Upper
March 11, 2021
Civic Engagement Day
Upper School students and faculty discussed topics focusing on anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion during the school’s signature Civic Engagement Day program in early March. Plans for the Civic Engagement Day discussions were prepared by Director of Experiential Learning Nick Francis and members of the Upper School faculty, and student leaders. The half-day program included several small and large group discussions in classes led by faculty members and student TAs. In addition to the teacher-led activities and discussions, Seven Hills parent and Board of Trustees member Chuck Mingo and Molly Shack, co-executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, presented an intensive look at the different levels of racism, including personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural. “Molly and Chuck also provided materials for students and teachers to use for the follow-up activities,” said Francis. “Credit also to our students for asking great questions and engaging with such challenging issues. I heard from many teachers that the students made productive use of the time after the presentation to explore possible action steps. And thanks to our faculty for their energy on something new and different during an already challenging year.” Civic Engagement Day was part of an initiative driven by Seven Hills’ E.E. Ford Grant, a prestigious dollar-for-dollar matching grant of $250,000 awarded to Seven Hills in 2019.
A Tasty Lesson in French
Students in Faye Galopin’s French II class recently made crepes as a tasty way to immerse themselves into francophone cultures and issues. “The crepe-making allowed us to learn some new vocabulary and learn how to convert French measurements to the American system,” said Galopin. “The students have also learned about other cultural components of high school exams in France, including, ‘Le bac,’ short for baccalauréat, which is an important exam that gives students access to universities.” Students also learned about social tensions created by immigration into France, as well as the many difficulties of cultural and racial integration within the country.
Circuits, Electronics and Mechatronics in Computer Engineering Class
Upper School Computer Engineering students studied circuits, electronics, and mechatronics in early March. “The students are designing, 3D printing, programming, and testing their own custom robots to complete three specific missions,” said computer science teacher Marcus Twyford. Twyford said the challenging lesson will require students to work in teams. Each team will be provided with a handful of parts and have to design electrical processes to run motors, servos, and sensors, as well as design the circuits and 3D print car bodies, wheels, and steering components. “Students used their projects to compete in various competitions before spring break,” said Twyford.
Answering Life’s Questions in Spanish V Honors
What is important in life? Are life’s big worries any different from 100 years ago? Students in Teresa Bardon’s Spanish V Honors Literature Class recently asked and answered these questions as they read and analyzed poems from influential Latin American poets. “They also discussed questions such as, ‘What is true happiness? What is a real friendship? Who gets to make decisions for your life?’” said Bardon. “Students discussed the poets’ feelings and thoughts of what is at the core of a good life. It is important for my students to know that if we take the time to understand the meaning of poems, whether they were written in the 17th or 19th century, they are relevant and we can still learn from them. I also hope the lesson helps my seniors to feel they can slow down if they need to, and really consider what it means to have a happy and good life, if focusing on the correct goals.”
Calorimetry in Chemistry
Upper School chemistry students are studying the properties of heat and energy in a unit on calorimetry. “We recently discovered how a process called calorimetry can allow us to calculate the amount of heat transferred between two substances, allowing us to calculate variables and properties of an unknown, such as its specific heat,” said Upper School chemistry teacher Kylene Utah. “Students performed a lab where they determined the specific heat of two substances of their choice and compared these experimental values to the theoretical, established values.” Utah said remote students also performed the lab at home, using a collection of pennies and equipment Utah sent them at an earlier date. “Our remote students worked in their kitchen to experimentally determine the specific heat of copper or zinc, depending on the pennies they used, and compared this to the theoretical value,” said Utah. Utah said the study of heat transfer is practical to students because it is a concept they use every day, such as heat from the stove being transferred to water in a pot and the use of coffee mugs to stop heat from transferring out of a system, to name a few.
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