Birchwood School Awards

Young Astronaut Day

2011-12-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

The 19th annual Young Astronaut Day was held on

Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9:30am to 3pm at NASA’s Glenn

Research Center. Birchwood School’s Pilot team was one

of the 28 schools and youth organizations. Teams came

as far away as Columbus and Cincinnati to participate in

fun and competitive events that were designed to stimulate

student interest in aeronaut ics, space science and

engineering. The four chaperons, Mr. Bindra, Mrs. Kumar,

and Mr. Shetty were a big help to the team composed of:

Sahej B, Avi B, Laurie C, Nikhita K, Abigail M, Mihir

S, Maryum A, Anika R, and Caroline V. Out of the four

events, Birchwood earned a third place in Aeronautics.

American Chemical Society Poetry Contest

2011-12-11T11:48:00.002-08:00

Fourth grader Farah S won the 2011 regional poetry

contest hosted by the Cleveland Section of the American

Chemical Society. Farah’s illustrated poem took first place

in the 3-5 category. The theme was “Chemistry - Our

Health, Our Future”; her poem is titled “Cabinet of Cures.”

As a regional contest winner, Farah’s work has been

submitted for judging at the national level. Congratulations!

Math Olympiads

2011-12-11T11:48:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the many students who excelled on

the first Math Olympiads (MO) contest. The Math Olympiads

contest tends to be much more difficult. This year the

seventh and eighth graders collectively had the highest

scores on Birchwood’s records.

MO Gold awards (5 of 5): Nate C, Clive C, Dhweeja D,

Alexander I, Kavya R, Pheby L, William L, Anika R,

Michael H, Farah S

Silver awards (4 of 5): Christine B, Jorgen K, Cameron

S, Kareem T, Adam I, Prathna K, Vinayak K, Michael T,

Haley Y, Grace C, Avi B

Bronze awards (3 of 5): Peter H, Joan C, Sachi G, Katelyn

V, Anna H, Grace X, Jack B, Amir I, Caroline V, Maya D,

Cameron K, Elizabeth P, Mihir S, Kevin S

Continental Math League

2011-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the many students who excelled on

the first Continental Math League (CML).

CML Gold awards (6 of 6): Peter H, Christine B, Nate C,

Clive C, Dhweeja D, Alexander I, Kavya R, Cameron

S, Shan S, Prathna K, Vinayak K, Pheby L, Ammar

L, Michael T, Michael W, Grace X, William L, Anika R,

Michael H, Kevin S

Silver awards (5 of 6): Joan C, Kareem T, Naomi W,

Anthony C, Anna H, Hana L, Megan P, Haley Y, Jack

B, Avi B, Cameron K, Mihir S

Bronze awards (4 of 6): Maya F, Maryum A, Grace C,

Caroline V, Faray S, Maya D, Abigail M

National Geographic Geography Bee

2011-12-11T11:44:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Farah S and Jane N, 4th grade finalists of the class Geography Bee. And congratulations to Olivia S and Cameron K, 5th grade finalists of the class Geography Bee. They will go on to compete against the 4th through 8th grade in the school Geography Bee December 15th.

Continental Math League

2011-12-11T11:43:00.001-08:00

4th Math Awards:

Accolades are in order for the following students

for their success on the first Continental Math League

(CML) contest of the year: Farah S (gold medal), Arjun

B, Layla N, Jane N, and Annessa W (silver) and Alia B

and Tejal P (silver).

Noetic-Learning Contest

2011-12-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

The results from last month’s Noetic Learning contest have been announced. The Birchwood second graders who achieved the National Honor Role award were Marissa B, Praveen K, and Josh S. They scored 80 percent or above to achieve this award. Congratulations on your success! In addition, one third grader, Shruthi R, and one fourth grader, Farah S, also made the National Honor Role. Congratulations to all.

All of the results can be viewed at www.noetic-learning.com.

