February 2014 Contents
Transcription
February 2014 Contents
F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 4 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 6 Co n t e n t s 2 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM: CHANGES TO THE CURRICULUM 4 STRIKING A BALANCE & FINDING HAPPINESS 6 9 SCIENCE BOWL OHS PHYSICAL EDUCATION 10 14 ALL ABOUT ENROLLMENT STUDENT TRAVEL UPDATES 7 11 16 FIVE MINUTES (OR LESS) WITH COLLEGE COUNSELING COMING SOON GRADUATION WEEKEND 2014 17 8 12 CLUB SPOTLIGHT: MODEL UNITED NATIONS GOES TO ILMUNC EXPERIMENT OF THE MONTH: CANDY CHROMATOGRAPHY STUDENT NEWS FROM THE OHSPA ARTIST SPOTLIGHT 18 EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES Letter from the Dire CHANGES TO TH Each year as we renew the curriculum, we set out with the goals of being responsive to student interest, improving alignment and connections among courses, and enhancing flexibility. This year, we are excited in particular to be able to expand the middle-school program and to add courses at the highschool level that respond to perennial student and family interest, especially the detailed input we received in the accreditation surveys of last year. MIDDLE SCHOOL This year has been an exciting time for the Stanford OHS middle school. The middle school now represents one quarter of all enrollment at the school, and appears to be on pace to grow rapidly again next year. We are therefore happy to be able to make several additions to the curriculum that expand the options for current and future middle-school students. First, we are introducing a new Core course—the first in three years—designed for students in the 8th grade. This optional course, Human Nature and Society, will prepare students for the highschool Core program, both in its focus on critical reading and writing, and in its content. Exploring interpretations and theories of human nature in works from across the humanities, the course introduces students to ideas that pervade the high school curriculum about what it is to be human and how this nature shapes our life in society. We are also very excited to offer our first language course specifically designed for middleschool students. Latin 1A will be offered in the fall as the first of a two-year sequence (Latin 1B will be offered in the fall of 2015–16) designed to introduce students to the language in preparation to enter Latin 2 in 9th grade. 2 ector of Curriculum BY JEFFREY SCARBOROUGH, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM HE CURRICULUM HIGH SCHOOL At the high-school level, new courses expand students’ options at both the early and later ends of the curriculum. economics at the AP and post-AP level as well. Two semester-long courses, AP Microeconomics and Advanced Topics in Microeconomics, will provide students a thorough preparation for Earth, Environment, and Energy studies processes university-level study in the field. Consistent with of Earth and space ranging from geological forthe research and writing focus of ‘advanced topics’ mation to the capture and storage of energy. The courses at Stanford OHS, students in the second course will serve as a rigorous introduction to labo- course will practice their understanding of empiriratory science at the high-school level at Stanford cal and experimental study design in a significant OHS, and gives students a foundation in a field— research paper or literature review on a topic of environmental science—in which the Stanford their own choosing. OHS community has expressed ongoing interest. In the midst of additions such as these that meet Another new course builds on a unique strength emerging needs and interests, course development of Stanford OHS instructors and an intense point and renewal continues across the school. New opof interest among students. The Study of Mind: portunities will exist for many students in the huPsychology, Neuroscience, and Philosophy repmanities with the return of Film Art in the spring resents a collaboration of the science and Core and a new topic in the Advanced History Research divisions and will accordingly draw on texts and Seminar. In English, the semester-long advanced concepts in the study of mind at the intersection of topics courses will also feature new topics: Chauseveral fields. Topics may include Freudian psycer and the Aesthetics of the Unfinished (Fall) and choanalysis, the neurobiology underlying emotion, “The apparel oft proclaims the man”: Gender and animal cognition, as well as topics to be deand Clothing in Shakespeare’s Plays (Spring). As a termined by student interest. This interdisciplinary school, we are eager to watch and work with our course draws on students’ backgrounds in biology students as they engage this new material. as well as in English and the humanities, and satisfies the science requirement (not as a lab science) or the social science requirement. Finally, we are excited to be offering courses in OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 3 Striking A Balance Finding happiness & BY TRACY STEELE, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING or those who think balance, happiness, and a sense of well-being can wait— until after you’ve finish all of the homework or that acceptance letter from your college of choice arrives—I ask: what comes first, success or happiness? For those fortunate members of the Stanford OHS Book Club who are currently reading Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage, the research tells us that happiness, in fact, most often precedes success. Achor writes: F “Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.” O ne important aspect of happiness is in strik- ing a balance. In addition to our academics, this means making time for our friends, our family, taking a walk outside, being of service in our community, and following our bliss. A s a counselor at Stanford OHS, I often speak with students about the concept of balance in their daily lives: How much time do you spend on school work, with friends and family, in extra-curricular activities? How much sleep do you typically get each night? Are you involved in service activities? For students in an online high school, going to school, talking with friends, and participating in clubs can all be done online—therefore, I also often find myself asking students: How much time do you spend on the computer? Like many adolescents, and especially high achieving