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21st Century Journalism Students - Multimedia Project Spring 2015

 

 

District hosts evening of fine arts, science

(Thursday, May 21, 2015)

Photos and article by Claire Austin, 21st Century Journalism Student

Video news package produced by Jacob Gerber and Aubrey Dick, 21st Century Journalism Students

Wednesday, May 6, was a very busy night for the Eagles. The night was jam-packed with the fifth and sixth-grade Science Fair, the high school Fine Arts Showcase, and the high school jazz band and select choir concert.

The Science Fair was the first event of the evening. Fifty four sixth-graders and 55 fifth-graders participated in the event. Some examples of projects entered were: “Paw Preference - Do dogs have a dominant paw?”, “Manure Energy - Can horse manure be used as a source of energy?”, “Fingerprint Heredity - Are fingerprints inherited?”, and many others.

David Schooler, junior high science teacher, chose three projects from each grade as winners. The sixth-grade winners were Zachary Ruse in third place, Kai Allen in second place, and Deacon Zordel in first place with his project “Milk and Bacteria." The teachers’ choice was Chelbe Johnson with her experiment “Paw Preference.”

The fifth-grade winners were Johnathan Kelly, Devin Dultmeier, Kagan Platt, and Corey York in third place with their project “Stuck on You.” The second-place winners were Connar Adams, Taryn Burkhardt, Dani Farris, Jaiden Holmes, and Natalie Olson with their project “Dirty Dirty Diaper.” The first-place winners were Olivia Day, Preston Gillen, Makenzie Graf, and Michael Kalas with their project “Fun Fertilizer Sizer.”

Sue Barnes, sixth-grade science teacher, said she was pleased at how well the fair went.

“I'm especially proud of the quality of the experiments this year. The students worked hard, and it showed. I was also impressed with the quality of the questions the students asked their presenter. I could definitely tell they learned their Science Process Skills,” Barnes said.

Though this year’s fair was a success, Barnes said she wants to try new elements in the future.

“Next year, I am going to try a Science, Technology, and Math Fair. There are so many exciting projects that students could do which integrate science with other areas. I would like to have the Science Fair on rotation of every other year,” Barnes said.

The second portion of the busy evening was the high school’s Fine Arts Showcase. The showcase featured both wood shop projects and art class projects.

Ian Reel, woodshop teacher, said he likes the opportunity this showcase gives the town to come and view students’ projects.

“The show is important because it gives the community a glimpse inside of our classrooms to see what our students are capable of creating,” Reel said.

The shop portion of the showcase featured projects such as cabinets, plaques, and cutting boards. The art portion of the showcase included many projects such as paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

Reel said he felt satisfied about how hard the students worked on their projects as the deadline grew closer.

“I’m proud of how well the students worked as the Showcase approached. They worked efficiently and most were able to meet the Showcase deadline,” Reel said.

The final segment of the evening was the Select Choir and jazz band concert.  

The jazz band performed pieces such as “Gospel,” “Uncle Milo’s Sideshow,” “Jazzmin Tea,” and “Buffalo Head.” The Select Choir performed “Medley from Les Miserables,” “Safe and Sound,” “Dark Brown is the River,” “What I’ve Been Looking For,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” “My Girl,” “The Hanging Tree,” “Landslide,” “I Was Here,” and “He Never Failed Me Yet.”

The jazz band and the Select Choir also performed together in “Pink Panther.”

Tonya McGough, choir teacher, said she is pleased with how well the students performed.

"I was most proud of the way the students prepared for it in a very short time frame and their hard work paid off!” McGough said.

Kirsten Cunningham, band teacher, said she is also happy with how the concert went.

“I thought the concert went very well! For a small ensemble, we have a lot of talent. One thing I love about my band students is that they are always eager to try new things, whether it’s a new style of music, a new instrument, whatever. Students were able to showcase their many talents in this concert, with many students on secondary instruments!” Cunningham said.

Top Photo: Fifth-Graders Carter Seth and Eli Herkenrath share potato chips with Eighth-Grader Ethan Schulz as they explain their project "Magical Foods."

Second Photo: Fifth-Grader Ethan Brewster points to illustrate an example of his Science Fair project, "Spin, Spin, and More Spin."

Third Photo: Freshman Jade Mountain points out a project that interests her at the woodshop portion of the Fine Arts Showcase.

Fourth Photo: Select Choir students Josh Wilson, Timmy Williams, Drake McMillan (back), Jenna Ridder, Cameron McGough, and Alex Holder (front) sing out during their "Les Miserables" mashup.

Bottom Photo: Eighth-Grader Josh Adee toots his trumpet during his solo at the jazz band concert.