Student will present at the national conference of the History of Science Society

2011-10-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Kavya R will be a featured presenter at a special workshop

held during the national conference of the History of

Science Society. This year the conference is in Cleveland

in ear ly November. Kavya developed a website on

Galileo and his theories for last year’s National History

Day competition. As part of her research, she contacted

four of the most respected scholars in the country on the

history of astronomy. After seeing her completed website,

they were very impressed by the quality of research and

wanted to highlight the collaboration between university

scholars and a middle school student. The Society is

very interested in the potential for the session to inspire

more historians of science to be involved in both NHD

projects and incorporating the history of science into

pre-collegiate education. Her website and interviews can

be viewed at: http://35433993.nhd.weebly.com/index.html.

In addition to her interviews, Kavya also visited the

Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology

in Washington D.C. At this Smithsonian library, Kavya was

able to look at original 17th century manuscripts pertaining

to her topic. The head librarian of Special Collections

shared her experience of Kavya’s visit on the library’s

blog, which can be viewed at: http://smithsonianlibraries.si.edu/smithsonianlibraries/2011/05/request-for-appointment-for-national-history-day-research-.html.

Broadcom MASTERS semifinalist

2011-10-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Dhweeja D was a semifinalist in the 2011 Broadcom MASTERS™, a program of Society for Science & the Public. This honor places her among a select group of 300 semi finalists named from over 6,000 nominees throughout the United States. The Broadcom MASTERS™, a program of Society for Science & the Public (SSP), is the premier competition for 6th, 7th and 8th graders where they demonstrate their mastery of Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering as Rising Starts through science fair competition.

State Power of the Pen Winners

2011-06-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Cleveland-On May 27th several Birchwood students

traveled to Wooster, Ohio, to compete in the twentyseventh

Annual Power of the Pen State Competition for

Young Writers. Trevor L, Hannah Y, Joan C, Katelyn

V, and Naomi W placed fourth as a team. Among the

seventh graders Naomi W received 3rd place and Katelyn

V placed 7th.

The competitors at the college of Wooster comprised of

writers from twenty-eight District and twelve Regional

winners held throughout the State of Ohio. Approximately

700 writers from 275 schools in Ohio participated in the

all-day writing event. From the district level on, Power of

the Pen works with 500 middle schools throughout Ohio

and generates 25,000 pieces of writing annually.

At each level students are given prompts from which to

showcase their creativity and excellence in writing. They

compete in three 35-minute writing rounds and some are

chosen for a “Power Round,” where they vie for trophies,

cash prizes, and college scholarships. Only 50% of the 700

of the state qualifiers were chosen for the “Power Round”

this year. Among those chosen were Trevor, Katelyn,

and Naomi.

“That our small school has five state qualifiers, let

alone placing fourth among all the schools in the 82

Ohio counties is certainly noteworthy,” Lorraine Tzeng

commented. Since the Power of the Pen started,

Birchwood has consistently had representatives at the

state competition.

The 2011 Future Problem Solving International Conference

was held in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from June 9 through

June 12. Representing the state of Ohio were six students

from Birchwood: Katelyn V, Ammar M, Anthony C,

Prathna K, Pheby L, and Michael T who competed

in the scenario writing, individual FPS, and team FPS,

respectively. Katelyn V’s scenario placed first at the

International Conference among 73 entries in the middle

division from 44 states and 6 other countries. In addition,

Katelyn participated in the impromptu future scene writing

competition, where she was assigned to work with three

other scenario winners to collaborate on one writing piece.

Her team came in third place. Kudos to the parents and

chaperones who braved the ten-hour drive and endured

the dorm facilities.

Earth Day Poster Contest

2011-06-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Results of the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District’s

Earth Day Poster Contest are in. This year over 1,400

students from 28 school classrooms participated in the

contest. Birchwood had 4 winning posters and 10 “top pick”

posters chosen by over 20 judges. Brad S was the 8th

grade winner, Joan C the 7th grade winner, Dharma N the

2nd grade winner and Shruthi R was the 2nd grade runner

up. The following student posters were “top pick” (top ten):

1st grade: Paul A; 3rd grade: Farah S; 4th grade: Avi B;

5th grade: Jack B and Caroline V; 7th grade: Christine

B, Katelyn V, and Naomi W; 8th grade: Daniel W and

Hannah Y. In addition, Brad S’s poster was featured on

the “participant” certificate!