and motivated teens, attaining balance is often thought as a nice ideal, something to be attained “later,” once all of the homework has 4 been completed and all of those college applications are sent out. Yet, research has shown the immense benefits that individuals, and especially adolescents, derive from engaging in activities that require them to close their books and get out from behind the computer screen. O ne particular benefit of getting out from behind the screen is in the area of friendship. Making and enjoying friendships is one of the best predictors of mental health. During adolescence, friendships become increasingly important as teens become more independent. While social networking enables those who might otherwise be shy or less inclined to reach out and make friends, students whose only friendships are online may miss out on the protective factors friendships have as a social support network. For example, empathy and intimacy are most closely fostered by face-to-face interactions and time spent together, in person. S tudents can benefit from this important support by seeking out friendships at home and in their local communities as well as nurturing the friendships that they have online. For many of our students, making friends in a busy life is not the easiest task to accomplish. It can be a challenge to push their selves out of a comfort zone and set priorities, just as they might with an academic assignment or task. As one Stanford OHS alumnus recalls: “By the end of my sophomore year however, I realized that just as the Stanford OHS had made me selfmotivated in the classroom, I had to learn how to seek social opportunities on my own. This motivated me to join student government and organize regional meet ups, as well as joining chamber music at my music school and meeting people at local open mic nights.” –Stanford OHS Alumnus G etting involved in service activities in the community is another way to not only make friends, but also to gain innumerable benefits that come from helping others. Service, or helping others, is one of the most effective ways to increase personal happiness. Thinking and doing for others can create increased life satisfaction, provide a sense of meaning, increase competence, improve mood, and reduce stress. One caveat: feeling burdened by service can actually be detrimental to our overall mental health. It’s therefore important to make sure that the service activities that you participate in are those that you care about, that you believe in, and are truly passionate about. If you are simply engaging in service activities to pad a resume or college application, you may find that it becomes more of a burden than a benefit – so think carefully about the things that are most important to you. H ow do you have time for friendships, ser- vice, and your extracurricular activities and other significant pursuits while also maintaining solid academic performance? It’s important to understand that balance is often more of a process of living, than it is an achievement or goal, and there are a few keys to consider when attempting to find balance at Stanford OHS. F irst, examine your study habits. Track how much time you are spending in course work. As a rule of thumb, a Stanford OHS course, including lectures, discussion sections, reading, and assignments should take in total between 8–10 hours per class per week. Therefore, for students taking a full load of courses, you should aim to spend 40–50 hours per week on schoolwork. If you are spending significantly more time than this on your classes, a little more introspection might be helpful: are you becoming easily distracted during study time by receiving and answering emails, chatting with friends, or keeping up to date on Facebook? Or, if you don’t think you are overly sidetracked by online distractions, is it possible you are spending too much time studying? Some students may spend countless hours on small assignments—or have an approach to studying that is not as effective as it could be, as is often the case. Talking with an instructor during office hours about the situation or discussing your time management strategies with your counselor can help you study more efficiently, and leave you more free time! J ust as with academic skills and knowledge, maintaining balance and engaging in healthy social and emotional activities has shown to help individuals thrive—whether that is measured by improved academic success or a higher sense of fulfillment and life satisfaction. Beyond connecting with friends and families and becoming involved in your community, other key activities that can help individuals reduce stress and find joy include eating a well-balanced diet, exercising on a regular basis, creating a gratitude list or journaling about positive experiences in your life, and meditating or engaging in mindfulness. W hile simple, engaging in these tasks and habits on a consistent basis can be challenging. I hope that our students take a few minutes to consider how much time they spend in the pursuit of social and emotional balance and look for ways to develop these practices on a regular basis—the results promise to develop a healthier and, ultimately, happier you. OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 5 All About Enrollment BY KATHRYN BALSLEY, ENROLLMENT COORDINATOR » The Course Catalog is Here! « Have you already begun looking through the listings to see what courses you want to take next year? Have you printed out your FourYear Planning Guide and begun to fill in the slots? Are you eager to learn more about the new course offerings and how to make the right course choices? Excellent! The Enrollment and Advising team is here to make this as streamlined and informed a process as possible for you. Everything begins with the Enrollment page on the Gateway website. This page will give you the step-by-step guide you need to start reviewing course options and submitting your requests. Please note that students who complete the enrollment process by MARCH 10TH will have their time constraints considered in the build of the master schedule. our new course offerings. Academic Advisors, Counseling, and Division Heads will all be in attendance. Most importantly, your best resource and guide in this process will be your ACADEMIC ADVISORS. Our advising team at Stanford OHS is trained specially to understand our students' varied academic goals, and help A new element we have added this year are craft the curricular choices that will best alVIDEO PRESENTATIONS from our Division low them to achieve those goals. Not every Heads and the Counseling team that will student will need to meet with their advisor, take you through the different course options but we encourage all students planning to and things to consider as you make your graduate to set up a meeting time with their requests. You can find a link to these inforadvisor. I hope that many of you will take mational videos on the Enrollment website. advantage of this excellent We will also have TWO Q&A SESSIONS IN resource. TH SABA ON FEBRUARY 28 where you can I wish you the best in this ask more specific questions and learn about process! 