August/ September 2015 ISSUE
Time Sensitive News:
Join our fundraiser at Raising Cane's!
Mention the fundraiser at the register for a 15% donation of sales to the NISD STEM Academy. October 27th, 2015, from 5:00pm-9:00pm Save the Date: STEM at Roanoke Chili's - November 10 @ 5pm-9pm STEM at Roanoke Panda Express- December 6 @ 10am-10pm |
Special Thanks to the Robotics Club Sponsor: General Electric |
Recent Happenings and Projects
Leadership Day
By: Loralynn Barnes
Leadership day is an annual event in which current STEM students work together in team building and bonding throughout the grade levels. Although usually held at the NISD Outdoor Learning Center, this year’s event took place on campus in our athletics departments indoor practice field. Freshman Collier Hanson says he learned a lot from the upperclassman including “using your voice and communicating” which both Mrs.DeLong, sophomore architecture teacher, and senior Kellie Quinn agree is an important attribute in leaders.
Teams were put together of students from every grade level and moved throughout stations of fun team building activities such as relay and egg races. These activities focus on building communication, trust, and a family atmosphere. Students and teachers alike were able to take valuable lessons away from this event. Freshman Collier Hanson says he learned to “communicate with the team and not at the team” which will help in his many upcoming projects as a STEM student. While senior Keelie Quinn is able to “apply the knowledge in the future” outside of STEM and grew in the ability to “work with new people, learning and adapting to their strengths and weaknesses”.
Even teacher Mrs.Delong says she was able to “build relationships with students outside of class,” rekindling with old students and meeting those who would be in her class soon. Overall this event is something students and teachers look forward to every year and really sets the atmosphere for the STEM family. Photo courtesy of Karen Carrier
By: Loralynn Barnes
Leadership day is an annual event in which current STEM students work together in team building and bonding throughout the grade levels. Although usually held at the NISD Outdoor Learning Center, this year’s event took place on campus in our athletics departments indoor practice field. Freshman Collier Hanson says he learned a lot from the upperclassman including “using your voice and communicating” which both Mrs.DeLong, sophomore architecture teacher, and senior Kellie Quinn agree is an important attribute in leaders.
Teams were put together of students from every grade level and moved throughout stations of fun team building activities such as relay and egg races. These activities focus on building communication, trust, and a family atmosphere. Students and teachers alike were able to take valuable lessons away from this event. Freshman Collier Hanson says he learned to “communicate with the team and not at the team” which will help in his many upcoming projects as a STEM student. While senior Keelie Quinn is able to “apply the knowledge in the future” outside of STEM and grew in the ability to “work with new people, learning and adapting to their strengths and weaknesses”.
Even teacher Mrs.Delong says she was able to “build relationships with students outside of class,” rekindling with old students and meeting those who would be in her class soon. Overall this event is something students and teachers look forward to every year and really sets the atmosphere for the STEM family. Photo courtesy of Karen Carrier
Flying High with STEM
By: Colin Long
In early September, planes took to the sky over Alliance airfield, in Haslet, TX. Thousands of spectators watched as these flying wonders performed feats and maneuvers some thought not possible, others just looked in awe as they pass by. But not all planes were flying high above the ground. Many old and new planes and helicopters littered the airstrip, providing much attraction for the attendees, along with the stunts. One of those attendees was STEM Academy Junior, Ian Long, who was attending the airshow for the second time.
He really enjoyed the action packed and thrilling experience that was found only at Alliance airport. He attended the airshow again this year because he sees his future involving airplanes. He saw the airshow as awesome and inspiring, and while the intensity was kept up throughout the show, kids of all ages stood gazing in amazement, as planes flew at speeds of over 150 miles per hour! Long also sees the airshow having a positive effect on the Haslet community because it brings in commercial revenue, and its helps put the small city of Haslet on the map.
The STEM Academy had a booth at the Air Show for both days. They took Jorge, the robot mascot, out with them to talk to the community about some of what the robotics team does and talk to some young engineers about what STEM is. It was a great experience to show off our academy and talk to the community about our students.
By: Colin Long
In early September, planes took to the sky over Alliance airfield, in Haslet, TX. Thousands of spectators watched as these flying wonders performed feats and maneuvers some thought not possible, others just looked in awe as they pass by. But not all planes were flying high above the ground. Many old and new planes and helicopters littered the airstrip, providing much attraction for the attendees, along with the stunts. One of those attendees was STEM Academy Junior, Ian Long, who was attending the airshow for the second time.