State Science Fair Results

2011-06-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Results from the State Science Fair arrived in the mail.

Vinayak K received a Superior Rating for his project.

Dhweeja D’s project earned a Superior Rating, was a 2ND

prize winner in grades 5-12, and received a cash prize of $100

for the Outstanding Project that focuses on health promotion

and illness prevention from the Ohio Nursing Association. In

the District Science Day, not only did she receive a Superior

Rating, but she received a Bioscience Award award of $100

from the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation.

National History Day State Competition

2011-05-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 30, twenty-four Birchwood students traveled

to Columbus to compete at the state level of the National

History Day competition. These students had placed in the top

three at the district competition and were competing with other

district winners from around the state. Birchwood’s students

had outstanding success at the competition. Against very strong

competition, eleven students qualified as National finalists and

will compete at the national competition in June at the University

of Maryland. Each category sends on two entries/finalists to the

national competition, as well as designating a national alternate.

In the historical paper category Birchwood claimed both finalist

spots: Hannah Y for her research on the Reykjavik Summit

between President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and Amir F

for his research on the Sam Sheppard murder case highlighting

conflicting Constitutional rights. In the group website category,

Birchwood also claimed the two finalist spots as well as the

national alternate spot. The finalists were: Clive C and Nate C

for their site on the debate between AC and DC electricity and

Joan C and Sachi G for their site on the Cuyahoga River fire.

National alternates were Ammar M and Darius Z for their site

on the Yalta Conference. In the individual documentary category,

Birchwood had a very strong showing. Dhweeja D qualified as

a national finalist for her research on Brown vs the Board of

Education. Claiming the national alternate spot was Prithvi P for

his presentation on the Treaty of Versailles. Earning an honorable

mention was Naomi W for her research on Jay’s Treaty. In the

group documentary category, Peter A and Shan S will advance

as finalists for their presentation on the Cuban Missile Crisis. In

the individual website category, Kavya R qualified as a finalist

for her site on Heliocentrism. In the individual exhibit category,

competing against approximately 35 other exhibits, Brad S

qualified as a national finalist for his board on the crossing of

the Rapido River in WWII. In the group performance category,

Trevor L and Abhijeet S were designated as national alternates

and Marla B and Sanjana R received an honorable mention.

Two special awards were also earned by Birchwood students.

Dhweeja D received an award from the Society of Ohio Archivists

in recognition of outstanding use of primary sources in a History

Day project. Sachi G and Joan C received an award from The

Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board for best use of Ohio’s

historical records in a History Day project. Please watch for all

these excellent projects and presentations at the Open House

in May. Congratulations to all these students and good luck at

the national competition in June!

FPS State Bowl

2011-05-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

On April 8 and 9, several Birchwood students won first place in

different categories of the junior division to represent the State

of Ohio at the IFPS International Bowl in Wisconsin. They were

among the eight Birchwood teams, including a team of high

school alumni, and five individuals who earned an invitation to

participate in the state competition from 160 registered teams. To

earn an invitation to the State Bowl already required hard work

and considerable effort; thus, to earn a spot at the International

Conference is a special honor. Together with the first place winners,

many other Birchwood students received various recognition:

Global IssuesTeams

Anthony C, MIchael T, Prathna K, Pheby L - Junior - 1st place

Hannah Y, Prithvi P, Sue R, Sarah D - Middle - 5th place

Middle Skit Group Team

Sachi G, Cameron S, Kareem T, Joan C. - Middle - 2nd place

Global Issues Individuals

Vinny K - Junior - Second place

Ammar M - Junior - First place

Trevor L - Middle - Fourth Place

Scenario Writers

Vinny K - Junior - Fourth Place

Katelyn V - Middle - First Place

All first place winners earned the honor to attend the International

Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on June 9-12.

