April 2010  
 

 

 

(MS)² Family, Partners and Friends:

Welcome to our issue celebrating all of the Mathematics and Science achievements of our students. We are so very proud of our students and respective teachers who trained them. Many have brought high honors to the school and this issue touts the accomplishments of many firsts: We celebrate our 1st Citywide Spelling Bee winner – this is a FIRST for Charter Schools; we can boast about our FIRST significant placement in the Statewide MathCounts Competition as we were the ONLY charter or public school invited to participate at the State level; our school-wide Science Fair winners have elevated the event with their astounding projects and for the first time, two of our students placed FIRST in their respective category. Our celebrated Architecture Club is soaring- they are the winners for the Mid-Atlantic Region earning the distinction of representing the entire mid-atlantic region at the National Competition - another FIRST. Our fabulous 8th grade class has racked up numerous high school acceptances at some of the most prestigious high schools in the metropolitan area. Finally, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth has voted (MS)² as one of the Top 10 Schools in the District.

Thanks of course to our parents who continue to support these great efforts, for without them, none of this would be possible.

Thanks to our Howard University Interns who catapult us to heights unimagined and help us to excel in every aspect of the school. Thanks to Mr. Handon and his Broadcast Media Club who are responsible for this wonderful and informative publication. Enjoy your reading!

Head of School

MATHCOUNTS Competition
Contributions from:
Ms. Beryl Jackson (MATHCOUNTS Coach)

(MS)² “Mathletes”, a term coined by the MATHCOUNTS foundation, first competed at the chapter level on February 20, 2010, at St. Anselms Abby School on South Dakota Avenue, NW. Our performance at this level qualified the entire team to compete at the State Level Competition held at the same location on March 13, 2010. The (MS)² Mathletes not only represented our school, but the entire DC public/charter middle school population, because we were the only public charter/ public school that qualified for the state finals. Our competitors at the state level included such schools as St Albans, St. Anselm’s, Sidwell Friends and St. Patrick’s. As a result of the state level competition held on Saturday, March 13th, the (MS)² team earned fifth place. Avery Coffey (Team Captain), Detrick Campbell, Maurice Holmes, and Tariq Abdullah were the four students who turned in an outstanding performance at this competition. They worked extremely hard during the year and are to be commended for this achievement.

 

Architecture Club
Contributions from: Mr. Jahdal McKinzie (Principal Instructor)



The Architecture Club recently entered The School Building Week Design Competition hosted by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI). The focus of this competition was to redesign the existing middle school (MS)² into an environmentally friendly building with a heavy emphasis on sustainability or "green design". Out of 5 brilliant ideas, the team (Henry Arias, Edward Huff, and Detrick Campbell) was awarded the opportunity to represent the middle school in this competition. Their video presentation was selected from the local competition. They went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition on March 25th at the US Green Building Council and now don the distinction as the winners of the Mid- Atlantic Region. They are now preparing for the National Competition. Good Luck Team Architecture!!!

 

(MS)² Spelling Bee C-h-a-m-p
Contributions from: 7th Graders Jennifer Omekam and Laura Colbert & 6th Grader Anthony Williams Jr.


For the 3rd consecutive year, 8th grader, Avery Coffey, won first place in the Cluster Spelling Bee Competition. The next step for our Spelling Bee Champ was at the 28th Annual District of Columbia City-Wide Spelling Bee on March 20, 2010, at the NBC Studios. Last year, he finished 2nd Place City-Wide after an intense 40+ rounds of spelling with his opponent. Our champ practiced long and hard for this year's competition. He went through every word on a study list and he would write words down and memorize them. This year, Avery brought home the gold after a 53-round contest that yielded him victorious! “Winning is always a great feeling" says Avery who has been practicing for a long period of time, and that makes a difference,” said Ms. Christian, the spelling bee coach. “It was not hard learning the words, but what was hard was retaining the words,” said Avery, “My success was a combo between Ms. Christian and Ms. Reeves.” Avery is still going to use the same strategies and techniques that have brought him success as he now heads to the National Competition, which will be held in DC the first week of June. Keep up the good work Avery and the entire (MS)² family will be rooting for you!!!

