Yosemite STEMmersion

DRSS students traveled to Yosemite National Park during STEMmersion. Editor's note: the grade levels of students listed below are their grade levels during the 2016/17 school year. Some of the students listed are recent DRSS graduates now.

By Chloe Johnson
June 1, 2017 - Fifty Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS) students and five DRSS teachers embarked on a journey to Yosemite National Park. Before the group took this adventure for their STEMmersion, a two-week course which focuses on activities outside regular class instruction, they went on three field trips, including Delco Park, Charleston Falls, and Glen Helen. Each time, the students built up their stamina in order to handle the amount of hiking that they endured in Yosemite. Everyone was very excited to take this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The students relax before more hiking in the park.

When I asked several students about what they were excited about to see or do in Yosemite, I received various answers. Aidan, 12^th grader, stated, “I have no idea.” He felt like everything in Yosemite would be amazing to see, so he did not have an exact answer. Jacob Hampton, 11^th grader, stated, “I am excited to see the difference in nature and how it compares to Ohio. I am excited to see the wild.” Spencer, 10^th grader, stated, “I am excited to see the sights because I have never been that far out West.” Sophia, 9^th grader, stated, “I am excited for hiking and waterfalls.” Grace, 8^th grader, stated, “Water features—I love water. I love seeing the different aspects of water. You can never step into the same water twice.” 

Getting ready to hike.

Unfortunately, the students were delayed at the Cincinnati airport for three hours. When I asked the students and one of the teachers about how they felt about this delay, there were a variety of answers. Aidan, 12^th grader, stated, “It’s not that bad. It gives me time to get food. Read a book or something.” Grace, 12^th grader, happily declared, “All a part of this adventure.” Jasmine, 12^th grader, with a disappointed expression stated, “It’s kind of irritating because it messes up my schedule. We won’t be able to go to the restaurant or the Pier.” Sophia, 9^th grader, declared, “I don’t really care. I feel kind of neutral.” Mr. Pant, the 9^th grade U.S. History teacher, stated, “I like it a little bit because it allows us to learn about flexibility and how to handle ourselves in the public setting to represent our school.” 

The whole group at the airport making the best of a small setback!

Everyone did behave appropriately in the airport, and everyone arrived safely to California. Once they reached the San Francisco Airport, they got into their motor coach and traveled to their hotel, The Argonaut on Fisherman’s Wharf. The group walked to Pier 39, and they ate at Bubba Gump’s restaurant, well-known for their seafood. The next day, the students rode in the motor coach to Yosemite National Park for four hours. Before leaving for Yosemite, the students and teachers had the opportunity to walk around San Francisco in the morning, listening to sea lions, seeing the Golden State Bridge covered in fog, and they observed Ghirardelli Square from a distance.

The group took a pit-stop in a famous fast food restaurant in California, In-n-Out Burger. This fast food restaurant has the smallest menu in the country. It only serves burgers, fries, and milkshakes. After the group ate at this location, they got back on the motor coach and traveled to Crane Flat, the first shelter for the week. Crane Flat was 6192 feet above sea level, and the students and teachers stayed in bunkhouses together. Sadly, due to flooding in Yosemite, the bathhouse was closed. The students only had porta potties and pumping sinks available to them. They were not allowed to shower either. During the morning and evening hours, the bathhouse sinks were open for the group to brush their teeth and wash their faces.

When I asked several students about how they felt once they reached Crane Flat, most of the students were very excited to start doing activities in Yosemite. “Not excited for not showering, but it will be more fun once we start hiking,” Cara, a 9^th grader stated. “[It will] be a lot more fun than we think,” Maddie, an 8^th grader declared. Katie, an 8^th grader, happily stated, “Think I will get to know my friends better because I’ve never peed behind a tree before.” Lastly, Olivia, an 8^th grader, shook her head as she stated, “Not excited for the bugs.”

The next several paragraphs will be interviews from each day with different people from varying trail groups. Each day, the trail groups would participate in diverse activities which correlated with themes. The first day, students and teachers were introduced to their trail leaders. The leaders were named Janaki, Lawrence, Aaron, and Madeline.

