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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.

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. 

The PLC students have enjoyed incubating eggs during the month of April. The eggs started hatching on April 13th.  During their visit to Autumn Pointe this week the PLC students surprised the residents with the new chicks.  Special thank you to Adam Bannister and his family for donating the eggs.

Midland University and Pinnacle Bank recognized 52 high school juniors at the 16th annual Pinnacle Bank Outstanding High School Leader Awards event Friday, April 1st at 11:30 a.m. at the Kimmel Theatre on Midland’s campus.

Schools from around the Fremont area participate in the Pinnacle Bank Leadership Awards each year. Students must be nominated and then apply to be considered for an award.

A panel of leaders from Midland University, Pinnacle Bank, and the Fremont community review applications and select recipients based on involvement, leadership roles, and attributes.

Recipients who are accepted, and decide to attend Midland University, will receive a $25,000 renewable scholarship for a total scholarship value of $100,000.

These are the winners of our PBIS raffle drawing for March.  We had almost 3,000 tickets put into the drawings. The students enjoy this program and it’s a great opportunity to celebrate positive behavior!

left to right: Elise Matney, Lennox Wagner, Gwen Wemhoff, and Dylan Brewer.

Congratulations on our 2022 Science Fair Winners.

1st Gannon Otte  – Wingspan

2nd Emily Warfield, Alli House – What effects plants