By Cynthia Chin
East High School
East High students and current eighth-graders are in the process of selecting courses for 2018-19. Be sure to investigate all the options and think ahead about what can be done now to develop skills for a livelihood later. In addition to core academic skills, there are many opportunities at East to develop cultural competence and artistic talent, investigate specific career fields and get a head start on earning technical certifications or Madison College/UW Madison credits.
Talk to counselors soon about dual credit options, Advanced Placement and the Youth Options program, all of which enable prepared and motivated students to begin their post-secondary studies early. More about Youth Options can be found at cte.madison.k12.wi.us/youth-options.
Pi Mile, the Math Club’s annual 5K fund-raiser for graphing calculators is coming up soon. Students who can’t wait for snow to melt off the race course should see Mr. Galarowicz or Ms. Paschke to sign up for the February and March math meets.
Thank you to the families of East alumni Olive Lemberger and Kristi and Heather Entwistle for the donation of used graphing calculators for current East students.
Six teams of East students participated in the November 2017 High School Mathematics Competition in Modeling. Results were still pending at press time, but will be released in January. Two teams researched, problem-solved and wrote on transforming a western United States property into a ski resort capable of hosting world-class competitions. They planned routes and sited facilities for athletes as well as spectators. Our other four-teams chose to create mathematical algorithms and determine logistical needs for deployment of a light-bearing drone fleet, an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional fireworks displays. At least one team from East will compete in the prestigious MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge the weekend of March 2‒5.
America Saves Week is Feb. 26‒March 3. East students can improve their financial know-how by taking specific math, social studies, business and family and consumer science courses. Read that course catalog carefully. Learn more by asking a teacher, and visit americasavesweek.org.
National Engineers Week is Feb. 18‒24. Mark your calendar and join the fun Feb. 22. East High Engineering Club students led sixth-grade science students at Black Hawk Middle School in two activities designed to increase their knowledge of structural engineering — working on buildings that can survive hurricane-force winds and associated storm surges in coastal areas. Thank you to Science Teacher Kristoffer Bohling for hosting our visit on Jan. 10.
These activities and many more will be shared with families throughout the East attendance area on the evening of Feb. 22. A free showing of the MacGillivray Freeman film “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” will take place in the East High Auditorium (Margaret Williams Theater). The 45-minute film highlights the work of engineers to make our world safer, cleaner and more equitable. Families with students in grades K-12 at East High and its associated middle and elementary schools are invited to attend. There will also be opportunities to engage in hands-on activities and meet with representatives of the UW Madison College of Engineering.
We anticipate a welcome and preliminary activity period beginning at 5:15 pm, with the film at 6 pm. After the film, participants may choose to try another activity or attend a Q&A session. The event will conclude at approximately 7:45 pm.
Please note: This schedule is tentative at press time. For an update, email or call Engineering Club Advisor Cynthia Chin at cchin@madison.k12.wi.us or 204-1603 ext. 41534.
East’s Robotics team for the FIRST Tech Challenge Competition was scheduled to complete the first round (state level) of competition by the end of January. Stay tuned for news of our results. Thank you to Sector 67 for serving as our design-and-build venue. Thanks also to Chris Meyer, Sean Size and Alex Squitieri for mentoring the team members.