School news

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

Students of the sixth-grade STEM Academy at Spring Ridge Middle School will be attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. on Jan. 31 through Feb. 5, 2010. The class, which emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math, is seeking donations to help lower the expense of transportation and camp fees. The projected cost is $43,000 ($900 per student). Anyone who would like to sponsor a student can e-mail teacher Nathan Swick at nlswick@smcps.org for more information. The class has asked that donations be received by Nov. 23. Blazer Construction ($1,000), JF Taylor ($2,000), Research and Engineering Development ($100) and Patuxent Partnership ($250) have already offered support.

Two Great Mills students commended in program

Robert William Holland and Eric R. Dennis of Great Mills High School have been named commended students in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors. Approximately 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2010 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2010 competition by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT.

STEM students, teachers selected to participate in national conference

Gregory Lynn and Jennifer Lyons, both STEM students at Great Mills High School, were selected to present their project, Eyes in the Skies-The GMHS UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), as part of the Future Leaders Pavilion. The I/ITSEC (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference) is funded by the National Training and Simulation Association and includes the U. S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and industry. This conference promotes cooperation among the armed services, industry, academia and various government agencies in pursuit of improved training and education programs, identification of common training issues, and development of multiservice programs.

The students, along with their teacher/mentor Allen Skinner, are being sponsored to attend this conference by General Dynamics Information Technology located in California. Great Mills High School is one of eight high schools in the country selected to participate.

As part of this conference, two teachers, Stephanie Hampton (Great Mills High School) and Nathan Swick (Spring Ridge Middle School), have been selected to be part of the America's Teachers at I/ITSEC. The goal of this program is to familiarize teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with the field of modeling and simulation and support STEM education and careers. Eight teachers were selected representing Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, and New York. The National Training and Simulation Association is providing funding for these teachers to attend. The conference takes place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3.