By Taelor Rye
Students from Dodge County Middle School (DCMS) and teachers from Dodge County High School (DCHS) attended the Mercer University/Woodrow Wilson STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Camp at Mercer from June 15 through June 19th and were recognized at the Dodge County Board of Education meeting on July 9 as part of the board’s Examples of Excellence.
A week prior to the camp, DCHS science teachers Dana Niblett, Scarlett Selph and Miranda Simmons partook in a robotics workshop at Mercer.
At the STEM camp, students Mark Lucas, Aliyah Durham, JaColby Mizell, Jordan Morgan, Glenn Peacock and Emily Roddenberry participated in activities related to STEM, including building bridges with toothpicks, racing robotic cars, learning about micro-controllers and observing the sun through a solar telescope.
These students submitted applications to the camp that were reviewed anonymously, and they were chosen to participate based on their applications.
Dodge County superintendent Dr. Melinda Dennis visited Mercer during the camp and said that she “was amazed at some of the things that these kids were doing… It was a pretty awesome opportunity that our students got to enjoy.”
Dr. Sharon Murphy Augustine, associate professor of education and Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program director at Mercer University, said, “We had a saying in STEM Camp that we wanted students to push themselves to ‘their optimal levels of confusion’ because that is where innovation and learning happens. These Dodge County students accomplished this balance by showing a great deal of intellectual curiosity, collaboration and persistence. They were great representatives of what Middle Georgia students can do.”
Dr. Lawanda Gillis, Dodge’s Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, informed parents that the staff members at the camp “were most complimentary of our students… You have a lot to be proud of. We have a lot to be proud of.”
Emily Roddenberry and a student representative from another school earned first place in the bridge-building exercise, which determined a bridge’s efficiency, given its own mass with respect to the weight that it could hold.
Glenn Peacock’s team was awarded second place in the robotic car activity, which tested the force of one car against another in a given timeframe. This competition was based on how far one car could push its opponent upon impact.
Middle schoolers enjoy STEM camp
Dr. Matt Marone, associate professor of physics at Mercer University, led the students in the astronomy portion of the camp, allowing the students to see the sun through a solar telescope. Notably, participants were able to see sunspots on the sun’s surface, which are larger than the Earth.
On the practicality of these activities, Marone said that the mentor teachers “were exposed to some of those lab activities with the hope of having them incorporate the ideas into their classroom activities.”
At the board meeting, Dennis mirrored, “We look forward to bringing some of these hands-on activities to our science, math and technology classes.”
Overall, not only the teachers but also the students from Dodge greatly enjoyed the opportunity to dive into STEM with the guidance of experts at Mercer.
Simmons joked about the students’ experience, “Their biggest complaint was the walking.”
Examples of Excellence further included the Artists of the Month, who were also honored at the July 9 board meeting. This month’s honorees were Rene Mendieta, Tucker Wahl and Emmi Rogers. These students’ remarkable works will hang in Dr. Dennis’ office for the month of July.
Gillis presented to the board an instructional update in which she revealed results for the high school Advanced Placement exams in terms of percentage. Students who scored a 3 or higher on the test, which is scaled from 1 to 5, receive college credit for the course at most post-secondary institutions.
Gillis also revealed that DCHS and DCMS have been announced as Focus Schools for the 2015-2016 school year, indicating that each school is in the bottom 10 percent of Title I schools, with respect to achievement gaps. Gillis noted that a portion of Title I funding will go directly to these schools in order to decrease the disparity between subgroups.
The board approved the sale of three surplus buses. The estimated revenue for each bus is $2,500.00 to $5,000.00.
The board approved a class size resolution that would allow a small increase in class size so that the board would not have to hire a new teacher unless the number of students was notable enough to merit a new hire.
Proposed policy changes from last month as well as handbooks for each school, including the 21st Century and Title I handbooks, were approved at the meeting, having required a 30-day period between introduction and approval. Most policy changes are tweaks to existing policies that must accommodate updates from the state legislature, but two notable new policies include suicide prevention training for all certified staff and a new policy on social media.
On the practicality of these activities, Marone said that the mentor teachers “were exposed to some of those lab activities with the hope of having them incorporate the ideas into their classroom activities.”
At the board meeting, Dennis mirrored, “We look forward to bringing some of these hands-on activities to our science, math and technology classes.”
Overall, not only the teachers but also the students from Dodge greatly enjoyed the opportunity to dive into STEM with the guidance of experts at Mercer.
Simmons joked about the students’ experience, “Their biggest complaint was the walking.”
Examples of Excellence further included the Artists of the Month, who were also honored at the July 9 board meeting. This month’s honorees were Rene Mendieta, Tucker Wahl and Emmi Rogers. These students’ remarkable works will hang in Dr. Dennis’ office for the month of July.
Gillis presented to the board an instructional update in which she revealed results for the high school Advanced Placement exams in terms of percentage. Students who scored a 3 or higher on the test, which is scaled from 1 to 5, receive college credit for the course at most post-secondary institutions.
Gillis also revealed that DCHS and DCMS have been announced as Focus Schools for the 2015-2016 school year, indicating that each school is in the bottom 10 percent of Title I schools, with respect to achievement gaps. Gillis noted that a portion of Title I funding will go directly to these schools in order to decrease the disparity between subgroups.
The board approved the sale of three surplus buses. The estimated revenue for each bus is $2,500.00 to $5,000.00.
The board approved a class size resolution that would allow a small increase in class size so that the board would not have to hire a new teacher unless the number of students was notable enough to merit a new hire.
Proposed policy changes from last month as well as handbooks for each school, including the 21st Century and Title I handbooks, were approved at the meeting, having required a 30-day period between introduction and approval. Most policy changes are tweaks to existing policies that must accommodate updates from the state legislature, but two notable new policies include suicide prevention training for all certified staff and a new policy on social media.
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