Day 1: May 22, 2017

Interviewee: Yue- Shan, 10^th grader

How was your day? Why?

“Good, got to play games and got to talk about World War II history.”

A student had a nasty nosebleed and needed a tampon to help slow down the flow of blood. People sometimes experience nosebleeds due to a change of elevation. That is why Yue-Shan was able to talk about this occurrence.

What did you do?

“Went hiking and saw Giant Sequoia trees and we climbed in a dead Sequoia tree. Mr. Pant is the ‘Almighty Sequoia tree.’”

The majority of the students hiked to Mariposa Grove where Giant Sequoia trees grow. These trees are known to grow into the world’s widest trees. Also, Mr. Pant’s group gave him that nickname because the trees are also very tall, just like him.

What are you looking forward to?

“Maybe we can organize another game of camouflage. I am also excited for tacos and hiking.”

The students participated in a game for their evening program. This game taught them about how animals have adaptations during their active hours. The game, camouflage, focused on how animals hide from their predators while still keeping tabs on them, so they know when to flee.

Day 2: May 23, 2017

Interviewee: Ashley, 12^th grader

How was your day? Why?

“Long, we hiked very high up. I want to sleep.”

All of the groups went to the same location, and the way to get there was very steep.

What did you do?

“We hiked up to a Fire Lookout, and the view was amazing. Then, my group did a debate about climate change with another group.”

The Fire Lookout was an incredible location because you could see Yosemite from 360 degrees. Also, the Fire Lookout is where the fire crew could detect potential fires in the mountains especially if they spotted smoke.

What are you looking forward to?

“Showers.”

The group was still without showers, but everyone did have access to showers eventually.

Day 3: May 24, 2017

Interviewee: Patrick, 12^th grader

How was your day? Why?

“Today was mixed. You get here, and it was a really great view. Tons of cars and tons of noise doesn’t make it really feel like I was in nature essentially.”

At this point, the group moved from Crane Flat, a private residence, to the busy Yosemite Valley. In Yosemite Valley, the students and teachers were “glamping.” They stayed in tents with two twin sized beds and one queen sized bed with heaters. Also, outside of the tents, there were “bear boxes” to put their smelly things (shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, deodorant, etc.) into, so the animals would not come in their tents unexpectedly.

What did you do today?

“Basically, we walked around Yosemite Valley, went to the museum, and talked about all the mountains.”

There was a museum in Yosemite Valley that explained the history of the mountains. Some groups did look through this area while others were off rock climbing or circumnavigating.

What are you looking forward to?

“Getting to go to El Capitan and walking through flooded trails.”

El Capitan is a huge summit that many rock climbers want to climb because of its structure. Since it is a vertical mountain, it is a very risky climb.

Day 4: May 25, 2017

Interviewee: Sophia, 9^th grader

How was your day? Why?

“Good, I got to up really high into the mountains, and I got to see a waterfall up close.”

The group, Sophia was in, and another group went on a trail which got them to the top of Vernal Falls.

What did you do today?

“First, I hiked up the Mist Trail, and then, we went to Vernal Falls. Finally, we went to Clark Point to see Nevada Falls.”

The Mist Trail was 1000 granite steps that was intimidating because if you fell, you would go straight into a rushing waterfall. Clark Point was a stopping point on the John Muir Trail which actually goes outside of Yosemite. John Muir played a huge role in making Yosemite a National Park.

What are you looking forward to?

“Hike a little bit. Go to the airport, and go home.”

This was the last full day for the group, and the next day, students and teachers would be boarding a plane back home.

Day 5: May 26, 2017

Interviewee: Jack, 8^th grader

How was your day? Why?

“The day was okay. I was tired.”

Today was the group’s last hike in Yosemite Valley.

What did you do today?

“I woke up, ate breakfast, and we went caving in a cave that was not on the map. It was dark, and it was fun to try to get through and to help others get through.”

Other groups focused on reflecting on their time in Yosemite while some did challenging endeavors at the end of their adventure.

So, I asked people who were nervous about the trip on the first day how their overall experience was, here were their answers.

Cara, 9^th grader

“Because, if I never started getting used to things and opening my mind, I would never have had so much fun and made two best friends.”