He really enjoyed the action packed and thrilling experience that was found only at Alliance airport. He attended the airshow again this year because he sees his future involving airplanes. He saw the airshow as awesome and inspiring, and while the intensity was kept up throughout the show, kids of all ages stood gazing in amazement, as planes flew at speeds of over 150 miles per hour! Long also sees the airshow having a positive effect on the Haslet community because it brings in commercial revenue, and its helps put the small city of Haslet on the map.
The STEM Academy had a booth at the Air Show for both days. They took Jorge, the robot mascot, out with them to talk to the community about some of what the robotics team does and talk to some young engineers about what STEM is. It was a great experience to show off our academy and talk to the community about our students.
Club of the Month
By: Nathan Fusselman and Edgar Macias Congratulations to the Northwest High School’s Interact Club for being chosen for the first STEM Newsletter Club of the Month. The Interact Club was founded in 2015 by seniors Lydia Tamas and Alexander Esquivel and the sponsor of the club, Mrs. Bartels. The club was formed when current president Lydia Tamas wanted the school to participate in a campaign called Dressember. However, she was told that she could not establish this campaign at school unless she was in a club that could organize the event to make it happen. Because of this, the Interact Club was created, bringing Lydia to ask Alexander to be vice-president and Mrs. Bartels to sponsor the club. Mrs. Bartels explained to the seniors that “she was waiting for a chance... for students to actually want to do” these sort of events and campaigns, according to Alexander. This year, the club is looking to expand and to replace the current president and vice president who will be graduating. In the club’s first year, they participated in an event with an organization called Heifer International. Through this organization, they raised money to purchase animals to take to third world countries in order to help start a sustainable food source for their communities while also teaching them how to raise the animals. Currently, the Interact Club is taking part in Socktober. Socktober is a challenge set forth at Northwest High School to donate new socks for the homeless. As December approaches, the club plans to participate in Tamas’s original campaign, Dressember. In this international campaign, they raise money to help “rescue victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression” that happens around the world. The campaign is partnered with International Justice Mission, who rescues these victims, restoring “dignity to all women” with a “collaborative movement” in “leveraging fashion.” To learn more, please visit http://www.dressember.org/. If you are interested in joining or seeing what the club is about, you may do so by attending the meetings in room 2207 on Thursday during iNvest. |
Fantastic Faculty!
By: Trevor Watkins and Tate Stearns Faculty rarely gets the recognition they deserve, but the STEM students are working to make sure that isn’t the case. STEM students acknowledge that every one of the faculty members helps them get to where they want to be by allowing them to obtain skills they will someday need in their lives, whether it is presentation skills or a skill in their expertise or field. One teacher who does this in particular, is Ms. Rix, the Algebra I and II teacher. She sets the standard for teachers. Ms. Rix believes it is important that the first step to ensuring that students learn and enjoy her class is to “care about students and build relationships with them.” She also believes that “…a teacher needs to be patient and understand that students deal with other issues outside of school.” Another teacher on her team, Ms. Lloyd, commented saying, “Ms. Rix has such a genuine heart, and she is a wonderful example of what it means to be a teacher who has her students’ best interest in mind and who truly wants the best for her kids.” Ms. Lloyd added, “It is easy to work with someone who is so genuine, down-to-earth, and organized.” We interviewed one of Ms. Rix past students, Carson Lane. Carson loves that Ms. Rix is an engaging teacher that will always help with the subject. He added, “Ms. Rix is always helpful and cheerful, [and] no matter what problems you have she is willing to help you”. This shows how Ms. Rix has helped STEM kids in the past. Carson agrees, “Ms. Rix is not only a great teacher, she is also a great friend [and] someone I can rely on no matter what.” Even though Carson is no longer in her class, she is still positively impacting his life. On a spirit dress-up day, we asked Ms. Rix if she were to be a Disney character, which she would be and why, and she quickly responded with, “I would want to be Belle because she judged people by their character, rather than their looks. She accepted people for who they truly were.” It’s clear that Ms. Rix has the ability to have a relationship with her students, but also be able to help her students learn. Because of these characteristics, her students chose to recognize her as this month's highlighted Fantastic Faculty Member! |
Senior Spotlight
By: Gustavo Gonzalez
This month’s senior spotlight is on William Humber, a senior in the STEM Academy. Will enjoys fishing, golf and airplanes. His interest in airplanes began as a little kid and took off as he joined the STEM Academy. His dream job is to become an Aerospace Engineer so he can make his childhood ambition a reality. A couple of the colleges that he is interested in attending are Texas A & M and the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a member of the Robotics team, and his favorite projects have been the ones that allowed him to build robots. His favorite STEM experience is “Punkin' Chunkin” because he enjoys watching other students launch their “punkins.” A word of wisdom he has to offer the freshmen is “It gets easier because you learn how to work harder.”