Finally, we have to acknowledge the tremendous effort of all the

parents who contributed to the success of this labor-intensive

event:

Presentation Judges and Monitor: Alice Waruingi, Ravi

Annaswamy, Mark Stewart, Alan Liu

Skit Chaperones: Mark Gianetta, Jim Elmore, Rosemary

Colleran, Nermin ElSady, Nette Poblete, Nancy Isherwood,

Nisha Roy, Marina Magrey

Lunch Preparation: Poonam Singh, Rosina Aamir9

Many others parents drove the teams, fed them dinner, donated

and organized memorabilia oversaw many aspects of this event,

even playing dual roles. Thank you very much.

Earth Day Poster Winners

2011-05-15T13:28:00.001-07:00

Each year, the Cuyahoga Solid Waste Management Department

sponsors an Earth Day Poster Contest. The contest is open to

all 1st-8th grade students in Cuyahoga County Schools. The

goal is for students to honor Earth Day through artwork; students

create an original poster that displays a specified theme. This

year’s theme was “We all help the Earth by recycling.” Winners

and runners-up are chosen from each grade. Their artwork is

printed in the Earth Day calendar; they each receive several

copies of the calendar along with an Earth Day T-shirt and other

Earth Day prizes. This year, four Birchwood students’ artwork

was chosen: 1st place second grade winner: Dharma N, second

grade runner up: Shruthi R, 1st place seventh grade winner:

Joan C, and 1st place eighth grade winner: Brad S.

MathCounts - Chapter Level

2011-05-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Chapter Competition

Team Award: First Place (Clive, Nate, Kavya, Dhweeja)

Individual Awards: First place: Clive, Fourth place: Kavya,

Fifth place: Vinny, Sixth place: Nate

State Competition:

Team Awards: First Place

Continental Math League

2011-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Individual Results

Gold Award: Marla, Hassan, Susmita, Trevor, Alexander,

Kavya, Dhweeja, Clive, Nate, Christine, Prathna, Vinayak,

Pheby, Ammar, Michael, Darius, Grace

Silver Award: Brad, Sanjana, Kareem, Peter, Joan, Dalya,

Sachi, Katelyn, Naomi, Jorgen, Haley, Anthony, Maya, Adam,

Alexis, Megan, William

Bronze Award: Sam, Sean, Daniel, Shan, Anna, Jack

National Student Leaders placing among the top 15 students in

the country: Trevor, Clive, Dhweeja, Kavya

Team Recognition: Seventh grade team placed first in our five

state region, eighth grade team placed third, and sixth grade

team placed fourth.

Math Olympiads

2011-05-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Math Olympiads Year End Awards – Individual

Gold Pin Winners: Susmita, Trevor, Kavya, Dhweeja, Clive,

Nate, Christine, Prathna, Vinayak, Ammar, Michael, Darius8

Silver Pin Winners: Sanjana, Brad, Alexander I., Marla, Prithvi,

Hassan, Hannah, Abhijeet, Christine, Pheby, Haley, Anthony,

Grace Megan, Anna, Peter, William

Bronze Pin Winners: Sam, Sean, Daniel, Adam, Alexis,

Katelyn, Naomi, Jorgen, Jack

George Lenchner Award – Perfect Scores: Trevor and Vinayak

School Recognition: The elementary team, grades 5-6, and the

middle school team, grades 7-8, won the “High Achievement”

Award, having cumulative scores that ranked them in the top

10% of all competing schools nationally.

American Mathematics Contest 8

2011-05-15T13:16:00.001-07:00

Individual Results - State

First place in Ohio: Kavya

Among top 10 in Ohio: Nate, Clive, Dhweeja, Vinayak, William

Among top 20 in Ohio: Christine, Darius, Prathna, Ammar

Among top 50 in Ohio: Trevor, Prithvi, Alexander, Hassan,

Michael, Pheby

Individual Results – Nation

Honor with Distinction (top 1%): Kavya, Nate, Clive

Honor Roll (top 5%): Trevor, Christine, Alexander, Vinayak,

Hassan, Dhweeja, Prithvi, Darius

School Recognition

State=Second Place

Nation=Top 100 school

Ohio Mathematics League

2011-05-15T12:44:00.001-07:00

Team Results

Eighth Grade Team=Third place

Seventh Grade Team=First place

Sixth Grade Team= Second place

Individual Results

Eighth Grade: Trevor, Hassan, Susmita among top 30 in Ohio

Seventh Grade: Clive and Dhweeja First place; Christine, Kavya, Nate among top 30 in Ohio

Sixth Grade: Prathna, Vinny, Michael, Darius, Ammar among top 30 in Ohio

Vinny K earns multiple science awards

2011-05-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

Taken from 6th Science "Class News" in the May 2011 Clipboard issue...