Maddie, 8^th grader

“I think at first I was disgusted because it was porta potties and no showers. But, once we started doing these fun activities, it was not as disgusting.”

Katie, 8^th grader

“The experience was well. I met more people than I thought I would, and I had made closer friendships. I did become closer with friends because I cried and peed behind a tree.”

Olivia, 8^th grader

“I definitely used my bug spray. The bug spray did not act like bug spray, and I got a bunch of mosquito bites. But looking back, the bugs did not matter versus what I saw.

Quinton, 9^th grader

(I did not interview him at the beginning of this experience, but here was his response to my final question.)

“After walking around this cool place and getting to know people, I had a great time. I was scared of heights at first, but when I hiked up to see El Capitan, the view was amazing.”

This experience was definitely an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The educators were all incredible, and the teachers who came on this trip were spectacular. A special shout-out to Jim Teeter who helped coordinate with Nature Bridge, the educational organization in National Parks, to have our group learn so much during this trip. On a final note, the educators answered one final question for me, and it is important for me to share this.

Question:

Why is it important for people to learn about nature?

Janaki

“Learning about nature is learning about yourself. Everything is connected.”

Lawrence

“We all share one planet. It is the only planet we have. The more we learn about nature, the more likely we are to respect it.”

DRSS Class of 2017 by the Numbers

May 11, 2017 - Students graduating from the Dayton Regional STEM School were honored at Senior Awards Night Thursday evening. Of the 74 seniors in the Class of 2017, 71 are going on to a four-year college, two are joining the military full-time (with three additional students joining the reserves or ROTC), and one is going on to a trade school.

The students plan to attend the following universities:
1 – Baldwin Wallace
1 – Kent State University
1 – Miami University
2 – Ohio State University
2 – Ohio University
12 – Sinclair
6 – University of Cincinnati
6 – University of Dayton
1 – Wittenberg University
26 – Wright State University
13 – Attending out-of-state schools

As of today, students have been awarded a total of $5,095,080 in scholarship dollars, or an average of $68,852 per student!

Perhaps most impressively, 59 students (nearly 80%) have indicated that they will be pursuing a STEM field after graduating from DRSS.

We would also like to congratulate our Valedictorian, Joel Baker, and Salutatorian, Sophia Lucas, on their outstanding achievements, as well as all of our STEM Scholars: Marc Ayala, Fatima Boumahchad, and Katie Marker, all of whom achieved the highest possible GPA during their time at DRSS and chose to participate in the Val/Sal selection process.

Finally, congratulations to our Distinguished Scholars, each of whom maintained a cumulative 3.9 GPA during their time at DRSS: Hiba Ahmad, Dena Back, Kayla Cindric, Lauren Drewing, Ray Hampton, Callie Heiligenberg, Madeline Kelly, Edward Love II, Quan Nguyen, Vyshnavi Ramini, and Melonie Sherman.

We are proud to recognize all of our graduating students at the Dayton Masonic Temple on May 27, 2017 at 1PM.

Saving People, One Ounce at a Time

Chloe Johnson         

May 8, 2017 - Each year, the Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS) Key Club organizes a blood drive to donate to the Community Blood Center (CBC). This year, the blood drive was held Wednesday, May 3. According to Donna Teuscher, a Donor Relations, Account Representative at CBC, “The Community Blood Center is the community’s blood bank, we serve 15 counties. We take care of 25 local hospitals. The Community Blood Center needs 350 people to donate blood each day in order to maintain local hospital blood supply.” 

Furthermore, hospitals schedule surgeries that require the blood that is received from the blood drives. For instance, transplants require 150 pints of blood. Across the counties, there are 226 high school blood drives held per year. Mrs. Teuscher stated, “People aged 16-25 are the fasting growing population of blood donors.”

Students started preparing for their donation on Sunday. They were instructed to drink water that was equivalent to half of their body weight. If students didn’t drink water, it could have taken up to 20 minutes for them to donate. However, if they chose to drink water, the amount of time it took them to donate was cut in half (5 to 10 minutes). Also, they were told not to ingest sugar and caffeine because it dehydrated them, and it raised their pulse. Students needed to have a pulse under 100 to donate. The last step in preparation was to eat a high protein breakfast the morning of the donation.

