As the second week of distance learning comes to a close, we remain grateful for the flexibility and creativity of our faculty, the dedication and positivity of our students, and the thoughtful collaboration and support of our entire community. Below are just a few examples of the stories that came out of week two, but we think you'll agree -- so far, so good! Keep sharing your pictures and stories to
jneuner@mphschool.org.
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Wildflowers of the Week
Ms. Yeager is inviting you to join her for "
Wildflowers of the Week
."
Simply take a selfie with the wildflowers you find in your travels and
email it here
. Read Ms. Yeager's description of her first outing:
"Both of the flowers I am sharing today are very hardy and thrive in cold temperatures. In fact, some of these plants create excess heat during cellular respiration and can make the snow melt around them! As I was walking through the marshy area near Butternut Creek on this beautiful spring day, I came across a ton of Eastern Skunk Cabbage (
Symplocarpus foetidus).
The
flowers come up first and are starting to pop up from the ground! The stinky flowers consist of a spadix (the flowering part) wrapped inside a molted purple spathe. The odor helps attract pollinators, and today I saw a little honeybee flitting from flower to flower. Later, big bushy leaves will emerge and fill the wet areas.
"It's still early in the spring, but I was lucky to also find some
Tussilago farfara,
or coltsfoot. Its reddish-purple buds resemble the color of a colt's foot, hence the name. The leaves were traditionally dried and seeped as a tea to relieve coughs, and sometimes even made into hard candies. You might recognize the word '
Tussis'
in the scientific name, which means 'cough.'
Check out her video on the left and some photos below!
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"Language of Film" Class Improvises
Typically, Mr. Zencka's Language of Film class spends a lot of time discussing and analyzing films that they watch together. This week, they went off script and students were asked to analyze a music video of their choice.
Take a look at the example students were given.
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Lower School Shares
Distance-Learning Fun!
This week, Lower School learners were as busy as ever!
Take a look at the album below, where you'll see:
ABC tracing in flour, astronomy lessons, outdoor fun, slime-making, clock lessons, shoe-tying boot camp, and lots of creativity! And,
take a look at third- and fourth- grade check-ins on the left!
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Mr. Z Puts His 3D Printing Skills to Work!
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You may have recently seen
this article on Syracuse.com
,
about a local business creating a template for face shields using 3D printing. What you didn't see in that article is that MPH's Technology and Information Science chair, Ryan Zlomek, is part of that initiative. "
I teamed up with
Isaac Budmen
and American High once I read about them in
Variety
Magazine. I've had some interaction with the American High film school, and I had brought one of their 3D printers home to show students, so this seemed like the perfect project -- something that is helping the local community around us in this time of need," said Zlomek.
Mr. Z made made his first drop-off of 3D components for the shields yesterday, 45 in total. He plans to create 40-50 more by Sunday. Each mask piece takes a little over an hour to print. Thanks, Mr. Z, for all you're doing for our community!
Take a look at the time-lapsed video of the 3D printer at work below, as well as some photos of the finished 3D components on the left.
You'll also be interested to see how it's all assembled to create the full face shield
here
.
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MPH Phys Ed Departments Launches Instagram Account
Phys Ed class is in session while distance learning! Ms. Demers launched
@mphphysed
this week to motivate Lower and Middle School families to stay active at home. She also encourages you to post your pictures and videos to the Instagram account to help motivate others!
Take a look at
these ideas
for an at-home obstacle course!
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A Look Inside the
Twomey-Smith House!
Two MPH faculty members and three students at home...what could go wrong? Based on the photos they sent us, nothing (so far)! Seventh grader Caleb has had a full plate, which includes online science chats with Mrs. Foster, recording his bassoon practice for Mr. Huyge, advisory meetings, history homework, French practice pages, and perfecting his dance assignments. Luckily, he's found time to help his sisters with Lower School reading and even carved out a few moments for some strategy games with dad (a.k.a. Mr. Twomey-Smith). who, by the way, was captured working on grading plans with colleagues, helping his daughter with her state of Missouri project, and apparently, as you'll see in the photo, was interrupted while getting ready for an Upper School class check-in. Thanks, Mrs. Twomey-Smith for the
great photos!
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Ms. Mirakian listens to US playing assignments.
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MS Tournament of Potato Sides bracket...French fries was crowned the champion!
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This is what our all-employee meetings look like now!
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When the weather is warm, this counts as gym class!
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In case you're wondering what Mr. Preston looks like while waiting for office hours to start...
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Ms. Bentley Hoke and her son went on a trash walk -- what a great idea!
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