ARCHIVE: March 7, 2013

It is our favorite time of year! Don't let the snow yesterday trick you, Spring is right around the corner...we know this because it is time to WELCOME our new Holton families! We are thrilled you are joining our community and we look forward to seeing you around campus soon. Enjoy your first edition of The Scene. AROUND CAMPUS It may not have happened on our campus, but recently our Holton 7th graders ventured over to Landon for a friendly competition in physics - the Landon/Holton Egg Drop. A tradition in the Middle School, this curricular collaboration gives our students an opportunity to work as a team, problem solve, and create a vehicle for an egg to descend safely from the top of a ten foot ladder to the concrete floor below. The students were given masking tape, drinking straws, paper, and 20 minutes to prepare their egg for its downward journey. Holton Middle School Director Tony Shawe and Landon Middle School Director Doug Norry had the honors of "ceremoniously" dropping the eggs from atop side-by-side ladders. Mr. Shawe reported, "There was definitely some training in the off-season, but in the end, the winning team relied on brains, not brawn to get the job done." Has your 4th grade daughter been asking an inordinate amount of thought-provoking questions? It is probably from the Q&A training she received in Lower School. The 4th grade students prepared thoughtful questions about protecting endangered animals in order to engage in a rich dialog with an expert panel on Tuesday. The event was in conjunction with their "Animals on the Edge" research project inspired by their Social Studies curriculum. The girls were most interested in how animals are affected by environmental issues, how they could help, and baby sea turtles. (Because, really...who doesn't love baby sea turtles?) Ultimately, they learned that in order to protect endangered animals, they must protect their habitats. Get ready to see some new habits forming - saving water, recycling, composting, and don't be surprised if she asks you not to idle in the carpool line. Thanks to our panel of experts! Glynis Lough, Chief of Staff, National Climate Assessment Macara Lousberg, Director, Water Policy Staff, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Karin M. Krchnak, Director, Freshwater, World Wildlife Fund Ted Sears, Senior Project Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Debra Zeyen, Senior Director Marine Communications, Global Marine Division of Conservation International Don't think it was all serious, environmental business...the girls did have a break for an energizer and even the experts got in on the action. Check out the moves at the end of the video...rock the mullet! In Upper School 9th and 10th grade students learned some cool, new moves on their graphing calculators during flex time on Monday. The math department put together activities that integrated mathematical modeling with graphing calculator skills. The girls in the Algebra 2 and Trig classes looked at and modeled data on the number of hours of daylight for several cities around the globe. The goals of this activity were to fit models to data, make predictions, and think about periodic functions. After learning more about the functionality of the graphing calculator, the girls in Algebra 1 and Geometry conducted an experiment with a spring apparatus and weights. By adding weights to a suspended spring they were able to write a mathematical equation that modeled the length of the spring for a given weight added. Did you catch all of that? If so, bravo! If not, no worries...rumor has it that seven precalculus students added their experience and expertise by serving as teaching assistants. Perhaps they can tutor those of us who need a refresher. Have a great week everyone!