5th Annual (MS)² Science Fair

The 5th Annual (MS)² Science Fair was a great success. This year’s fair, held at Howard University’s Miners Hall, boasted an array of projects in various categories listed below. Our students worked very hard to produce quality projects and presentations. Those students who were category winners will move on and compete in the 2010 DC Science and Engineering Fair held on Saturday March 27th at McKinley Technology High School. The students representing (MS)² in this upcoming competition are listed below. Also listed below are winners 1st Place to Honorable Mention.

 

 

Category Winners & Projects

- Chemistry: “Do you know the pH level of your drink?” by Shaunae Hines
- Physics: “Bombs away a ping pong ball catapult” by Christian Downing
- Behavioral and Social Sciences: “What’s relaxation got to do with it?” by Kelly White
- Animal Sciences: “Organs on the move” by Afia Tyus
- Plant Sciences: “Hydroponic Plants” by Mustafa Parks
- Medicine and Health Sciences: “Does orange juice have more electrolytes than sports drink?” by Kameren Morgan
- Engineering: “Electric Zoom Zoom” by Mackada Howell
- Environmental Sciences: “Renewable Energy: The Human Powered Video Game Charger” by Kweku Sumbry
- Biochemistry: “Burn energy burn” by Abiana Patton-Toure
- Earth and Planetary Sciences: “I’m a Survivor” by Kandice Pettaway
- Computer Science: “Think Fast” by Alexis White
- Mathematical Science: “Free your Mind” by Keshawn Alexander & Maurice Holmes
6th Grade Winners
1st Place: Shaunae Hines
2nd Place: Christian Downing
3rd Place: Afia Tyus and Djani Davis
4th Place: Bryere Freeman
7th Grade Winners
1st Place: Jennifer Omekam and
Moises Del’Rosario
2nd Place: Danielle Johnson
3rd Place: Kelly White
4th Place: Kiana Livingston and Shakira Wilds
8th Grade Winners
1st Place: Mustafa Parks
2nd Place: Mark Hightower Jr.
3rd Place: Carl Alexander
4th Place: Jahni Threatt
Honorable Mentions
Alexis White, Lyric Barbarin,
Chasity Frazier, Johntiana Hargrove,
Faith Slaughter, Jordan Boyer, and
Ariana Ruffin
Honorable Mentions
Joshua MItchell, Subria Standifer,
Mackada Howell, Kameren Morgan,
Esme Halsey-Collins, Tamia Hopkins,
Olisameka Azikiwe, Alisha Jennings,
Kandice Pettaway, and Kweku Sumbry
Honorable Mentions
Jordan Bonnette, Jerome Caleb-Thornton,
Dwight Davis, Miochael Seward,
Abiana Patton-Toure, and
Keshawn Alexander & Maurice Holmes

High Schools that (MS)² Students have been accepted to

School Without Walls
Sidwell Friends School
Gonzaga College High School
St. John’s College High School
DeMatha Catholic High School
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
McKinley Technology High School
Woodrow Wilson Senior High School
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School of the Performing Arts
Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter High School
Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School
National Collegiate Preparatory Public Charter High School
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Friendship Public Charter School - Collegiate Academy
Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
Georgetown Preparatory School
Bell Multicultural High School
Paul Public Charter School
The Bullis School
Oldfields School

(MS)² Nurse’s Corner
April is National Youth Sports Safety Month.
Fact: Each year, more than 3.5 million sports related injuries in children under age 15 are treated in medical centers. Stay alert and practice good sportsmanship conduct at all times!!!

Vocabulary

• algorithm
• cartesian
• logarithm
• cylindrical
• equidistant
• googolplex
• hexahedron
• binary
• angiogenesis
• ischemia

 

<back to (MS)² Newsletters