Cross-Curricular Design Challenge: Stopping Opioid Abuse in Ohio

Dr. Sara Paton and Gary Gonnella speak to DRSS students about the heroin epidemic.

By Chloe Johnson

January 24, 2017 - Students in economics, government, and anatomy/physiology are preparing for a major project. This project was inspired by the Ohio STEM Learning Network, who created a challenge for STEM schools across the state to make initiatives to combat the opioid abuse problem in the state. Each class is taking a different approach to the situation. The government class will be creating/proposing legislation, the economics class will be analyzing the bills to determine if it is fiscally responsible, and the anatomy/physiology class will be investigating the different effects of opioid abuse on the body. 
 

Before students dive into this project, they needed to learn about the problem from all three angles. Mrs. Durkee, the 11^th grade government teacher, said, “Ms. Campbell (the anatomy/physiology teacher) had the idea of bringing in someone she knew who can speak to the health concerns of drug abuse, and from a public health perspective at that, since what the juniors will be proposing is from a legal approach.” On Monday, January 23, 2017, the students listened to a presentation by Dr. Sara Paton who is the Deputy Health Commissioner of Montgomery County and the Director of the Masters in Public Health program at Wright State University, and Gary Gonnella, a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor. 

Dr. Sara Paton and Gary Gonnella started their presentation by talking about their expertise in their respective fields. For over fourteen years, Dr. Paton has worked as an epidemiologist, and Gary has worked to reduce the stigma of addiction and eliminate roadblocks to recovery.  At the beginning of the presentation, they talked about the common terminology, which included opioids and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is legally made to treat pain or illegally mixed into heroin. Next, Mr. Gonnella said, “The brain reacts to an opioid like a natural chemical response. Physical dependence is not the same as addiction.” 

Within the presentation, data was displayed to show how drugs affect Montgomery Country and the entire state. A surprising fact was told to the students. “Montgomery County is the 2^nd highest in the state in heroin overdoses.” The topic that students are investigating is very important to Ohio because addiction is like a disease. Mr. Gonnella suggested this, “Think about an atmosphere of treatment and recovery for addicts.” At the end of the presentation, the presenters spoke about neonatal abstinence syndrome, when babies are addicted to drugs. 

On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, student met with Officers Larry Lane and Bruce Langos from the Montgomery County Sheriff's office. During the visit, students learned how the local law enforcement community is approaching the many problems that are caused by the opioid crisis. Both officers shared some of their own data on emergency responses, emergency treatment, rehabilitation programs the department encourages, and how the area is supplied with heroin.

This visit was inspired by a parent of a DRSS student. Mrs. Durkee articulated the rationale for their visit, explaining, "it’s the law enforcement personnel that will enforce [whatever laws are proposed], so we'd better learn from their expertise what has and has not worked up until this point.” This will be a very interesting project which will challenge both the students and the teachers because opioid abuse is not a clean topic. 

Students have been brainstorming ideas in their government class on how to solve the opioid crisis afflicting Ohio.

Students will share their brainstorming ideas and hone their legislation after meeting with visiting Ohio Legislators next week here at DRSS.

However, Mrs. Durkee is most looking forward to “the ideas that students come up with or the directions students go in when formulating future change through policy and the integration with economics and anatomy/physiology.” She stated, “I’m going to learn so much about the science behind the effects on these drugs and the role that money plays in addiction.”

According to Mrs. Durkee, the students are excited to have legislators visit the school to meet with students about the project next week. Visiting legislators will provide students with "an opportunity to ask further questions before writing legislation for their ideas. Then, economics students will research the financial feasibility of their legislation, as well as further investigate the macro and microeconomics of opioid and heroin drug systems." 

Finally, anatomy and physiology students will teach the other students how these drugs affect the body in order for all three courses to come together and build a comprehensive public campaign to educate young people on their solutions and the effect these drugs have on people.

