This year, the TIU 11 did not hold their annual competition, but we didn't let that stop us! We conducted our own competition at MUASD. Special thanks to Kendra Wertz, who designed our medals and used our JH/SH classroom 3D printer to make them! AWESOME JOB to ALL!
Elementary gifted days are always a BLAST! This is time that our enrichment students collaborate and work together on various STEM activities.
On May 15, Mrs. Snyder and Mr. Cummins accompanied nine Mount Union students to the regional competition hosted by TIU #11 at Juniata College. Several students earned medals at this year's competition...CONGRATULATIONS to ALL!
News is everywhere! Our MU students got an up close and personal experience at WTAJ in May. Mr. Phil Dubrow, VP of WTAJ, invited Mrs. Snyder and her students for a private tour of the studio. Mr. Dubrow and his staff were extremely welcoming and friendly! We were greeted by Colleen Nelson, KC Kantz, Charlotte Ames, Mike Doyle, and Christy Shields. Several students received a meteorology tutorial from Christy! Playing with the green screen and controls was definitely a favorite, as well as reading the teleprompter from the anchor's desk! Special thanks to Mrs. Nancy Henry for chaperoning our trip!
This year, several students from grades 3-5, participated in a regional book club. The students were required to read approximately 20 books throughout the year and complete activities relating to the material. On May 1, our MU elementary book club traveled to Huntingdon Middle School to compete in the annual book club competition. The Kistler Krushers (Gracie, Cadence, Reagan) took 3rd place this year.We had a BLAST!
Mount Union students traveled to Harrisburg to observe and interact with a live surgery live streamed directly from Hershey Medical Center to the Whittaker Center. This year, we observed Dr. Pauli repair complications from a gastric bypass surgery. Before, during, and after the surgery, students were encouraged to ask questions to the surgeon directly. After the surgery, students visited the Whittaker Center.
This winter, our advanced learners have been SUPER busy! Being cooped up inside, has provided us with some time to explore with some STEM activities. In December, we competed in the Gum Drop Christmas Tree Challenge. Lily was our big winner this year! In January, all of our elementary students converged for a fun-filled morning! They created crystallized snowflakes that turned out beautifully. Additionally, in honor of the Winter Olympics this year, we learned about the science and technology behind the sport of snowboarding. The students paired up with our Junior High students to develop their very own snowboarder. The students had to utilize various physics theories in order to keep their snowboarder standing and intact. Finally, it was time to put their constructions to the test...the RACE!
What child wouldn't jump at an opportunity to visit anything associated with the infamous toy company, Toys "R" Us? Anita Young, MU gifted teacher, reached out to the company via email. Little did she know, she had just opened the doors to a huge opportunity! The company invited the students to the corporate headquarters. Mount Union students were the first students to visit the vast facility. Prior to the trip, the students completed a project in which they created a prototype of a new toy invention and a sales pitch which they presented to Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer. Last Thursday, the several Mount Union students from our gifted program traveled to the Toys R Us global corporate office in Wayne, New Jersey. From the moment the students and staff arrived, they were treated like royalty. A cameraman followed the students the entire day and will be creating a video that will be sent to the district. One of the main highlights of the trip was a surprise meeting with Dave Brandon, CEO. Upon talking to our students, Mr. Brandon realized that not all of the students have even visited a Toys R Us store. To resolve this, he invited the students to participate in a private tour of any store that we choose and added that the students will be given gift cards to spend while there. The day would not have been complete without playing with the newest toy releases! Additionally, the students participated in a scavenger hunt within the concept lab on campus. Lastly, Geoffrey, the toy store's mascot, provided the students with individual photo opportunities before the students departed. Toys "R" Us went over and above with gifts for the students, including donating an interactive globe, microscope, turbine motor kit, and a circuit board for the students to utilize in their respective MU gifted classes. Students were given lots of memorabilia…from a trip they are sure to remember for a very long time! Another great year of Math 24 at Juniata College! Mount Union was represented by 13 students this year at the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 Regional Tournament. We had some strong showings and competed very well with our math skills.
