeter Feature Writing – 1st Place, Malachi Keeter; 3rd Place, Marisa Morgan Newspaper Reviews – 1st Place, Chris Dickey Opinion Column Writing – 1st Place, Malachi Keeter; Honorable Mention, Bryce Rossler Original Graphics – 2nd Place, Kenzie Zwayer Photography – 2nd Place, Kaitlyn Richardson 6
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Page 13 and 14: Alissa and JJ Hurley Jennifer and D
Page 15 and 16: Job Well Done, Mrs. Michelle Anders

BLUEprint SUMMER 2010 - Riverfield Country Day School

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