West Newsmagazine 5-17-17

22 I SCHOOLS I
May 17, 2017
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BY BONNIE KRUEGER
Strong finish in LEGO
League competition
A group of Wild Horse Elementary students
won the Explosive Idea Award at the
Junior FIRST LEGO League [FLL] competition
in Wentzville this spring.
The “Hummingbots” are all third-grade
students and include Satvik Seetharaman,
Joyce Xiang, Pooja Ganesh, Shreyas Iyer
and Rohan Deshpande. The team successfully
communicated its ideas, designed to
help hummingbirds, in a fact-filled poster
that was the result of their collective
research.
Team supporter Gavathri Seetharaman
said, “We hope this recognition boosts
their confidence for going into FLL again
next year.”
Chesterfield Elementary second-grade
student Pranav Visveswaran won the Synergy
Award for the model and display his
team built at the Junior FLL competition.
His team, “Jungle Raiders,” constructed
a robotic model that depicted a bumble bee/
honey bee in a tropical habitat. Team members
programmed the model to come out of
the bee hive, vibrate and reach a flower to
get nectar.
Rockwood selects
teachers of the year
The Hummingbots
Each year, Rockwood schools select
educators as their Teacher of the Year.
From this selection, the district recognizes
its school-level teachers of the year representing
its elementary, middle and high
schools.
Lisa Molengraft, librarian at Ridge
Meadows, was selected at the elementary
school level.
Molengraft said her greatest contribution
to teaching is her “empathy for others.”
“It’s my belief that curriculum and standards
should guide our academics, but
empathy should guide our hearts. It steers
me to find the patience, desire, positive
approach and energy to do the right thing
for kids. Always,” she said.
Eighth-grade math teacher Katie Barsanti
from LaSalle Springs was selected at
the middle school level.
“Passion and heart – that is the root of
what makes a great teacher,” Barsanti said
in accepting the award. “When I look back
at my career thus far, I feel that this truly
encapsulates the success I have had in education.
The best days of teaching are the
days when I am making connections and I
am learning more and more about who my
students are.”
Melissa Ann Burger, language arts
teacher at Marquette, was selected at the
high school level. “Our educational system
has the essential role of providing every
child with a safe and supportive environment,
accessible resources and competent
facilitators,” said Burger. “My hope and
dream is that I can teach, inspire, motivate
or push these students to be the difference
and make our world even better.”
Molengraft also was honored as the district-level
Teacher of the Year at the 2017
ROSE Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 7.
Missouri Scholars 100 named
The Missouri Association of Secondary
School Principals has recognized the following
high school students as Missouri
Scholars 100:
• Alex Luckerman and Madeleine Scannell
from Parkway Central
• Jillian Day and Aditya Gokhale from
Parkway North
• Erin R. Neely and Rebecca Parker from
Parkway South
• Greg Shank and Angela Tsao from Parkway
West
• Caleb Biggs and Katie Buatois from
Eureka High
Ridge Meadows librarian Lisa Molengraft [center] is Rockwood’s 2017 Teacher of the Year.
• Sai Allu and Lisa Wu from Lafayette
• Arjun Devraj and Lucy Zhu from Marquette
• Ariel Burbridge and Michaela Murphy
from Rockwood Summit
• James Orme-Rogers from Saint Louis
Priory
• Lauren Sullivan from Visitation Academy
• Caroline Zupan from St. Joseph’s Academy.
Schools across Missouri were invited
to nominate candidates for this statewide
recognition. Selection was based primarily
on a formula using the student’s grade
point average and ACT or SAT score. Each
student nominated had to meet criteria of
an “Academic Decathlon,” which included
10 “events” designed to assure the academic
strength of the student. To meet the
decathlon requirements, the student had to
have a minimum GPA of 3.75, a minimum
ACT score of 29 or a minimum SAT score
of 1,900, be ranked in the upper 10 percent
of the class, and have taken upper level
courses in mathematics, science, English
and a foreign language. The student also
had to have excellent attendance, be an
exemplary school citizen and be involved
in a school activity program.
Parkway poet honored
At the Missouri state finals held in Jefferson
City, Parkway West senior Emily
Bauer won the top honor of Missouri State
Champion in the Poetry Out Loud competition.
Bauer attended the national finals in
Washington, D.C., where she competed
against 52 state and territory champions.
As a state champion, Bauer received
$200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the
finals for herself and an adult chaperone.
Additionally, Parkway West received $500
for the purchase of poetry books.
An estimated 6,000 students from 41
schools in Missouri participated at various
levels of the competition.
The annual Poetry Out Loud National
Recitation Contest encourages the nation’s
high school students to experience great
poetry through participating in a dynamic
nationwide recitation competition. This
program helps students master public
speaking skills, build self-confidence and
learn about their literary heritage.