6 Five Minutes (or Less) with College Counseling BY ADAM LIPS, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING & KATE ROSSETTI, COLLEGE COUNSELOR Our goal each month is to offer our community five ideas, tips, or other pieces of advice that families will find useful as their students look toward applying to college. This month, we highlight the financial aid process, focusing on some of the most important terms with which to become familiar as you consider how you will pay for college. TYPES OF AID APPLYING FOR AID Need-based Aid FAFSA Need-based aid is awarded upon the financial need demonstrated by a student and his or her family. Need-based aid may take a variety of forms—most commonly grants, loans, and work-study. Grants are “free money” and directly reduce the cost of attendance, while loans must be paid back, with interest. A work-study award allows you to obtain an on-campus job with the expectation the student will use the earnings to support attendance. The breakdown of a student’s need-based financial aid package (i.e., the composition of loans, grants, and workstudy) is determined by the Financial Aid Office of each college. Stands for ‘Free Application for Federal Student Aid.’ All twoyear and four-year colleges make use of the FAFSA in determining a student’s federal need-based financial aid—including federal loans. The FAFSA form becomes available on January 1st of each year. Students should complete the FAFSA for the first time in the spring semester of their senior year of high school, submitting it to all the colleges to which they apply. Students are required to fill out and re-submit the form each year they are enrolled in college, as financial circumstances may change from year to year. Merit-based Aid CSS Profile Merit-based aid does not take into account a student’s finances, but rather focuses upon academic talents or special skills (such as artistic, athletic, or musical abilities). Merit-aid is generally awarded by colleges looking to draw certain types of students. In such cases, these merit awards would not be transferrable to other institutions. However, merit-aid may also take the form of scholarships awarded by outside organizations and could be used at an institution of the student’s choice. Most importantly: merit-aid is “gift aid,” and thus does not need to be paid back. While all colleges require the FAFSA to determine need-based aid eligibility, only some (roughly 400 institutions) require the CSS Profile. This form is primarily used to determine eligibility for institutionally based (non-federal) aid, such as loans, scholarships, and grants awarded directly by a specific college. It is similar to the FAFSA. However, while the FAFSA is a universal form, some of the questions on the CSS profile are specific to the school or program to which you are applying. FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES Net Price Calculator Starting in October 2011, all colleges were federally mandated to display a net price calculator on their website. A college’s net price is the annual cost paid by a given student after taking into account scholarships and grants. Net price calculators allow a student to enter their own information to determine what they might pay at the school, after accounting for personal factors. Net price calculators may or may not include merit or institutional aid awards. The more information a student has on hand when using the calculator, the more accurate the estimated cost will be. OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 7 Club Spotlight: Model United Nations goes Goes to ILMUNC BY BRAM WANG (’14) What do Ke$ha, miniature parking meters, and late night Tolkien discussions all have in common? The Ivy League Model United Nations Conference! The Stanford OHS MUN Club team converged in Philadelphia from January 30th through February 2nd to debate and deliver speeches, write clauses, as well as celebrate and dance with the best of them. Our team, comprised of six delegates, divided into separate committees and topics: DISARMAMENT & INTERNATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE (DISEC): MADELYN HURWITZ (’17), EVAN GONG (’15) LEGAL COMMITTEE: EMILY DAHL (’15) SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN, & CULTURAL COMMITTEE (SOCHUM): EVA GUEVARA (’16) SPECIAL POLITICAL & DECOLONIZATION COMMITTEE (SPECPOL): JEREMY DUQUE (’16), BRAM WANG (’14) Thursday was filled with that uniquely Stanford OHS experience of “Oh, that’s what you look like in real life!” After researching and preparing for months beforehand online, we were now all finally in the same, physical room. We met up with Stanford OHS MUN Club president emeritus Darcy Deane, a board member on the ILMUNC committee and student at University of Pennsylvania, to review some few tips over a pizza dinner at the hotel lounge. Then, with the excited, nervous air of being in a room with hundreds of other delegates, we entered our first few hours of committee session. Flurries of placards and notepads and note-passing (intrigue!) abounded as we all became accustomed to our new settings. Already, we could feel eyes sweeping the room for potential alliances. Friday dawned clear and sunny. A few of us elected to tour the University of Pennsylvania, visiting famous campus spots and brushing up on some college information. After a quick lunch, we made our way to our next committee session (we were already discovering the nightmare of trying to cram hundreds of delegates into six elevators over 26 floors—10 minutes had never seemed longer). New experiences awaited us here again, as we discovered how chaotic un-moderated