Economics Ties Into Opioid Epidemic Project through Budgeting

The Trial by Fire Budgeting Project just got a little more difficult.

By Katie Jones

Learning how to keep track of finances is nothing out of the ordinary for an Economics class. Last semester’s Economics students’ first project was the Trial by Fire project. An apt name, given that the meaning of trial by fire is to test of one's abilities to perform well under pressure. The expression goes back to medieval times, when people would have to prove innocence by passing trials—such as walking across fire barefoot. While last semester’s students didn’t have to go through that particular trial, their project was still challenging.

For this project, they had to create a financial plan for their first year out of college. This plan is an extensive one. It includes sections for each student’s individual wages (based on their future job), rent, utilities, transportation, food, personal care, and more.

While not necessarily the most interesting of projects, it did turn out to be helpful to students. Lauren Dalton, a junior who took Economics last semester, said, “I found that the budgeting project was very beneficial in the end. This project gave helpful insight on how to budget for your future as you become an independent adult.”

However, as with any project, there were certain stipulations that had to be followed. For one, it was assumed that no scholarship money had been received and that no money from family members was being given. In addition, it was assumed that each person would buy their own home, without any roommates to help pay the bills. This alone would make it difficult to stay “in the black” when it comes to adding up money at the end of the year. However, this year's second-semester Economics students’ Trial by Fire project will be made even more difficult—as they will also be pretending they are heroin addicts.

The change came as a result of a cross-curricular collaboration that the 11th grade is doing, which includes Government and Anatomy & Physiology classes as well. As a result of the State Superintendent’s request that students across the state help to tackle understanding and addressing the opioid epidemic that is gripping Ohio.

To accommodate the upcoming project, the Trial by Fire project was altered to include two financial plans; one for them with the same requirements as the previous semester’s students, and one with them as heroin addicts. This will enable students to better understand the impact opioid addictions have on the economy at the individual level, from which they can extrapolate to the macroeconomic level.

Even without the added cost of heroin being added to their many costs, some students still struggle to balance the cost of essentials without going into too much debt. This added obstacle of being a heroin addict is one that is sure to bring interesting results, while also reminding students of one more reason to avoid drugs.

Learning About Anatomy and Physiology Can Utilize the Right Hemisphere of the Brain

Students are creating styrofoam models of the head to learn about facial muscles.

By Maya Quale

At the Dayton Regional STEM School, Ms. Campbell’s Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) students hit the ground running, continuing to work on their muscular unit, by creating Styrofoam head models of the head muscles. Currently, the A&P students are learning the anatomy of the muscles and have already taken the physiology portion of the muscular unit test.

Because DRSS focuses on project-based learning, the students have created Styrofoam head models, using various craft supplies: paint, pipe cleaners, clay, markers, etc. Students have split off into groups of no more than three and have created the models with at least 15 of the facial muscles, along with a key identifying the muscles and the actions they perform. 

The models are creative and intricate and showcase the student’s improved comprehension of the facial muscles. Learning about the human body at DRSS is not only about memorization, it is also about fostering a creative mind, which creates an enjoyable learning environment. 

When asked “How has creating the Styrofoam head models helped your understanding of the facial muscles?” 11^th grade student Anjali Phadke says, “While Ms. Campbell’s class is very structured, projects and creative assignments like these are an immense help to my memorization and understanding of the muscles.”

With the first semester flying by so quickly, students will have to put the time and effort into learning the next seven chapters in the coming months, filled with projects similar to the Styrofoam head models.

Introducing the Au Sable River Canoe/Camping Expedition

The 2017 Ausable River Canoe/Camping Expedition group

By Chloe Johnson

Each year, teachers create STEMmersion ideas to propose to the administration to have approved before introducing the options to students. Mr. Bottelier, the 9^th grade Conceptual Physics and Engineering teacher of seven years with the Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS), has created an adventure which has never been done before.  

