Congratulations to Janiah Tillery for making the dean’s list this year at Roanoke College! Janiah graduated from TCS in 2017 with a full-ride scholarship to Roanoke, where she studies history. Janiah likes to visit us here at TCS when she’s not in college, and we’ve enjoyed seeing her this past week now that the semester is over. We’re proud of you, Janiah! ...
Our students are never afraid to reach for the stars! For the past couple of months, the students have been using their problem solving skills to design a space rover that can fulfill a mission to a given planet or moon. With the guidance of Elaine Lewis of NASA Goddard, the students have researched their location, planned the type of of equipment needed to complete the mission, and created a rover that can adapt to the conditions of the location. Today was the culmination of their hard work. The groups presented on their mission and showed off their rover designs. Aiden, Jordan, and Destiny made a rover to explore Titan, a moon of Saturn. Neenah, Ronan, Sara, and Claude planned to land a rover on the icy surface of Pluto. Tyleiah, Sean, Donald, and Garrett designed a rover to investigate the scorching surface of Venus. Finally, Olivia, Jacob, and Salma explored Neptune’s moon Triton with their rover designed to send out a probe to retrieve samples. Congratulations on your research and ingenuity, everyone! ...
Under the sea and in the trees at the National Aquarium! Lead by our Hopkins CSI volunteers, the students toured the aquarium today to learn about various ecosystems and animals. The Hopkins students taught facts about the animals along the way and asked the students questions. They even got to sit in on the rehearsal for the dolphin show. “I liked the trip to the aquarium. For my first time, it was really interesting to see all the fishes they had in the exhibits. I was really surprised to see that they have a rainforest exhibit within the building. I didn’t expect to see some sloths and spiders in an aquarium. Also, the CSI Lab students did well in explaining some things about some of the species. I liked talking to Walter about the environmental movement started by Rachel Carson because I have heard of her before, but I didn’t know much about what she really did,” said sophomore Claude. This field trip wraps up the CSI science labs for the year. Many thanks to the Johns Hopkins students for an exciting year of hands-on learning!...
How often do you get to see history in the making? Our fortunate Government class witnessed just that Monday night on their trip to Baltimore City Council. The students attended a council meeting, wherein the council voted for the new council president- Brandon Scott of the 2nd district. The students then were part of a small group of people present in the Mayor’s ceremony room to see Mr. Scott sworn in by new Mayor Jack Young. In addition to watching history happen, Mary Pat Clarke honored The Community School during the council meeting, detailing the history of TCS and explaining what makes our school so special. The students stood for everyone and were acknowledged with applause. After the meeting and swearing-in ceremony, the class took a tour of the whole building. As they were getting ready to leave, they found newly elected Council President Brandon Scott and had the opportunity to speak with him as well. Overall it was an incredible, special visit that we won’t forget. ...
Speak up, speak clearly! This is the advice with which Delegate Regina Boyce began her talk this Friday, letting the students know that when you meet someone you want to leave a strong impression. Make them know who you are, Delegate Boyce says. Delegate Boyce is a busy, accomplished woman- as the director of a nonprofit adult education program as well as a member of our state House of Delegates. She took some time from her busy schedule to speak with the students about how she came to run for office, what delegates do, and the art of negotiation. She answered the student’s hard-hitting questions about her work with the Environment and Transportation committee, what makes a good employee, and her opinion of the recent developments with both the change in the Speaker of the House and the Baltimore Mayor. We are grateful for Delegate Boyce’s direct, honest discussion!...
The Government class has been learning the structure and functions of local government, so who better to come speak than a member of the city council? Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke led the students in a discussion about the work her and her follow council members do, as well as the changes happening in the city right now. Mary Pat explained what happens in the council when the mayor resigns; the city council president steps in as mayor and the council must select a replacement president as well as someone new to represent the former president’s district. It was very exciting for the students to be able to ask questions about this process in the middle of it actually happening! ...
Lights, camera, action! Monday launched the start of an exciting four-part seminar series about on-camera techniques for the students to utilize in the weekly news segments. Taught by voice actor Renee Beale and former CNN correspondent Jamie McIntyre, the students had the opportunity to practice their camera techniques with professional equipment and coaching. For the first seminar in the series, the students practiced their on-camera energy, learning techniques such as “don’t drop the last syllable” and to hold eye contact with the camera when done speaking. Renee and Jamie discussed the different means of delivering information, like audio-prompting, and taught the “set of three” technique for creating vocal interest. We can’t wait to see what else this unique learning opportunity will bring! Special thanks to the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts and their Bright StARTS program for making this opportunity possible. ...
Parasites, vaccinations, and public health- Dr. Alan Scott, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presented to the students on Monday on these specialties, giving an overview of his research as well as a look at the why’s and how’s of herd immunity. After talking about his research in nematode infections, Dr. Scott discussed how the different types of vaccinations. The students learned about the decline in the rates of disease since vaccinations were introduced, as well as how one person getting vaccinated can protect others who are vulnerable. They discussed how what types of side effects there can be from vaccines, and how serious side effects are very rare. Following the presentation, the biology class had the privilege of an extended learning session with Dr. Scott in which they asked in-depth questions about different diseases, the effect on the cells of the body, and their treatments. Thank you Dr. Scott for this wonderful learning opportunity!...
When Sande Riesett saw the news a few years ago about young Baltimore men abusing animals as a social activity, she knew she must act. A veteran of the advertising business, Sande decided to use her marketing skills to launch the nonprofit Show Your Soft Side. Soft Side is a campaign that shows athletes, and other celebrities that we typically think of as “tough”, holding their pets and promoting nonviolence towards animals. Sande came to speak to the students for a Conversation With on Monday, in which she told the story of her passionate campaign against animal cruelty. She also talked about organizing the nonprofit’s yearly adoption event, Pawject Runway. Athletes and celebrities come for the event and walk the runway with adoptable pets. On Saturday, the students all gathered at Pawject Runway to support Sande and the Soft Side team. Salma, 10th grade, said that she liked the meaning behind Pawject Runway. “Helping out animals that had a rough start and just to bring them joy to their life and joy to whoever is adopting them. Hearing the animals story really makes me want to adopt one. I overall love animals and in this case dogs. I also like how celebrities also help out these animals as much as they can. Also how at the end of the event, every animal was adopted,” she said. 9th grader Destiny said, “Pawject Runway was an amazing event. I loved seeing the animals and the people. I loved how there are people like this in this world. People...
It is always a great treat to welcome TCS graduates back to talk about their successes. This Friday, firefighters Jason Hammonds and CJ Sosa told the story of their lives at school, their journey to becoming firefighters, and what life is like on the job. “What made it even more special was that they were TCS graduates… They talked about… the process of becoming a firefighter, their best and worst calls they received, and more topics. Just hearing what you do as an EMT firefighter makes me want to choose that as one of my career options” said Sean, who will be considering those career options as a senior next year. Salma, a sophomore, said that she enjoys that TCS graduates come back and visit, even if they left years ago. She says, “I hope I can continue my education here, graduate, and then come back like they did and tell my story. Not just my parents would be proud, but also Mr. Tom. I could be someone to other students and my brother could look up to." Thanks for being an inspiration, Jason and CJ!...