After donating, the students started restoring their loss of sugar by eating cookies and drinking juice. In one donation, students lost 650 calories and 1 pound. Students were not allowed to wear hoodies because after their donation, the heart had to work harder to restore the lost blood. Also, the students could not participate in any physical activity. They had just saved a life, so the students were told to chill. 

According to Chris Pickle, the Community Blood Center Education Specialist to schools, “Your blood matters, yes it does.” The blood is actually separated to be used in different ways. Red blood cells can be used in many different procedures including cancer treatment. In plasma, there are many sugars, so it can help burning victims and infants who are very sick. Mrs. Teuscher stated, “The students who donate blood are true heroes. Their act of generosity will potentially save up to 3 lives.”

In conclusion, many DRSS students have literally saved a life. For instance, Starr, a senior, donated blood on the day of the blood drive. She stated, “It just feels good mentally that someone could use my blood. I feel like it will do more good.” Another student who donated their blood was Keshawn, the president of Key Club (the club that runs the blood drive), stated, “I am happy I gave blood because it is helping other people and I enjoy giving blood. I hope my blood goes to someone that really needs it.” 

When both students were asked if they would do it again, they both said yes. Starr added, “I think that if you are debating whether or not to give blood, you should do it.” Overall, the blood drive was a huge success. In addition, Mrs. Teuscher stated, “There is no substitute for blood.  Patients have to have it to live. Blood comes from blood donors. Each donation has the potential to save three lives. When you donate blood, you are saving lives here in your community. It does not get any bigger than this.”

DRSS/WSU Graduate Josh Jordan Heads West

Josh visits with former math teacher and mentor, Brian Polk, on a recent visit to DRSS.

This summer, many DRSS graduates from our first graduating class (the Class of 2013) are graduating (or have graduated from) college. One of those students is Josh Jordan, who is graduating from Wright State University with a double major in Mathematics and Physics. Recently, an email that went out within the WSU College of Science and Mathematics caught the attention of. Dr. David Goldstein, DRSS Board of Trustees President and WSU Biology Department Chair, who noted the significance, explaining that, "though he was not ultimately selected as the CoSM Top Scholar, Josh Jordan was nominated as Top Scholar by two different depts.; I don’t know if that has ever happened before.”

Josh’s plans after graduation are impressive, to say the least. He was accepted by the University of California, Irvine, to go into their Ph.D. program, where he will study geometric analysis. Josh explains that geometric analysis “involves different ways of looking at solutions to equations,” while geometric analysis "lets you go in and solve problems in different ways.” His research will focus on “looking into surfaces that will minimize energy.” The program is estimated to take five years to complete, after which he will graduate with his master’s and his doctorate. “After that, I would like to go into academia, perhaps becoming a professor some day,” he explains.

Josh was an active member of the Society of Physics Students at WSU, where he helped do outreach for the Physics Department, including at DRSS. He was also a member of the Dean’s Circle for the College of Science and Mathematics, where he did lots of outreach and acted as a liaison for his fellow students.

Josh is grateful for his time at DRSS and WSU. “The department chairs are really cool. Dr. Deibel (Physics Dept. Chair) and Dr. Sahin (Mathematics & Stats Chair) are both really supportive. You can really feel that they want you to succeed, which is something I’ve really appreciated,” he explains.

Similarly, Josh remembers his time at DRSS fondly, and credits it for his success in college. “The thing I always explain to people [about my time at DRSS] is that Mr. Polk’s Calculus class covered the entire first semester of WSU calculus and half of the next one, so I was able to skip Calc I and go directly into Calc II and already know what we were doing, so I was able to get ahead, which made my physics classes a lot easier. As soon as you know the math, you can just sit back and understand the physics, which has helped me so much.”

When asked what advice he has for current students, Josh encourages them to stay curious. “Curiosity is the thing that drives you to do problems outside of class,” he believes. “I was never the kind of person who wanted to do something for the grade, so curiosity makes you think about problems outside of class and wonder why things work one way and don’t work another way.” Josh credits his time at DRSS for fostering his natural curiosity.