"During Spring Break Vinny K entered his science fair project in

the Best Medicine Science Fair, an event hosted by the Austen

BioInnovation Institute in Akron..." (See press release)

Earth Day Essay Winners

2011-05-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Taken from 3rd-5th Language Arts "Class News" in the May 2011 Clipboard issue...

"Meanwhile, the fifth graders have written a story modeling

a piece based on the classic tale St. George and the Dragon.

They’ve also enjoyed success writing their own adventure tale

using only a prompt and graphic organizer as a guideline. In

addition, these students and the fourth graders wrote essays

about buying and growing food locally. They entered these in the

Earth Day contest, and we had two winners at this grade level:

Grace C for “So the World Can Stay Green” and Cameron K for

“A Healthy and Helpful Way to Live.” These students won free

admissions to the zoo, a photo opportunity with the mayor, and

a cash prize. Cam had the additional honor of being interviewed

on Regina Brett’s radio program." (See press release)

Future Problem Solving

2011-04-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

In February, 33 students were sequestered for 2 hours with

their teams to apply the six-step problem solving method

to the topic of genetic testing. The weeks of topic research

and learning the creative brainstorming process paid off!

Seven teams and one individual received invitations to

the state bowl:

Intermediate teams:

Marla B, Sunny R, Christine B, and Alex P

Hassan S, Alexander I, Daniel W, and Abhijeet S

Hannah Y, Susmita R, Prithvi P, and Sarah D

Kareem T, Sachi G, Shan S, and Joan C

Kavya R, Naomi W, Katelyn V, and Dalya A

Individual: Trevor L

Alternates: Dhweeja D and Cameron S

Junior Teams:

Prathna K, Anthony C, Michael T, and Pheby L

Megan P, Haley Y, Grace X, and Alexis H

Alternates: Ammar M, Anna H

Scenario Qualifiers: Vinny K, Katelyn V

National Geographic Geography Bee

2011-04-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row, Trevor L has qualified to

participate in the state level of the Geography Bee. Following

his win in the school bee, Trevor took a challenging written

test which was sent in to National Geographic and scored.

He was selected as one out of a hundred qualifiers to

participate in the state bee on April 1. Congratulations!

National History Day District Competition

2011-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 19, Birchwood students achieved

outstanding results at the National History Day district

competition held at Case Western Reserve University.

Birchwood students swept the top three places in four out

of nine categories and took the top two places in another

two categories, along with numerous special prizes. In

all, twenty-four students qualified to advance to the state

competition in April.

In the historical paper category, Hannah Y took first

place with her paper on the Reykjavik Summit, Amir F

took second place for his research on the Sam Sheppard

murder case, and Sarah D took third place for her paper

on the Camp David Accords. In the individual website

category, Kavya R took first place, Alexandra P took

second place, and Vinayak K took third place for their

websites on Heliocentrism, Prohibition, and Yellow

Journalism, respectively. In the group website category,

three Birchwood groups also swept the top three places.

Nate C and Clive C placed first with their website on the

War of the Currents, AC vs. DC. Joan C and Sachi G

placed second for their website on the Cuyahoga River

Fire and Ammar M and Darius Z placed third for their

website on the Yalta Conference.

In the individual documentary category, Prithvi P placed

first, Dhweeja D placed second, and Naomi W placed

third for their entries on the Treaty of Versailles, Brown v.

the Board of Education, and Jay’s Treaty, respectively. In

the group documentary category, Peter A and Shan S

placed third with their entry on the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In the individual performance category, Kareem T

placed first with his performance telling the story of the

Montgomery Bus Boycott and Katelyn V placed second with

her performance about child labor at the beginning of the

1900s. In group performances, Trevor L and Abhijeet S

placed first with their performance on the Lincoln/Douglas

debates and Marla B and Sanjana R placed second with

their performance about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

In the individual exhibit category, Brad S placed second

with his exhibit on the Rapido River crossing in World War II.

