May

The inaugural year of Forensic Science at Fort Calhoun High School was full of inquiry, labs, and fun!  During the first semester, students learned the ins and outs of the investigative process, types of evidence, crime scene processing, and the role of forensic science in the courtroom.  The second semester was spent digging deeper into various analysis techniques used when investigating blood, ballistics, arson, toxicology, decomposition, entomology, and anthropology.  To top it off, the Forensic Science class welcomed an Omaha Forensic Technician to come to talk about real-world forensic science experiences.

Please consider becoming a Mentor for the Fort Calhoun Chapter. Male Mentors are especially needed right now. Go to Teammates.org and fill out an application.

The Mission of TeamMates is to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring. Established in 1991 by Tom and Nancy Osborne, TeamMates was formed in an effort to provide support and encouragement to all school-aged youth. The goal is to see young people graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education. TeamMates has touched the lives of thousands of youth and mentors across the Midwest. Right now, more than 10,200 matches are meeting in schools across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

The impact of the TeamMates match on the mentee and mentor is profound.

Percentages for our Fort Calhoun Chapter:

 54% of mentees showed improved academic achievement after being matched with their mentor.

 85% of mentors report they feel more hopeful after meeting with their mentee.

 98% of mentees say they trust their mentor.

 More than 95% of mentees report that they are happy when they meet with their mentor, that their mentor talks to them about what they do well, they feel important when they are with their mentor and that they trust their mentor.

 Attendance amongst mentees has improved by 67%

 Reported Behavioral Problems with mentees has dropped 90%

TeamMates has been recognized as a “Best Practice” mentoring organization which means the structure, policy and procedures are in place for a safe and consistent program. TeamMates adheres to the Elements of Effective Practice which were developed by the National Mentoring Partnership as the national standards for running a quality mentoring program.

The National Mentoring Partnership reports 1 in 3 children will go through life without a mentor. TeamMates believes all children, no matter their life experience, can benefit from a relationship with a safe, caring adult. You don’t have to be an expert. You just have to be there.

It truly is a rewarding experience for both mentor and mentee. “I don’t do this for the accolades, but when my mentee says ‘thank you’ or ‘good to see you’, it touches me to my core,” Mentor Teri Zavadil said.

The Fort Calhoun Chapter currently has 29 matches and our goal is 45. There are children waiting to be matched within our school district, so mentors are in high demand right now. You need to meet with your mentee once a week during the school year for 20 minutes to an hour depending on their schedule. You have to be at least 18 years old and you will need to pass a background check.

Please consider becoming a Mentor for the Fort Calhoun Chapter. Go to Teammates.org and fill out an application.

If you have any questions, please call 877-531-8326 to speak to a member of the Teammates Team or 402-237-9558 to talk to the Fort Calhoun Coordinator, Teri.

Thank you!

The HAL presentations on Friday, May 6th was their final step in a project centered around the creation of a Rube Goldberg Machine.  These Rube Goldberg Machines originated from some of the ideas of the famous newspaper cartoonist, Rube Goldberg, and his silly machines.   A Rube Goldberg machine is a chain reaction machine that completes a simple task but does so in the wackiest of fashion.  The project’s task was to design and construct a Rube Goldberg Machine using at least three simple machines, use at least two energy transfers, and have a minimum of five working steps all while contained in an area of four square yards.  During the project the students used the Engineering Process to identify the problem, brainstorm ideas, make models, test their machines, and finally reflect on their work.

The students were presented with the project and were asked to first start by researching about the six different types of simple machines and what is an energy transfer along with the different types.  This was followed by the students working with others in their class to design different sketches of machines based on completing different final tasks such as pouring water into a cup, popping a balloon, and ringing a bell but were not limited to just these.  They then took one of these sketches and started to bring them to life by bringing items from home and tried putting their machine together.  “Other peoples’ ‘trash’ is becoming our treasure!” is what some of the students started to say during this process.  After many trials and errors, the students got to the point of having a final machine that worked, some of the time. Then, they started to prepare for their presentation.  Mr. Mallette, Mr. Green, and Mr. Wagner were the Rube Goldberg “judges” who provided detailed feedback for each of the groups.  We also invited the entirety of the Elementary School as well as guardians of the HAL students to attend.  Some of the project tasks included painting abstract art, pouring liquids, taking selfies, and turning a page in a magazine.

I am very proud of each of the HAL students throughout this entire process of this project.  We spent about eight class periods working on these machines and they worked their tails off in each of these classes from start to finish.  Countless conversations, sketches of ideas, and trial & errors were completed during these times.  It was amazing to see these students build on their 21st century skills through collaborating with peers, communicating ideas, thinking outside the box, and persevering through “failures” with a growth mindset!  Hearing the kids’ comments of “this is the best project ever!”  “whoa, I can’t believe it worked!” with so much excitement and ownership in their work reassured me that they enjoyed the project at a high level!  It was gratifying to also see the confidence and excitement these HAL students portrayed while presenting their machines to all of these individuals on their presentation day!  I wanted to say thank you to all of the elementary students, staff, and guardians who visited and provided excitement and positive feedback to all of the HAL students, who I now can call official “Rubers” for designing and completing a Rube Goldberg Machine.

Sixth Grade learned about teamwork and cooperation. The students had to work together to stack a cup in a tower only using one rubber band and string to pick it up and place it on the tower. The students could not use their hands at all unless pulling the string. This helped them to work on communication and come up with a strategy to complete the task.