Josh also has some practical advice. “Make personal connections with your teachers and professors, because lots of times they’ve been through what you have or have seen people who have been through the same thing, and they can have your back if you’re struggling in a class or going through something difficult."

Josh has many great memories about his time at DRSS, and not all are math related. “I really liked Creative Writing with Ms. Reid, because I felt like we made a personal connection. I was doing slam poetry a while ago and sent her and Ms. Whitman-Allen the first draft of a poem I had written and they provided some feedback, and people really loved it,” he recalls. “That grew out of the personal connections we made in Multi-Media and Creative Writing, and they remain supportive of me today, which I really appreciate.”

“I also always would always find an excuse to talk to Mr. Polk while I was here dropping off my brother,” he admitted.” “He would always give me advice on which classes I should take the following semester."

We wish Josh (and all our graduates) the best of luck in the next chapter of their lives!

DRSS Students Recognized at Kettering Rotary

Josh Rugwiza, Joel Baker, and Pooja Shirahatti were honored at the Kettering Rotary for their leadership, academics, and outstanding service achievements.

Kettering, OH - On Wednesday, May 5, 2017, three DRSS students were recognized for their academic achievements, leadership, and dedication to service. They were recognized alongside other students from Kettering High School and Altar by members of the Kettering Rotary.

DRSS senior and Class of 2017 Valedictorian, Joel Baker, received the Service Above Self Award. Joel serves as the service director for the National Honor Society at DRSS and is a leader in his church's youth group. Next year, he will be attending Clavin College, where he will triple major in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Theology.

The prize comes with a $250 reward, which is matched by a $250 donation to Joel's non-profit of choice. Joel selected Back2Back Ministries, an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for orphans. Joel has participated in multiple missions trips to orphanages sponsored by Back2Back Ministries already and looks forward to doing more work for them in the future. After graduating from Calvin, he later hopes to go on to graduate school and earn a dual masters’ degrees in Business and Materials Engineering.

Joshua Rugwiza was recognized with the Overcoming Adversity Award, which was accompanied by a $500 cash prize. Josh is a senior at the Dayton Regional STEM School this year and is a member of both the National Honors Society as well as the Junior Council on World Affairs.

Joshua arrived in the United States four years ago; but before that he had lived in three different African countries, including The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Kenya. Josh speaks four different languages and is currently on a path to minor in Chinese. He was selected for the award, in part, because he came to the country knowing only how to say "How are you?" in English as a new 8th grade student. Now, only four years later, Josh speaks English fluently and plans to go on to pursue a degree in medicine after going to Wright State University to major in Biology.



The third student recognized was Pooja Shirahatti. Pooja received the Leadership Award, which recognizes students who demonstrate leadership qualities at an early age. Pooja is a junior and joined the school in her 8th grade year after moving to the United States from India. At school, she is involved and helps lead many student initiatives and is involved with Key Club, Yearbook, Junior Council on World Affairs, National Honor Society, a local Refugee Resettlement program, and SAT Club. She also enjoys performing dances at the India Club of Dayton.

Pooja's award was accompanied by a scholarship to attend a local leadership training camp with other local area students, which Pooja also presented on at today's meeting. After graduation, she plans to apply to Wright State University for her undergrad. She aspires to become a surgeon in the future, and her dream medical school is Johns Hopkins.


Congratulations to all of our students on being recognized for their outstanding achievements!

A DRSS Student Reflects on the Value of Internship Opportunities

DRSS Junior, Rachael Stowe, completed her internship experience in Cincinnati at multiple hospitals

By Rachael Stowe

This past week I completed my internship at multiple hospitals and medical practices in Cincinnati. As many people know, STEM’s internship requirement differentiates it from many other schools and their graduation requirements. The internship program at STEM is known for providing students with real experience in their field of choice before they graduate. Opportunities like this may even help some students decide what they want to pursue in college, which can be valuable information to have going into senior year.

Three of the five days I spent at my internship were "OR" days, or days where I arrived and got the chance to watch surgeries from inside the OR. Two of the days were OB/GYN surgeries and the third day was general surgery. 