caucusing turned out to be. We negotiated the social waters and presented our ideas to delegates from other schools. We spent our time running up and down aisles as we passed notes, wrote amendments, made alliances, and discovered groups of countries (blocs) to sponsor resolutions. Committee sessions went late into the night on Fri- 8 day, but fit in a quick break in the form of a Stanford OHS team dinner; around midnight we all tumbled into our hotel rooms, tired, but ready for the next day! Saturday morning found us wondering where all the time had gone! After another morning session debating draft resolutions, we hustled to Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. The wall of smells and sounds quickly drew us in as we split into groups and explored the bustling market center. We gulped down meals before heading back to the conference for more resolution debating and strategizing. While we busily wrote and gave speeches, resolutions turning in our heads, we were also getting pumped for the Delegate Dance, which was planned for later that night! After session was over, the Delegate Dance became the buzz of the hallways. Entering the dance room, the ear-deafening roar of electronic beats and the tangible energy in the air drew all eyes to the center of the room. We joined the 2700 other delegates to dance with glow sticks to the thudding house music and auto-tune of Ke$ha. During dance breaks, we fit in time for academic discussions on literature and movie comparisons while the synths from a few doors down shook the floor. I think it would be appropriate to say, here, #onlyattheOHS. Sunday found us all wanting a little more time to spend with each other, mingled with a strange feeling of excitement and anticipation for seeing the results of all our hard work, and a sadness that the weekend was over. We spent the morning voting on resolutions, striking clauses, and generally goofing off after the official conference agenda was over (delegates sang karaoke and had rap-battles instead of giving speeches). All too soon we were all in the lobby and slowly saying our goodbyes heading to our various destinations. Reflecting on this conference, we have all learned so much. We debated and danced, we spoke and negotiated, we formed alliances, and made the Stanford Online High School debut at ILMUNC. As club president, I can say that I have seen so much growth and change in each and every delegate. I am so proud of all of us and am so pleased to lead and be a part of the Stanford OHS Delegation team. As the chair might say, applause is in order…Decorum! Science Bowl BY KIM FAILOR, DIVISION HEAD OF SCIENCE For the fourth year in a row, a team of Pixels represented Stanford OHS at the Regional Science Bowl competition at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) on Saturday, February 8th. The Science Bowl is a quiz bowl-style competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy in which two teams of four players face off to answer questions from Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Energy, Mathematics, and Physics. Lynbrook High School and Monta Vista High School and kept them on their toes. (Our team was leading at the half in both matches, and tied Monta Vista!). Despite the early end to the day, the team had a fun time competing and spending time together. That evening, the team was joined by a host of Stanford OHS families, instructors, and staff at The Melt for some specialized grilled cheese fare at the Stanford Shopping Center. This year the Stanford OHS team was composed of Team Captain Thomas Keeffe (AK, class of ’14), Daniel Wallick (NY, class of ’16), Adarsh Ramchandran (CA, class of ’16), and Shalin Shah (CA, class of ’18). They were also joined by coach Dr. Kim Failor (Division Head of Science), parents, and instructors. THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT MADE THIS WEEKEND A REALITY AND JOINED IN THE FUN! On Friday, the team gathered on campus for their only inperson practice as a team. Instructors from across the divisions made an appearance at the practice to help in training, reading questions, or just to say hi. The students worked long and hard all day. On Saturday, the team met bright and early at SLAC. Stanford OHS competed against some tough teams, including OHS Physical Education BY KENDRA PETERSON, ACADEMIC ADVISOR As a diverse and passionate online community, Stanford OHS is constantly looking for ways to support our students in their health, as well as their intellectual and personal growth. This year, we’ve made some changes to the Physical Education curriculum, implementing monthly logs, goal setting, reflection, and bringing in expert speakers to share their knowledge with the school. The midyear survey and reflections have all come in, and it has been such a pleasure to hear about student experiences thus far! So what have students in Stanford OHS PE done this year? Students have earned new belt levels in martial arts, improved their handicaps in golf, competed in swimming and tennis, performed in shows, and faced head-on the challenge of getting out and moving when so much of their academic lives take place in front of the computer. Students have found time for short runs in the morning or yoga between classes, trained rigorously for competitions, and experimented with new activities. They’ve stepped outside for a basketball game with friends or a hike with family, ran marathons, and improved their skills in existing passions. They’ve set goals, and have enlisted the help of dogs, family members, trainers, coaches, teams, and friends to meet those goals. We were very happy to welcome trainer Rob Dudlee in the fall to speak to speak to students about the importance of physical activity and to run students through some exercises that they could do at home. This spring, we’ll be focusing on the nutritional and health needs common to high school students with a presentation by Ms. Caroline Kaufman, a nutritionist, registered dietician and award-winning food blogger. Moving forward, we’ll be incorporating the wonderful feedback from students and families and looking for more ways for Stanford OHS students to share their activities and accomplishments with each other. On top of reaching out to the Stanford OHS Community, we’ll be working with the Health and Fitness centers at Stanford University to expand our resources and share in their invaluable