To give you some background about Mr. Bottelier, he actually wanted to be the biology teacher, but he was given the opportunity to teach STEM students in the 9^th grade about the completely different topic of Conceptual Physics. 

When asked why he wanted to teach 9^th graders, Mr. Bottelier stated, “It’s actually my favorite age to teach, and I thought the subject was interesting. It is the age group that I wished to work with, as my ninth grade year was a very difficult one, and I felt that helping students at this age would be a wonderful experience.” 

Mr. Bottelier has decided to create a STEMmersion that is unique and innovative. Twenty students and their adult chaperones will embark on a journey traveling along the "best river system for a canoe/camping trip," according to Mr. Bottelier, who is an experienced outdoorsman with over 35 years of camping/canoeing experience. 

This STEMmersion will be an exciting venture as the members will paddle the entire 120-mile length of the Au Sable River from Grayling in central Michigan to Oscoda on the shore of Lake Huron. Within this river system, there are five hydropower dams, good fishing, adequate fresh drinking water, and special canoe portages.  

When asked what he is most looking forward to as the teacher of this course, he stated, “Teaching students how to love the outdoors, the adventure of getting away from technology, out of range of cell phones, and especially teaching them how to enjoy camp cooking, gourmet style.” Students were told that this would be a mostly “vegetarian fare” because coolers would not be brought on the journey with them. When asked what students could look forward to during the STEMmersion, Mr. Bottelier stated, “Physical fitness, the unpredictable, the beauty of an incredible river system, and enjoying being with a pretty amazing group. I don’t think I could’ve hand picked a better group.” 

The students will have to carry their own gear and canoes over dams and at the portages. When asked about what students could potentially learn, Mr. Bottelier proclaimed, “Lots of life lessons, but especially how to move a canoe gracefully, how to drop all the drama and focus on what’s important.” 

The students in the STEMmersion began preparing for this voyage early in the school year by attending two canoe-training sessions. They will attend an additional meeting before the STEMmersion during late spring at Caesars Creek Lake.  

I hope everyone who participates in this STEMmersion has a wonderful time, and remember to follow the DRSS canoe STEMmersion 2017 on Facebook to keep up-to-date on their journey.

Ohio State Superintendent and Board Member Visit Dayton Regional STEM School

Superintendent DeMaria learns about the Art & Science of Materials class from DRSS senior Ray Hampton

KETTERING, OH, 1/20/17 – Ohio State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria had an up-close look at the Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS) today as part of his tour of Ohio schools across the state.

DeMaria was accompanied on his visit by Ohio Board of Education Member Charlotte McGuire, who recently was appointed to fill A.J. Wagner’s recent vacancy on the board. Chris Kershner, Vice President of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and DRSS Governing Board VP also joined them for the visit.

Superintendent DeMaria and Board Member Charlotte McGuire listen to DRSS junior, Chloe Johnson, explain what it's like being a student at DRSS.

Superintendent DeMaria has been on a tour of many Ohio schools since beginning his job in July of 2016. His visits are all a part of his goal to craft a strategic vision for education in Ohio.

Students were introduced to the driving question for the opioid project on the same day as the Superintendent's visit.

During his tour of the school, Superintendent DeMaria had the opportunity to hear from many different students about what they are learning, as well as some special projects they’re working on, such as the Opioid Epidemic Project. As part of the school’s project-based learning (PBL) approach to education, students are embarking this semester on a cross-curricular collaboration in 11th grade that involves anatomy, government, and economics classes. The goal of the project is to identify the causes and consequences of Ohio’s opioid epidemic and propose solutions to the Ohio General Assembly.

DeMaria’s visit also included a look at the HTML computer coding taking place in the sixth grade STEM Foundations course and the work students are doing in their Art & Science of Materials course, as well as a brief student-led Chinese lesson.

 

DeMaria learns about the coding DRSS 6th graders are doing from Liam, a student in Mrs. Murakami's STEM Foundations class.

DRSS senior, Jesse Wilcox, explains to Mrs. McGuire what they're working on in the Art & Science of Materials class.

