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Students at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy Show Winning is a Habit

April 11, 2012

Team members from left to right: Jared Spinks, Nicky Mas, Rohan Nakka, Axita Patel, Divya Ravinder and Jared Cossin

Lawton Chiles Middle Academy Team members from left to right: Jared Spinks, Nicky Mas, Rohan Nakka, Axita Patel, Divya Ravinder and Jared Cossin

American Education Reformer Horace Mann once said, “Habit is a cable; we weave a thread each day, and at last we cannot break it.” At Lawton Chiles Middle Academy the words of the man once called the Father of the Common School Movement seem truer than ever. Students, teachers and faculty have embraced a habit of winning that is undeniable and unbreakable.

Environmentally-Focused Students Are State Winners in Disney’s Planet Challenge

8th grade students at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy are state winners in Disney’s Planet Challenge. They beat other teams from around the nation to clench the title.

The free project-based environmentally-focused national competition provides a platform for students to learn about science and conservation. It empowers kids to make a positive impact on their communities and planet.

The team chose Organic Waste as their topic. They spent months researching and coming up with environmentally- friendly solutions to disposing of yard trash such as lawn clippings, grass, etc.

To view the project video please visit: http://static.schoolrack.com/files/39497/419247/Lawn_Clippings-MPEG-4_800Kbps_Streaming.mp4
Organic Waste website: lawn-clippings.weebly.com
Organic Waste game: http://lawn-clippings.weebly.com/our-multimedia.html

8th grader is a Finalist in the Young Naturalist Awards 2012

8th grader Divya Ravinder is a finalist for the Young Naturalist Awards 2012. Her essay entitled Ecological Solution to Organic Nutrient Pollution won her a top spot in the competition aimed at promoting participation and communication in science.

She is one of seven students competing nationwide to win 1st place in her division. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 16, 2012. 1st place winners are given a $500 cash award and an all expense paid one-day trip to New York City to visit the American Museum of Natural History.

Fellow classmate Prajakta Kulkarni is a semi-finalist winner for her essay entitled Does Excessive Fertilizer Create Dead Zones in Water Bodies?

eCYBERMISSION Teams Place 1st in Florida Competition

eCYBERMISSION is a free web-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition for students in grades six through nine. Teams are encouraged to create videos that offer solutions to problems in our community.

Lawton Chiles Middle Academy’s eCYBERMISSION 6th grade team won 1st place for its website on cell phone radiation. The topic was titled Beware. Students focused on testing different types of cell phones for radiation emissions.
Team Beware will move on to the regional competition.

The 8th grade teams won 1st and 2nd place in the state competitions. Team 1st place Eco Defenders placed 1st and will compete in the regional competition. Eco Defenders did a power point on how to develop a filter that is made of natural indigenous materials. The filter is economical and easily available to reduce the content of organic nutrients in industrial wastewater. The other team submitted a power point presentation called Can It. The team placed 2nd place. During the presentation they laid out the blue print for their eco-friendly garbage can. The solar powered can will also double as a trash compactor. The students are attempting to find a solution to sanitary issues such as smelly and overflowing trash cans located in public places.

Members on the first place teams each received $500 and the second place winners each received $250.

Through programs like eCYBERMISSION and its entire portfolio of Army Educational Outreach Programs (AEOP), officials in the U.S. Army not only hope this will improve our global competitiveness and national security, but it will open doors to new career paths for American students.

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