Math Modeling Team Wins Highest Award

Caption: The winning Math Modeling team is recognized by the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Regional School Board. From left to right, Dr. John Barnes, Ashish Makadia, Dianne Pettitt (Regional School Board Chair), Eric Tyler, Susan Ballentine, and Will Farmer.

One of Maggie Walker’s Math Modeling teams was one of only eight teams in the world (top 3%) to be awarded the highest designation of “National Outstanding.” The National Outstanding team members, who are all seniors from Chesterfield County, were Susan Ballentine, Will Farmer, Ashish Makadia and Eric Tyler.

“This was the 15th Maggie Walker team to win the National Outstanding designation,” said Coach and instructor Dr. John Barnes, “more than any other high school in the world.”

Last November, 277 teams from around the world participated in a 36 hour long contest in mathematical modeling sponsored by the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP).

The team addressed the problem of predicting the devastation caused by tsunamis in various international cities. In particular they were asked to: “Build a model that compares the devastation of various-sized earthquakes and their resulting Tsunamis on the following cities: San Francisco, CA; Hilo, HI; New Orleans, LA; Charleston, SC; New York, NY; Boston, MA; and any city of your choice.”

The team researched the problem, created a mathematical analysis, and wrote up their results in a 30 page report.

Two other Maggie Walker teams were designated Regional Outstanding, putting them in the top 8% of participants. One of these teams consisted of seniors Adam Bivens (Hanover), Matthew Gill (Richmond), Cameron Napps (Chesterfield) and Emily Qiu (Goochland). The other Regional Outstanding team consisted of seniors Erica Cousins, Laura Goodfellow and Matt Nguyen, all of Henrico, along with Cody Talmadge of Chesterfield.

Four other Maggie Walker teams also participated in the contest, two of whom were designated “Meritorious,” placing them in the top 30%. One of the Meritorious teams consisted of senior Hennessy Fraher, along with juniors Tommy Casalaspi, Juan Garavito and Jason Kong all of Chesterfield County.

The other meritorious team consisted of seniors Kyle Herman of Chesterfield, along with Niklas Philipsen, Jocelyn Powelson and Virginia Young all from Richmond. The latter team chose a different problem. They were asked to “devise an effective, feasible, and cost-efficient national water strategy for 2010 to meet the projected needs of the United States in 2025.”

The full results of the contest can be found at http://www.comap.com/highschool/contests/himcm/2009results.html. The full problem statements can be found at http://www.comap.com/highschool/contests/himcm/2009problems.html.

MLWGS Senior Wins State Volunteering Award

from press releases

Samantha Halle, 18, of Richmond was named one of Virginia's top two youth volunteers for 2010 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 15th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Samantha was nominated by Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond. As a State Honoree, Samantha will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where she will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2010 at that time.

Samantha, a senior at Maggie Walker Governor’s School, has played a key volunteer role at a children’s bereavement camp over the past three years, after attending the camp as a daughter grieving for her father. Samantha came reluctantly to Comfort Zone Camp in Richmond following her father’s death in 2002.

“Prior to camp, I bottled up my emotions, was angry, and very guarded,” she said. “But by the end of my first camp weekend, I was smiling again.” In fact, Samantha found the camp so beneficial that she could hardly wait until her 15th birthday, when she could become a junior counselor.

“I knew I would be able to put a smile on a camper’s face while showing them that they’ll be okay – I’m living proof,” said Samantha.

Since then, Samantha has worked at nearly 20 camp sessions and advanced to the position of head junior counselor. In addition to helping to make the camp a fun and safe place for kids who have lost a parent or sibling, Samantha trains other volunteers, speaks frequently at recruiting and fund-raising events, and offers to stay in touch with campers after their sessions are over. During one of her speeches, she persuaded a women’s club to adopt the camp as one of its projects, resulting in a $30,000 donation.

Samantha was chosen as one of only five volunteers to help start a new Comfort Zone in California, and helped select the site of another new camp in Texas. Also, Samantha has been assisting with publications, video production, and other communications projects, including the creation of a teen resource section on the Comfort Zone website.

“As it gets closer to the seven-year anniversary of my Dad’s death,” said Samantha, “I’m reminded that losing him has given me a chance to make a difference. I’m grateful.”

Science Teachers Attend Energy Technology Conference

Science teachers Anna Shore and David Barnes recently received a grant from the Governor’s School Foundation to attend the RETECH (Renewable Energy Technology) conference in Washington DC on February 3-5.

“This experience will be especially valuable as we plan our next units in AP Environmental Science,” said David Barnes.

The 3-day conference brought together industry, government, and academic leaders in cutting-edge clean energy technology. The conference featured speakers, panel discussions, and exhibits from across the alternative energy spectrum.

At the conference Anna and Dave were able to catch up with fellow attendee Chad Ellis '99, who is now completing his PhD in Green Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.

Senior Mentorship Spotlight on Natalie Wong

from Sharon Parker, Senior Seminar/Mentorship Program Coordinator

Natalie Wong has been an amazing and impressive mentorship student this year. Natalie is undertaking a mentorship with Kathy Gillis, Head of Sculpture and Decorative Arts Conservation at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Natalie sought out this mentorship because it combined her interest in chemistry and art. As she aptly pointed out in her mentorship proposal, “in objects conservation, art, history and science are united in one studio.”

The Arts Conservation Department is responsible for cleaning, preserving and presenting 3-dimensional objects on display at the museum. Natalie quickly learned that objects conservation is like a puzzle – each object is different and, as a conservator, one must come to know the object…the historical, chemical and artistic aspects of each object.

Throughout her mentorship, Natalie’s journal entries have been filled with beautifully descriptive experiences that are having a profound impact on her future career goals. Her enthusiasm in writing about the handling and treating of a beaded Egyptian necklace dating back to around 4000 BCE (with supervision, of course) or treating a Louis XV box in three-color gold speaks to the level of trust she has gained by her mentor and others that she is working with at the VMFA.

She has also enjoyed the many networking opportunities provided at the museum, not to mention the countless conversations she has engaged in about the field of art conservation. Recently Natalie wrote this in her research journal: “…[trading] stories about conservation graduate school rejection letters; the programs are limited, competitive, and require extensive portfolios in conservation, studio art and chemistry. Uncertain of where my own college experience will take me, these real experiences re-assure me of the world’s endless possibilities. While participating in this mentorship could accelerate a career in conservation, I’m not locked into any decision. There are many routes to the same end, and a struggle here or a rejection there are not the apocalypse. Dreams, desires and passions are resilient to failure, and I should not be afraid of an uncertain future.”

While reading the mentorship research journals is a time-consuming process, I am fortunate to frequently witness a growth in self-confidence and maturity of thought that can be found through a student’s hard work and dedication to their mentorship. Kudos to Natalie for a job well done!