Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Wind Energy Expert, Alex Karsner, Speaks to Sixth Grade


Alex Karsner P ’20 ’22 ’25, founder and chairman of Manifest Energy and senior executive at Google X and the Emerson Collective, spoke to sixth graders about his career in wind energy and the past, present, and future of wind turbines for “Show What You Know” Outside-The-Box (OTB) Day. His engaging conversation included ways that wind energy is captured and future Google X projects, such as energy kites.

Mr. Karsner has been involved in the business of wind energy for over 30 years and has constantly been at the forefront on the innovation of wind turbines. While serving as Assistant Energy Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under George W. Bush presidency, he highlighted the importance of wind turbines,which lead to Bush's introduction of the 20% wind energy initiative by 2030 and the Green Grid. 

He remarked the complexity of dealing with natural resources with minimal impact, "Every source has an impact with an upside and downside." He also shared multiple charts including one that showed which forty states generate wind energy and the current progress on emissions control. 

With multiple giveaways of Invenergy renewable energy science kits, the girls participated in conversation about ways to solve common wind turbines problems and suggested different perspectives to Mr. Karsner. 

It was a captivating day for the sixth graders as their classroom lesson came alive. 


Mr. Karsner with daughter, Jenny Karsner '22, after presenting to the sixth grade. 

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Biodiversity Day with Seventh Grade!


Grade seven participated in an STEM-focused "Outside-the-Box (OTB)" Day exploring all aspects of Biodiversity.

The girls started the day watching a part of Attenborough: 60 years in the Wild. The film follows English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough as he recounts the past 60 years of his life and the undeniable changes that the natural world has succumbed. The film encouraged questions on acceptance of all species of animals, not only the fuzzy, cute animals that are typically featured on the news and social media.

As the day continued, a rotation of three activities ensued as the girls explored specific aspects of biodiversity. Listed are some of the engaging activities:
  • Squid dissection: This activity was led by the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the girls paired together to dissect, classify, and identify the anatomy of a squid. 
  • Biodiversity in Action: While gathered in the Beebe Black Box Theater, the girls played a game called "Which Eukaryote Am I?" and they had to guess what type of eukaryote each girl was labeled as. Also, the girls read and discussed what invasive species currently populate our local community. 
  • Observation activities: This hands-on activity allowed our scientists to circuit around the room to view live and dead specimens under microscopes, in beakers, tanks, and even metal trays. A few of the species examined were dead sea cucumbers, cockroaches, tapeworms, and even more species. 
At the end of the day, the girls reflected on this hands-on day and expressed artistically on a puzzle piece what they learned from this exploratory day.









Monday, March 7, 2016

Fifth and Sixth Graders Volunteer at Fox Hill!


Helen Poon, Assistant to Lower School Director, chaperoned a volunteer service trip to Sunrise at Fox Hill, an assisted living home, with fifth and sixth grade volunteers. Ms. Poon shares details of the community outreach:

On Friday, March 4, fifth and sixth grade Lower School volunteers joined in an afternoon of games with residents of Sunrise at Fox Hill, our neighbor on Burdette Road. Fox Hill is working with the National Institute on Aging to establish a regular schedule of opportunities for intergenerational activities. Residents of Fox Hill and Lower School students, alike, enjoyed playing bingo and Apples to Apples. We look forward to more chance to interact next year!

We love new partnerships with local community members! Hooray fifth and sixth grade!








Thursday, March 3, 2016

Self-Defense for Seniors!


Our soon-to-be graduating seniors took a break from the books to learn some self-defense and personal safety skills. NOVA Self Defense Owner and Lead Coach Evan Dzierzynski walked through scenarios and taught the seniors how to best protect themselves and prevent dangerous situations.

Here are some of the photos from the nearly three hour workshop:










Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Stephanie Himelfarb '10 Shares her Engineer Journey with Middle School


On March 1, Stephanie Himelfarb '10 spoke to the entire Middle School about her career path to becoming an engineer. Himelfarb shared her triumphs throughout her STEM focused education, which lead to her current career as an engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton. She shared with the group that engineers are integral parts of society and are an integral part of solving real world problems.

Himelfarb recalled her time at Holton and how she was always making and tinkering with things in Lower School. Her all-girls education starting at Holton made her, "not afraid to think outside the box." Himelfarb also shared personal stories of perseverance when her male counterparts did not think she was capable. She gave critical advice to the Middle Schoolers and encouraged them to expose themselves to different aspects of STEM and make it a hobby. When referencing the lack of women in STEM, Himelfarb states, "Work still needs to be done, but it starts here with you."

Himelfarb attended Holton's Lower School  for third and fourth grade and moved to Middleburg, Virginia and graduated from Madeira. Himelfarb then went on to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA). Coincidentally, she ended up rooming with Holton graduate Carolyn Inglesby '10, during her first two years at UVA. While there, Himelfarb was a member of the Club Polo Team, Equestrian Team, and was a sister of Alpha Phi sorority. She currently lives in Arlington, Virginia and works as a System Engineer for DOD clients at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Thank you Stephanie for inspiring our Middle School!