H.H. Dow High School had a good showing at the SVSU math Olympics placing first in Level 1, third in Level 2, and second in the overall competition! For the level 1 competition, Jorja Massaro, Dominic Griffin, Avery Nickel, and Alexandra Leiti were honorable mention with Adrian Oikarinen and Ashton Vance placing third, and Christine Cai taking second place. For level 2, Nathan John and Olivia Meyer took honorable mention with Katie Watkins placing third overall. Great job!
april 3, 2023
Volume 10 Edition 34
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
Gerstacker And Distinguished service awards nominations open for 2023
Chip, Chip, Hooray!
Miss Kling and her second-grade students at Chestnut Hill Elementary reached out to Midland's Open Door after watching a video of a young man helping the homeless and deciding that they wanted to help their neighbors, too. They organized a school-wide facial tissue drive for the shelters and soup kitchen.
Chestnut Hill Elementary is proud of the action our students take to help others! Great job!
St. Paddy’s day certainly brought some luck to Midland High School as Human Body Systems (HBS) students were able to welcome a guest speaker to their class for the day! Shalonda Griffin, Community Relations Coordinator for Gift of Life Michigan, was invited to teach Mrs. McDonald’s HBS students about the state’s designated organ and tissue recovery program. The hands-on “All of Us” demonstration covers “the fundamentals of organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation, including an overview of the transplantable organs and tissues and their functions, why transplants are necessary, and the donation process.”
Students were invited to play “name that organ” and could win prizes by recognizing the diseased organ. They were also asked to view the classroom through glasses which simulate life with a Corneal disease and breathe through a small straw which helps students to recognize the struggle folks with lung problems encounter. One of the culminating activities included being able to handle and/or view a few preserved human organs.
The students had quite a bit of feedback about this engaging experience:
“My favorite part of the presentation is when we played name that organ and had to figure out what organ we were looking at. These organs were diseased which caused them to look almost unrecognizable so the task at hand was very challenging yet super fun and interesting.”
“I really enjoyed the interactive parts. When we put on the goggles to see what someone who needed a cornea transplant saw, that was very interesting.”
“Seeing the sick organs compared to what the organs are actually supposed to look like was really interesting. It made me think about the organs in my own body and what it world be like to be in the scenario that person was in.”
“The hands-on experience of touching the preserved organs was my favorite. I got to make connections to the presentation when I got to observe the structures of the organs I could donate.”
“The research we have done on the kidney helped us with answering questions during the presentation. We now know that the kidney is one of the most needed organs to transplant.”
“We got to see what could happen to the organs that we have been learning about in our units.”
“I think everything that was discussed was very beneficial to young teenagers like us who will end up going forward in life as well as maturing. And I think knowing at this age how organ donation can help make someone's life better is really important because it's a large topic and that can be handled appropriately.”
It was a great opportunity for students to make such strong connections between the anatomy content they have learned in class and the application it had with our guest speakers’ presentations. Many students have also shared that they now feel more confident in their ability to make an informed decision when the Secretary of State asks them about organ, eye, and tissue donation. Thank you, Ms. Griffin, for sharing your time and your knowledge!
On Saturday, March 18th, students from 11 counties presented science projects to judges at the Flint Regional Science & Engineering Fair at the University of Michigan-Flint.
Jefferson Middle School and H.H. Dow High School had participants who earned top placements, many specialty awards, and even cash prizes. Students in the top three places are invited to compete in the next level of competition in the Thermo-Fisher Innovators Challenge. This is an international competition that runs through the summer and fall.
For Jefferson Middle School:
- Emma Huang, a 7th grader, earned third place in the category of Earth, Environmental and Chemical Sciences for her project titled: Effect of Superabsorbent Polymers on Agricultural Water Management. She also earned special awards from Ascension Healthcare System for Environmental Management and Environmental Science and Bosch Motorsport- Invented for Life Award, and Mott Community College- Excellence in Technology.
- Aidan Johnson, an 8th grader, placed fifth in Physical Sciences and Engineering for his project titled: Lightning Energy Farm and a special award from Ascension Healthcare System for Earth & Planetary Science.
- Sanvi Patel, an 8th grader, earned second place in Earth, Environmental and Chemical Sciences for her project titled: The Unforeseen Dangers of Fertilizers. She also earned special recognition from the Flint River Watershed Coalition, Michigan Association of Hazardous Material Professionals, and Association for Women Geoscientists.
- Cathy Huang and Emma An, both 8th graders, earned Research Fellow status with their project titled: The Planets, Why, When and How.
- Joylin Brillhart, a 7th grader, and her partner from St. John’s Lutheran School, earned second place in Life Science for their project titled: Which Way is Up? Gravitropism in Microgreens for Space Travel.
- Vera Roberson, an 8th grader, placed fourth for merit in Earth, Environment, and Chemical Sciences for her project titled: Sustainable Food Waste Reduction.
“I am so proud of these students!” exclaimed Jefferson Science Teacher, Christine Brillhart. “They worked many extra hours outside of school to produce high-quality technical and scientific projects for the Flint Science Fair. This was Jefferson’s first year to compete and our students were outstanding!”
For H.H. Dow High School:
- Sahiba Kaur, fourth place overall and second place MIDHHS Explore Lab Science, Mott Community College-Excellence in Technology for project titled: A Mathematical Comparison of Binary Pool Testing and Single Covid Tests.
- Shubhan Nagarkar, fifth place overall and Bosch Motorsport-Technology for the Fast Track, Mott Community College-Excellence in Technology for project titled: Maximizing Osteogenesis through Optimization of Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds.
- Louis Huang, seventh place overall and U.S. Agency for International Development for project titled: Solar Powered Electrolysis of Green Hydrogen for Fuel-Cell Backup Generators.
- Amy Lee and Grant Wang, fourth place overall and Mott Community College-Excellence in Technology for project titled: Evaluation of Auxetic Foam Structures and TPU Composites for Shoe Midsole Design.
Congratulations to all the participants! Great job!
MPS Wraps Up March is Reading Month
To celebrate March is Reading Month, MPS participated in many fun activities including The Great Book Exchange, decorating classroom doors to represent favorite books with a penny war to choose a winner, Book Madness, and guest readers (including Superintendent Sharrow!) A lot of fun and a lot of great reading took place!
Central Park’s Primary Years Programme 5th Grade Exhibition
The theme of Central Park's Exhibition, “How The World Works,” was meant for students to engage in an in-depth collaborative inquiry, and to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning.
The event is also intended to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education and reflect upon their journey through the PYP.
Families and community members gathered to enjoy student projects in the halls of Central Park.
Congratulations to the Central Park 5th graders on a successful Exhibition! Way to go Explorers!
On Monday, March 20th, the Chemic Parent Partners surprised staff at Midland High School with coffee, muffins, and snacks from their "Sunshine Carts!" All staff enjoyed the personal delivery of snacks, coffee, and treats as the parent volunteers pushed their carts of joy down the hallways of MHS! Thank you to Parent Partner Members Christa Shepard, Sarah Hocking, Emma Palmiter, and Nicki Sabin who helped organize, prepare, decorate, and pedal the carts through the building.
A special thanks to Creation Coffee for the generous donation as well as all those who helped make the Sunshine Carts possible!
The Parent Partners will be meeting next at MHS on Monday, April 10th in the Media Center if you'd like to get involved! To donate for the next project, Student Testing Snacks for SAT day, sign up using the button below. Thank you!