expertise. Some of the activities students are doing: Basketball, Football, Soccer, Weight Lifting, Running, Track and Field, Skiing, Rowing, Yoga, Biking, Hiking, Tap Dance, Contemporary Dance, Ballet, Tennis, Elliptical, Swimming, Equestrian, Jazz dance, Pilates, Calisthenics, Badminton, Ultimate Frisbee, Hockey, Archery, Martial Arts, Skiing, Figure Skating, Aerial Skiing, Karate OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 9 Student TravelUpdates We’re pleased to announce the latest steps towards offering travel experiences for Stanford OHS students. Below you’ll find results of the Student and Parent Travel Surveys, which will guide us in planning a trip that will be open to all students during the 2014–15 academic year or summer of 2015. As this long-range planning continues, we’re very excited to announce a smaller Spanish Immersion trip coming up in the summer of 2014! Find details below. Results of the Spanish Travel Surveys Argentina Student & Parent BY SUMMAR AUBREY, DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE Last November, we asked parents and students to complete surveys about student travel. 260 students and 90 parents completed the surveys, and the results of the student and parent surveys were very similar. We were thrilled to see that our community shares our enthusiasm for establishing travel enrichment experiences for our students. In fact, on both the student and parent surveys, more than half of respondents indicated that their interest in attending such a trip was a 5 on a scale of 1–5 scale. Results from both surveys indicated that the primary purpose of these trips should be: 1. exposure to other places and people, 2. studying specific topics related to the places visited, 3. and building ties with the Stanford OHS community. The surveys indicated great interest in visiting all areas of the world, and just about every country you can imagine was suggested as a destination. There is clearly enthusiasm for a wide range of destinations, from locations within the United States, to Brazil, to Russia. The best time for such a trip appears to be during spring break or in early summer. With the information above as well as all of your thoughtful comments submitted in the survey, we will be moving forward to organize a trip for the 2014–15 school year or summer of 2015. As planning continues, we may solicit feedback through additional surveys or meetings. In the meantime, if you’d like to share further thoughts about student trips, you can contact Chinese Instructor, Laurie Bickart or Director of Student Life, Summar Aubrey, who are currently conducting our research on student trips. 10 Immersion Trip to BY JENNY NADANER, SPANISH INSTRUCTOR This summer our Spanish program will be offering a Spanish Immersion Program in Mendoza, Argentina in June and July 2014. The purpose of the program is to expand the educational opportunities for Stanford OHS students with a Spanish language background by exposing them to the language, culture, history, ecology, and selected industries of Argentina, in a manner that ensures safety and individual guidance across a wide range of authentic experiences. At the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, a top-ranking university in Latin America, students will take 80–90 hours of language immersion courses ranging from formal language instruction to a wide array of courses in literature, history, music, culture, dialectology and many other subjects at the CELE (Centro de Español como Lengua Extranjera, or Center for Spanish as a Foreign Language). The CELE has an extensive record of conducting Spanish Language Immersion programs for many US universities as well as private student groups. Additionally, students can participate in many special hikes and excursions in the Andes, take tango classes, enjoy horseback riding, visit regional vineyards and olive oil factories—and much more. For more information about the CELE and testimonials from past participants, please refer to the website. Stay tuned for more information about the program coming soon! Coming Soon Graduation Weekend 2014 BY SUMMAR AUBREY GRADUATION WEEKEND is only a few months away! Before we know it, seniors will be donning their caps and gowns, and families will be gathered here on campus at Stanford University for this wonderful weekend that celebrates our community, the accomplishments of our students—and especially the class of 2014. The weekend will start with a WELCOME EVENT on FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH. At this event, many of us see each other in person for the first time. Science instructor, Kalée Tock described this experience well: “I feel giddy actually seeing students in person— I know them so well but have only ever seen them from the neck up. I always get their heights wrong.” From the student perspective, seeing friends, and especially instructors, in person for the first time is equally exciting. Sophomore Megan Gessner said, “You get to meet your teachers, which is about as exciting as meeting a movie star, and you get to spend time with your friends and the people you love.” The AWARDS CEREMONY & 8TH GRADE PROMOTION will follow the kick-off on Friday. This event is a staff favorite! Director of Instruction, Tomohiro Hoshi loves this event because we “get to praise our students’ great achievements.” After the Awards Ceremony, the seniors will head to downtown Palo Alto for the traditional Senior Dinner with Stanford OHS instructors and staff. A BREAKFAST FOR PARENTS & STANFORD OHS ADMINISTRATION will start the day on SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH. After that, outdoor games organized by our parent committee, will get us all moving. Science instructor, Raphey Holmes, especially enjoys these outdoor events. When recalling the 2013 celebration, he said, “My favorite part of Graduation Weekend last year was playing Frisbee with Stanford OHS students. It's really hard to do that over Saba, what with all the lag.” Saturday’s main event is the HIGH SCHOOL PROM, which will be held at the Westin hotel in Palo Alto. Don’t forget your cameras and corsages! A MIDDLE SCHOOL MEET-UP will also be held on SATURDAY NIGHT for our younger students. SUNDAY, JUNE 8TH is the big day for seniors: they’ll receive their diplomas at the GRADUATION CEREMONY, surrounded by friends and family. Senior Brendan McDonnell anticipates that this will be