Hector Almada-Mill is also a member of the Robotics team, and he said that William is a hard worker and a really good friend. He also stated that William is also very helpful. “After he is done with all of his work, he walks around to see if he can be of assistance to others.” Keellie Quinn said that he is an awesome partner to work with and is completely dependable. She also stated, “If it wasn’t for him teaching me how to work SolidWorks, I wouldn’t be inside this class.” Both say that he brings the whole team energy and is an important member inside the Robotics Team.
Mr. Brown, a facilitator in the STEM Academy, shared that William is a complete comedian. He said that he is very intelligent and friendly to all. He also said, “When he steps inside of the room, he brings this positive vibe with him.” He feels that it has been a pleasure to work with William these past years and to really see him grow. He believes that that William will complete great things and can’t wait to see where the road takes him.
By: Gustavo Gonzalez
This month’s senior spotlight is on William Humber, a senior in the STEM Academy. Will enjoys fishing, golf and airplanes. His interest in airplanes began as a little kid and took off as he joined the STEM Academy. His dream job is to become an Aerospace Engineer so he can make his childhood ambition a reality. A couple of the colleges that he is interested in attending are Texas A & M and the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a member of the Robotics team, and his favorite projects have been the ones that allowed him to build robots. His favorite STEM experience is “Punkin' Chunkin” because he enjoys watching other students launch their “punkins.” A word of wisdom he has to offer the freshmen is “It gets easier because you learn how to work harder.”
Hector Almada-Mill is also a member of the Robotics team, and he said that William is a hard worker and a really good friend. He also stated that William is also very helpful. “After he is done with all of his work, he walks around to see if he can be of assistance to others.” Keellie Quinn said that he is an awesome partner to work with and is completely dependable. She also stated, “If it wasn’t for him teaching me how to work SolidWorks, I wouldn’t be inside this class.” Both say that he brings the whole team energy and is an important member inside the Robotics Team.
Mr. Brown, a facilitator in the STEM Academy, shared that William is a complete comedian. He said that he is very intelligent and friendly to all. He also said, “When he steps inside of the room, he brings this positive vibe with him.” He feels that it has been a pleasure to work with William these past years and to really see him grow. He believes that that William will complete great things and can’t wait to see where the road takes him.
Jorge Takes the Stage
By: Nathan Fusselman and Trevor Watkins
Over the summer the STEM Robotics Team was asked to take part in the 2015 Northwest Independent School District Convocation and the Annual Texas TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators) convention. There the team was asked to perform in the show “The Future Has Arrived” representing Northwest Independent School District.
The robotics team had to create many additions to their current robot to become more interactive with the other actors, such as adding arms to the side of the robot. Prior to the event they participated in several dress rehearsals at Byron Nelson High School to prepare themselves for the 3,000 teachers in the audience at convocation and the even bigger audience at Austin. “The production was a testament to the talent and unlimited potential of students and staff,” said the superintendent of NISD, Dr. Karen Rue.
By: Nathan Fusselman and Trevor Watkins
Over the summer the STEM Robotics Team was asked to take part in the 2015 Northwest Independent School District Convocation and the Annual Texas TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators) convention. There the team was asked to perform in the show “The Future Has Arrived” representing Northwest Independent School District.
The robotics team had to create many additions to their current robot to become more interactive with the other actors, such as adding arms to the side of the robot. Prior to the event they participated in several dress rehearsals at Byron Nelson High School to prepare themselves for the 3,000 teachers in the audience at convocation and the even bigger audience at Austin. “The production was a testament to the talent and unlimited potential of students and staff,” said the superintendent of NISD, Dr. Karen Rue.