Both visitors had the opportunity to hear from students in US History class about how they are using Unreal Game Engine to create digital museums to chronicle their learning experience.

The tour culminated with a visit to Mrs. Chen's class, where students taught DeMaria and McGuire how to say "hello," "thank you," and other basic Chinese phrases!

In addition to hearing from students, Superintendent DeMaria also spoke with Superintendent Robin Fisher and Principal Hope Strickland about DRSS’s partnerships, new programming, and the school’s effort to help create and pilot a Competency-Based Education rubric for its students that could be used statewide. They also discussed opportunities to leverage the school’s Training Center to bolster Ohio’s efforts to establish a Peer-to-Peer Learning Network. This idea was presented in the state’s draft report, released yesterday, on how to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal law that replaced No Child Left Behind.

Towards the end of his visit, Superintendent DeMaria and Board Member Charlotte McGuire discussed what they had seen on their tour with DRSS students, teachers, and admin team members. During the roundtable, Mrs. McGuire praised the work the students and teachers were doing, explaining that, “I’m really glad to see future leaders of the world being trained here. What is happening at DRSS is consistent with what I believe in.” In a comment directed towards DeMaria, she added, “I want us to be the number one state in the country in education; is that possible?” DeMaria’s response? “If we have a lot of schools like this it is!”

The Superintendent parted the school with some encouraging words, adding, “It’s inspiring to see the work you’re doing and the work your students are doing. Keep it up!”

Science Olympiad Students Perform Well in Competition

DRSS students placed 10th overall at the Science Olympiad tournament on Saturday, January 15, 2017

 This past weekend on Saturday, January 15, DRSS Science Olympiad students competed in a tournament at Northmont Middle School. The students performed well in competition both individually and as a group, finishing 10th place overall and placing in 13 events against some of the best teams from Ohio and Indiana!

Students placed in the following events:

• 1st in Ecology
• 2nd and 7th in Fast Facts
• 5th in Microbe Mission
• 5th in Rocks and Minerals
• 5th in Diseases Detectives
• 6th in Mission Possible
• 6th in Road Scholars
• 7th in Dynamic Planet
• 7th in Bottle Rocket
• 7th and 8th in Food Science
• 8th in Hovercraft

Some of the ribbons our students took home!

Congratulations to all of our Science Olympiad students on their awesome performance!

Schoology Transitions

By Bri Perkins

Students log into their new Schoology system at https://drss.schoology.com

Recently, DRSS students and teachers have been going through a big transition. This transition involves a new way of submitting work and getting homework details. Its name? Schoology. But what is Schoology?

Schoology is our new form of Pilot. Or, to put it more precisely, it's the school's new Learning Management System (LMS). This is where we can get classroom updates, stay connected with teachers and students, and even use something similar to "Pilot Live." In Schoology, the "Pilot Live" equivalent is called "Big Blue Button." 

So far, Schoology has been live for students since January 5, 2017. More teachers and students are switching over to Schoology, and the learning process for the new site is beginning. 

Katie Jones, a junior at the Dayton Regional STEM School, says that the coolest thing about Schoology is that it contains student grades. “I like looking at my grades to know if I’m succeeding, and Schoology makes that easier for me.” What Katie is referring to is the tab under “Recent Activity,” where it says “Grades/ Attendance.” This is where students can find their grades for each course and their attendance for the school year. This will help students keep track of their schoolwork and punctuality. 

In addition to courses, students and teachers are also finding the new Groups tool to be useful. The Group feature allows teachers and students to share updates and create events within their student club or organization. Notifications appear only for those students who belong to the group, so students have less distractions from messages sent out over the former STEM Communications page in Pilot for messages that do not apply to them.

Learning something new can be hard for students, especially if it’s new to teachers too. Here is a link that gives more insight to the new LMS: https://www.schoology.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-using-schoology-the-back-to-school-essentials.