an emotional day for the seniors: “What I most look forward to at this graduation is truly experiencing the sense of camaraderie the Senior Class has been building for years; now that we are so close, graduation will be a bittersweet farewell and a symbolic leap into the next chapter of our lives.” The GRADUATION PAGE ON GATEWAY will be updated frequently over the coming months, so check in regularly for the latest event details. The page now includes information on hotel discounts in the Stanford area. These hotels have specially reserved rooms for the Stanford OHS community on Graduation Weekend, and we encourage you to book soon. Special thanks to parent Mary Ann Bugni (Andrea, ‘13 and Vince, ‘16) for her work in arranging these hotel blocks. An RSVP SYSTEM will be added to the Gateway right around Spring Break, at which point you can register for the events you plan to attend and purchase any corresponding tickets (some events are free and others are ticketed.) You can also visit the Gateway page to find a list of our wonderful parent volunteers who help make this weekend possible. This year, the PARENT GRADUATION COMMITTEE is co-chaired by Cynthia Saitta (Jonathan, ‘10) and Veronica Forest (Roma, ‘15). Our hats are off to all of them for their hard work! We encourage families of Stanford OHS students of all ages to join us for Graduation Weekend. IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SOCIALIZE, CELEBRATE THE END OF THE YEAR, AND HONOR OUR GRADUATING SENIORS. Megan Gessner (‘16) summed up the experience of the weekend perfectly when she said, “Graduation Weekend has to be the best weekend of the entire year for a Stanford OHS student … It's a joy like no other to have the entire school alive, non-pixelized, and in one place.” We couldn’t agree more, Megan! We hope to see many of you here in June! OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 11 Experiment of the Month Can�� Chromatography BY KIM FAILOR This Valentine’s Day your eyes were likely bombarded with a million shades of red and pink. Luckily, one traditional Valentine’s Day candy breaks the rosy monotony: the Necco Sweetheart. Necco Sweethearts are those pastel-colored candies with lovey-dovey messages printed on them. You can’t say much for their flavor, but at least they come in colors other than red and pink! You can’t really blame the candy companies for trying to stick us with monochromatic candy. After all, making your candy an appealing color can be tricky business; even the simplest-looking candy colors are in fact complex mixtures of just the right ratios of a handful of dyes. A drop of blue can turn something from a neon green that is perfect for sour apple Skittles into the teal you’ll find coating Jordan Almonds. It’s all about food coloring Food coloring is a pigment, and pigments work by absorbing certain colors of light while reflecting others. The light we get from the sun and most light bulbs is a mixture of every color of light imaginable, but when all of these colors hit our eyes, we perceive it as white. One way that objects can appear colored is by absorbing most colors and reflecting just a few. Blue food coloring appears blue because the molecules in the food coloring absorb all the different colors of light—except the blue color of light that we might see when looking at a bottle of blue Gatorade. There are fewer than 20 commonly used food colorings, but these can be combined in nearly infinite combinations to produce an unlimited pallet of colors. It can be hard to tell what colors of dye and what proportions account for all of the cool colors that we see when we look into a bag of Skittles or Sweethearts. However—with a little bit of separation chemistry we can take these colors apart and learn more about their secret formula. What’s Separation Chemistry? Separation chemistry is a set of chemical techniques that is used to separate complex mixtures into their individual parts using differences in physical or chemical properties between the different parts. If you’ve taken biology, then you know all about centrifugation, a separation technique that isolates different components of a mixture by their mass. In this experiment, we’ll be using paper chromatography to separate candy colors by their differing solubilities in a salt water solution. When performing paper chromatography, chemists place spots of a dissolved mixture at the bottom edge of a piece 12 of paper, and then allow a solvent to travel up the paper through capillary action. Components of the spotted mixture that are very soluble in the solvent will dissolve first and so they will leave the spot first and thus travel higher up the paper than components that are less soluble. After the chromatogram is finished, you should be able to see all of the individual colors that went into making each of the candy colors you studied! Plus, it will look cool! Here’s what you will need • • • • A bag of multi-colored Sweethearts or other colorful candy A large coffee filter cut into a square with at least 3-inch edges Several 1 tablespoon-sized cups made out of aluminum foil, 1 for each color of candy Hot water to dissolve candy 3 4 5 6 7 8 Straw-type coffee stirrers or wooden toothpicks A glass jar, or cup large enough for your coffee paper square to fit standing up Table Salt Scissors Ruler Pencil (pen will not work!) Procedure 1 2 • • • • • • Make predictions about what color dye each candy color will be made out of. Cut a square out of a standard coffee filter. If you are using a basket-type filter, avoid using the crimped edges as part of your square. Use a ruler to draw a straight line ¼ inch from one edge of the filter square. Use aluminum foil to make 5 tablespoon size cups. These will be used to dissolve your candy. Place one piece of candy of each color into each cup. Add a few drops of water to each of the candy pieces, and stir until the water becomes strongly candy-colored. The darker colored your water, the better your chromatograph will look. If you are using Sweethearts, you may want to avoid dissolving the words by just swirling the bottom of the hearts in the water. For each color, use a new coffee stirrer or tooth pick to pick up a small amount candy colored water, and dab it onto the line that you drew on the coffee filter square. The spot of colored water should be quickly absorbed into the paper. For the best results you should separate each spot of color as much as possible, ½ inch is good for 5 or fewer colors. Allow the spots to dry completely. Repeat step #6 two or three more times. The darker your spots, the better your results will be! 9 10 11 Use a pencil to label each color of spot beneath the line you drew in step #2. To make the solvent, or developing solution, dissolve ⅛ teaspoon of salt in 3 cups of water. Pour the salt solution into the jar (or cup) so that the height of the solution is a little less than ¼ inch. You want the solution to be lower than the color spots on the paper when you insert the paper into the glass. 