Congratulations to the following students for winning medals in this year's competition: Silver Medal: Emma S Bronze Medal: Rex P, Madi W, and Michael J. As always we will keep practicing and we look forward to next year's tournament! The MUASD Math 24 district tournament was help on Friday May 5th for 5th and 6th graders while the 4th grade tournament was held on Monday May 8th. The tournaments were full of excitement and great math skills! The following winners will be representing Mount Union are the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11's Math 24 tournament on Tuesday May 16th at Juniata College. Best of luck to all our students! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
Grade 4: 1- Michael J (Mapleton) 2- Gracie S (Kistler) 3- Joy J (Shirley) 4- Philip G (Mapleton) 5- Dalana S(Shirley) Grade 5: 1- Josh S (Kistler) 2- Madisen W (Shirley) 3- Logan Y (Mapleton) Grade 6: 1- Tommy H(Kistler) 2- Emma S (Kistler) 3- Rex P (Mapleton) 4- Erika F (Kistler) 5- Shelly B(Mapleton) 6- Kelly B (Mapleton) On Friday April 28, 2017 four female MUAHS students attended the Carnegie Science Center's Tour Your Future Event at the Wang/Robertson Labs at Pittsburgh University. These four young ladies met with two doctorate students to discuss an ongoing research project of creating a prosthetic blood vessel that will help with coronary heart disease. These young ladies got to see two different engineering careers- biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. After they walked through the labs and learn about some of the technology, they met with Dr. Robertson to discuss how she got into a STEM career and what it is like being a woman in engineering.
Congratulations to Morrison Scholarship Recipients: James Woods, Marie Daschbach, and Alexis Edgin. All three recipients will be embarking on their secondary education at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ in the fall of 2017. Best of luck and congratulations!
\On Tuesday April 18, 2017 three teams of 6th grade students competed at Huntingdon Area Middle School in a book club competition. There teams from Standing Stone Elementary School, Huntingdon Area Middle School, and 3 teams from the Mount Union Area School District (all three elementary schools were represented). These students read an additional 15 books from a pre-selected list this school year. They worked hard on remembering details and facts from each book. Congratulations to... The Literacy Divas- Lisa Faith S, Erika F, Kelly B, and Shelly B. This team placed in 2nd overall and first among the MUASD teams. The Literary Alliance- Kendra, Elly, Linden, Jocelyn, and Shamma. This team tied for 3rd place overall and tied for 2nd among the MUASD teams. The Trump Readers- Emma, Tommy, and Bradley. This team tied for 3rd place overall and tied for 2nd among the MUASD teams. All the students won certificates, trophies, and gift cards to Scholastic for purchasing books of their choice. Thank you to Mrs. Steward and the Huntingdon Area Middle School for hosting this event!! The Literary Divas The Trump Readers The Literary Alliance
It's that time of year again! Math 24 is back! Mrs. Young has been in several 4th-6th grade classrooms across the district to discuss, play, and hold Math 24 tournaments. District wide tournaments will be held Friday May 5th (5th and 6th grade) and Monday May 8th (4th grade). Top finishers from the district tournaments will move on to the TIU11 tournament at Juniata College on Tuesday May 16th.
If you want some extra resources to practice, here are some suggestions:
GET PRACTICING!!! Interested in doing something fun and educational this summer?
Check out some of the following opportunities that might be interesting:
On Friday November 4, 2016 a group of 15 students in 9th-12th grade attended the SciTech Day at Carnegie Science Center. During their visit they spoke to several colleges and professionals in the science and technology field. They discovered what many new careers were doing on a daily basis as well as some of the engineering and science programs offered at various colleges. In the morning students watched an interesting program called "In the year 2062..." Students got a glimpse of what life could be like in the year 2062. In the afternoon students had an option of workshops they could attend, some attend a video game design workshop while others attended a bio-engineering workshop. The bio-engineering workshop was led by a group of PhD and Masters Degree students from Pittsburgh University on the different paths one can study within bio-engineering. It was very informative! Overall, it was a great day for students to learn more about the different engineering fields available and what several jobs are like. The pictures are below are of students during their bio-engineering workshop.
At the end of October/beginning of November students receiving STEM enrichment have been working on designing a table that can hold a canned soft drink out of tape and popsicle sticks. Students had to use the least amount of popsicle sticks as possible to create a sturdy enough table. It is my pleasure to announce that the winner of the activity only used 7 popsicle sticks!! This was after a lot of trial and error and problem solving. Check out some ideas.
On Friday October 14th the 6th grade students from all 3 elementary schools came up to the Sr/Jr High for a STEM gifted day. Students discussed the engineering design process and then used the new knowledge to complete a STEM kit. After many attempts, solutions were created and the students worked collaboratively to share their findings with their classmates.
After a relaxed lunch, students learned about the new 3D printer and CAD designing using TinkerCAD. The students created their first design together. Check it out, it is the "Trump Chicken." |
AuthorMrs. Snyder Archives
April 2020
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