What amazed me most was how every single person in the OR plays a very specific and very crucial role in the surgery. Even though not everyone touches the patient, they are just as important. 

The other thing that amazed me about surgery was the robotic surgeries I got to see on one of my OR days. These surgeries were interesting because they were done completely robotically. The robot arms are connected to the patient through ports in the stomach and then certain instruments are attached to allow the surgeon to cut and repair tissue. 

The surgeon never touches the robotic arms, instead they sit at large stations across the room and use finger holds with sensors to guide the robot on where to go. I learned that this approach can be better than laparoscopic surgery because laparoscopic cameras can only give a 2D image of the patient which can make it difficult to maneuver. The robot’s camera actually creates a 3D for the surgeon to look at which helps with perspective in the operating field.

The other two days of my internship, I interned at an OB/GYN practice. While I loved surgery, these days were my favorite because they allowed me to interact more with the patients and learn about a wide variety of conditions. This experience also gave me the chance to learn under a NP (Nurse Practitioner) which is one of the career fields I am extremely interested in. After this experience, I know that I would like to have a job where patient care is readily involved, as this was the most engaging part of the experience for me.

I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to intern at the locations I did because of the many restrictions that can be placed on medical internships due to patient privacy rights. Connections I had to individuals who worked at these locations allowed me to have the full enriching experience I had.

Update on the Heroin Project

Students practice presenting to their classmates about their research.

By Rachael Stowe 

Students have recently wrapped up the main portion of the heroin epidemic project. On Wednesday March 15^th, students in the Economics class gathered with students from the Government class in small groups and reviewed the bill the Government students had written. The previous week the Econ classes had gotten into small groups and written out feedback on what to cut, revise and add to the bill. They then made comments based on this written feedback in a Google Doc version of the bill. 

When they met with the Government students, they separated again into smaller groups and vocalized their concerns and comments to the Government students. This feedback will then be used to revise the bill. Included in these comments were notes on the total cost of the provisions listed in the bill. 

The Economic students then researched and compiled these numbers. Having these cost amounts helped the Government students realize just how much the things that were listed in the bill would cost. Because of the large total cost, the Government students came to the realization that they would need to cut certain aspects of the bill to make it more likely to be passed.

On Thursday March 16^th, groups of Anatomy and Physiology students presented to small groups of students from either Econ or Government during 3^rd and 6^th period. Each of their presentations included information like the connection between the brain and addiction, what overdoses are and how they impact the body, and the types of treatment for addiction. The presenters also created different activities, like Kahoot quiz games or board games, to test the students acquired knowledge of the information they had presented. This information was important to the project as a whole, and the hope through presenting these facts was that the Econ and Government students would better understand the disease and struggle of addiction and keep this information in mind while revising their bill.

The bill now discusses three main topics: rehabilitation, prescription methods, and mail distribution. 

The rehabilitation part of the bill proposes mandatory rehabilitation centers in prisons as well as providing rehabilitation services as part of parole. This section also includes some assistance in paying for rehab programs and the expansion of many pre-existing rehabilitation facilities. 

The second portion, prescription methods, directly tries to prevent opioids from being misused in the first place by regulating prescription opioids. One of the largest ideas in this plan is to create an “pharmacy network of communication” so doctors can see how many prescriptions for opioids have been filled and can even contact pharmacies to prevent refills. 

The final main section is about the mail distribution of opioids. This proposes a two-step process for checking mail for opioids. This process requires spectrometry drug detection machines and K9 units. These measures would be put in place to help prevent the transportation of opioids through the mail system, which is a common mode of transportation for drug cartels. 

Even though the in-class portion of the heroin project is almost over, the out-of-class portion is just beginning. Later this month, select students from Econ and Government will go present the bill. This is the first step to getting the legislation actually introduced into the Ohio legislative branch. Students have mixed feelings about the project almost being over. “It was a good project”, says one student. “It was definitely a lot of work, so I won’t miss that part, but I will miss feeling like I am working on something so groundbreaking and important. I am glad to have had this opportunity to impact our state and the opioid epidemic. ”