12 Insert the paper square so that it is standing up in the glass such that the side with the color spots on it is closest to the solvent (remember we want the solvent to travel up through the spots). If the solution covers the spots, simply pour a little out and try again. 13 Watch as the solvent travel up the paper, and the spots separate into different colors. The longer you let the experiment run, the more separation of the colors you will get—but be careful that eventually the colors will begin to run off the edge of the paper! You may also need to add more solvent if you run out at the bottom of the cup. 14 When you’re satisfied with the color separation you’ve achieved, remove your chromatogram and allow it to dry before taking a picture! 15 Were your predictions accurate or did you find anything surprising? Did your chromatogram look cool? Let me know and send me pictures! Happy Valentines Day! References http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/candy.htm http://www.livescience.com/41820-candy-chromatography.html OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 13 Stu den t N ews BY TYLER SHORES, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER TWO STANFORD OHS STUDENTS PRESENT AT TEDxKIDS@SMU Last fall, Adithya Ganesh (’14) and Vinjai Vale (8th grade) were awarded one of just available three spots on the stage for TEDx Kids @SMU 2013, “an ideal platform to present new, engaging ideas to the next generation of leaders, artists, creators, innovators, and inventors.” As impressive as the TEDxKids invitation is unto itself, more exciting still is Vinjai and Adithya’s project, IntentSense. The result of hundreds of hours of effort on their part, IntentSense (www.intentsense.org) is an open-sourced bionic glove for amputees that they both believe represents a fundamentally different and unique concept in regard to current bionic solutions. And it has been quite a learning experience, as they shared: “The process of innovation is filled with inevitable failures and frustrations. In one now amusing but then devastating incident, we accidentally melted the circuits on all five sensors of the glove while attempting to solder elec- » VIE W A DITH YA & VIN J A I’S TE Dx TALK! » RE A D THEIR PA P E R H E R E ! 14 trical connections. (Oops).” But then again—Thomas Edison once famously burned his family barn down, so perhaps all great experiments need a few trial and error sessions. In the near future, Adithya and Vinjai hope to improve their prototype and ultimately would like to manufacture a clinical grade version of IntentSense – and to that end, have entered in competitions to secure funding for the next phase of their project. They’e also published a paper on their work paper in the 2013 International Conference on Advanced Mechatronic Systems in Luoyang, China. You can view their Adithya and Vinjai’s TEDx talk here. And, you can read their paper here. ANDREW L ABEREE WINS INAUGURAL COGITO RESEARCH GRANT Last month, Andrew Laberee was one of twelve students to win the pre-college science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) grant from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Andrew was chosen from a pool of over 160 international student applicants, to become a recipient of one the inaugural Cogito Research Awards for Young Scientists. His winning proposal, entitled “The Effect of Proximity to the Nation’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant on Macroinvertebrate Populations in Coastal Plain Creeks,” was a great intersection of global awareness and local interest. After attending a workshop about biological assessments of streams, an interest in the far-reaching impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to a personal interest in the nearby nuclear power plant, and any possible environmental impact. As Andrew notes: “The Pine Barrens of NJ represents a very unique ecosystem. The biodiversity is especially remarkable to find in NJ—one of the most crowded areas of North America. I have an interest in protecting open spaces...I could find no record of any previous studies like this. In just a few weeks when everything has thawed from this crazy winter, the fun will begin!” You can learn more about Andrew’s project and the Cogito Research Awards here! » LE AR N AB O UT AN D R E W ’ S P R OJ ECT! SAGE PALMEDO WINS HER SECOND GOLD MEDAL IN JUNIOR WORLD CUP FENCING Sage Palmedo followed up her gold win at the 2013 Sosnowiec Saber Junior World Cup with an even more thrilling victory at the 2014 Udine Junior World Cup in Italy. Already impressively described as “the nation's top-ranked sabre fencing female in her age group for eight years running,” Sage bounced back from a tough start to notch seven consecutive victories to secure her second gold medal. Striking a balance between academic pursuits and world-class athletic achievements is no small feat. As Sage reflects: “If it weren't for the Online High School, I would not be able to achieve my goals at the high level. I and the other students here are so lucky to have this incredible educational experience with such flexibility for our busy lives.” The future looks to have even more incredible experiences for Sage, as she mulls over choices between the Olympics and college. Congratulations, Sage, and all of our Students in the News! OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 15 From t h e O H S PA OHSPA ELECTIONS This spring, the Stanford OHS Parent Association (OHSPA) will hold elections for Officers for the upcoming year, and we hope that all of you will consider running for office. The OHSPA helps to foster the wonderful community that connects Stanford OHS families from around the globe, and OHSPA officers are vital to the work of this important group. EL I GIB ILITY All parents of current Stanford OHS students are eligible to run, as long as they have a student enrolled in Stanford OHS in either a single course, part-time or full-time throughout their term. Officers serve one-year terms starting in May, and are eligible to run for re-election for one additional term. OPEN OHS PA P O S ITIO N S The available positions are President, Vice President, and Secretary. Detailed descriptions of their duties can be found on the OHSPA page of the Gateway site. AN OT H E R W AY TO PART I C I PAT E I N T H E O HSPA: JO I N A CO M M I T T EE If you are not interested in becoming an OHSPA officer, but still want to participate in the parent association, consider joining an OHSPA committee. There are a wide variety of activities available, such as regional meet-ups, welcoming new families, and various events during Graduation Weekend. Details regarding committees are listed on the OHSPA Gateway page. The President typically calls for committee volunteers in the fall, although positions sometimes become available during the year as well. We hope that you will consider participating in the OHSPA in some capacity. We believe that the OHSPA strengthens the Stanford OHS community and the school itself, and the OHSPA can only be made better with the involvement of more parents. DAVID CORDEIRO—PRESIDENT AMY CARLISLE—VICE PRESIDENT I M PORTA NT DATE S I NTE N T TO R U N: A PRIL 18T H Parents of current Stanford OHS students who wish to run for an Officer position should submit their names and the position for which they would like to be considered to Stanford OHS Director, Kathlyn Gray by Friday, April 18th. E LE CT ION W E E K: M AY 8T H – 14T H Candidate letters to the community will be published ahead of the elections, which will occur via computerized voting the week leading up to the May 15th OHSPA meeting, where the results will be announced. OHSPA MEETING THURS DAY, M A R C H 2 0 4PM PAC IF IC TIM E 16 JESSICA MELLER—SECRETARY BECOME AN OHSPA OFFICER: ELECTIONS THIS SPRING! DAVID CORDEIRO OHSPA PRESIDENT 2013–2014 [email protected] Arti st S p ot li ght S EE MORE STU DEN T A RT ON T H E G AT E W AY ! ANASTASIA GRACHEVA, TIGER SKETCH, PENCIL. UMAR AHMED BADAMI, CLOWNFISH, CHALK PASTEL ON PAPER MARGARET MCGUIRE, SUNSET ON THE PAMLICO, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH JOSEPH GNEHM, MONDAY, WATERCOLOR EMMA FARRELL, SCULPTED ROSE, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH OHS NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2014 17 Ev e n ts & O p p o rt u n i t i es U PCOMING E VE N TS G RAD UAT I O N W E E KE N D MARCH 1 2014–15 COMMITMENT TO REGISTER DEADLINE JUNE 6 – 8, 2014 MARCH 24 – 28 SPRING BREAK APRIL 1 COMMITMENT TO REGISTER DEADLINE FOR SUMMER SESSION APRIL 7 – MAY 4 PLACEMENT EXAMS ADMINISTERED FEBRUARY 28 SCHEDULING INFORMATION SESSIONS AT 8:30AM AND 3:00PM PACIFIC MARCH 20 OHSPA MEETING MARCH 21 COLLEGE INFORMATION SESSION FOR GRADES 9 AND 10 AT 3:00PM PACIFIC APRIL 25 COLLEGE INFORMATION SESSION FOR GRADES 7 AND 8 AT 3:00PM PACIFIC CALL FOR A LU M N I N E WS Our first-ever Stanford OHS Alumni Edition newsletter was published back in November 2013—the first issue included class notes from each year, as well as spotlight articles on Louisa Behet (‘12) and Leena Iyar (‘10). Our community response was incredibly enthusiastic, and we can’t wait to share more news from our wonderful alums. Our next alumni edition will be published in April 2014. We hope you’ll join us for Graduation Weekend. This is a weekend for the entire OHS community and will include events for all grade levels, including the Awards Ceremony & 8th Grade Graduation, Prom, and the Graduation Ceremony! Stay tuned to the monthly newsletter for more updates. Share your News! Students, we’d love to share news of your endeavors and accomplishments beyond the classroom with our community in future issues of the OHS monthly newsletter. We invite your submissions whenever you have something interesting to share. To be included in the next issue, please submit your news to Tyler Shores, Communications Officer: [email protected] Artist Spotlight Alums, we want to include your news in the class notes section. What have you been up to recently? Did you take an exciting trip, reunite with other Stanford OHS grads, win a fellowship, start a company, start grad school, get married, or do something else interesting or exciting? Do you have a piece of artwork that you would like to share with the OHS community? Please send us your photography, paintings, drawings, and digital art, and your work may be highlighted in our next newsletter and will be posted on the Artists' Corner on the Gateway. We want to hear about it! This is a great chance for you to share what you've been up to and learn what your classmates have done since graduation. Please fill out the form at the link below to submit your news. News should be no longer than 100 words and written in third person. We also hope you will choose to submit a photo along with your update. We will be collecting alumni news for the newsletter until Monday, April 14 th . To submit your artwork, send high resolution photos or scans to our graphic designer, with your name, title of your piece, and medium used. Send submissions to Stephanie Griffin sjgriffi@ stanford.edu ALUMNI INFORMATION AND NEWS FORM Even if you have submitted this form before, please re-submit to share your news or new contact information. CONTRIBUTORS COVER ART: GRAYSON GERLICH, GAZE, DIGITAL PAINTING EDITORIAL TEAM KATHRYN BALSLEY ENROLLMENT COORDINATOR [email protected] KENDRA PETERSON ACADEMIC ADVISER [email protected] DAVID CORDEIRO OHSPA PRESIDENT 2013–14 [email protected] KATE ROSSETTI COLLEGE COUNSELOR [email protected] KIM FAILOR SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR [email protected] JEFFREY SCARBOROUGH DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM [email protected] ADAM LIPS DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING [email protected] TRACY STEELE DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING [email protected] BRAM WANG OHS STUDENT (‘14) SUMMAR AUBREY DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE & COMMUNITY [email protected] STEPHANIE GRIFFIN GRAPHIC DESIGNER [email protected] RANDY JOHNSON [email protected] TYLER SHORES COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER [email protected]
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