In addition, Susmita R earned a special award on military

history from the Cleveland Grays for her individual

documentary on the atom bomb. Four students won

special recognition and cash awards from the Early Settlers

Association of the Western Reserve for their entries

focusing on a local topic: Amir F for his historical paper

on Sam Sheppard, Maya F for her historical paper on the

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and Joan C and

Sachi G for their website on the Cuyahoga River Fire.

Congratulations to all these students for their

accomplishments and good luck to all the students who will

compete at the state competition on April 30 at Columbus

State Community College.

Science Olympiad

2011-04-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Birchwood School Science

Olympiad team. The students were recognized for their

teamwork at the competition on March 26. In addition, the

following students won an award in their event:

Ammar M and Prathna K: “A” is for Anatomy, 2nd place

Vinny K, Avi B, John H: Science Bowl, a head-to-head

event, students won their round

Alexis H and Vinny K: Experimental Design, 3rd place

Sahej B and Abby M: Keys, 4th place

William L and Michael T: Don’t Bug Me, 4th place

Regional Power of the Pen

2011-04-13T16:15:00.002-07:00

Congratulations to our regional qualifiers who traveled

to Canton on March 4 and brought home the first and

third place team trophies for eighth and seventh grade,

respectively.

Eighth graders: Sarah D, Trevor L, Prithvi P, Hassan S,

Daniel W, Hannah Y

Seventh graders: Joan C, Dhweeja D, Katelyn V, Naomi W

Individuals who earned special recognition include:

Trevor L. – 14th Place, 8th grade

Joan C – 11th Place, 7th grade

Naomi W – 4th Place, 7th grade, Best of Rounds

Katelyn V – 3rd Place, 7th grade, Best of Rounds from

Director

These students along with Hannah Y will be representing

the school at the state competition on May 27 at Wooster

College. A special thanks to Mrs. Kufahl who sacrificed an

entire Saturday to help us judge at the regional.

2011 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

2011-04-13T16:15:00.001-07:00

The verdict is in. From 185,000 works submitted to

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, top regional

works received Gold Keys, 3000 Gold Key writing

winners (including Birchwood’s nine) and 9000 Gold

Key for art. From these, 1500 national winners were

then selected and invited to Carnegie Hall for the

Award Ceremony to include the following students:

Trevor L - eighth grade - Silver Award for memoir

Clive C - seventh grade - Silver Award for fantasy

Katelyn V - seventh grade - Gold Award for memoir

Charles B - eighth grade - Gold Award for sculpture,

Best in Grade

They may have a chance to be selected for the traveling

exhibition or publication in a Scholastic book, magazine,

or online galleries.

Letters About Literature Ohio Winner

2011-04-13T16:14:00.001-07:00

Alexis H, a sixth grader has been selected as the winner

in the Ohio Center for the Book Letters About Literature

Contest in Level 1. Her essay to Lois Lowry for Number

the Stars is eligible to compete at the national competition.

In addition, Alexis is invited to participate in the awards

ceremony at the Cleveland Public Library on Saturday,

May 14. She will receive a $100.00 cash prize, a $50.00

Target gift card, a selection of books, Ohio Center for the

Book keepsakes, and a certificate of award for her wonderful

effort. Her essay will be reproduced in a booklet with the

other winners and semi-finalist, among whom is Jack B, fifth

grader for his letter to E.B. White who wrote Stuart Little.

January 2011 Cricket Magazine Story-writing Contest

2011-04-13T16:13:00.002-07:00

Prompt: Write a fantasy about l iving under

the sea or about an object that comes to life.

2nd place--Olivia S--”The Great Mermaid Adventure”

Honorable Mention--Abigail M--”This Sea is Our Sea”

Honorable Mention--Channin M--”The Magical Fish”

Honorable Mention--Farah S--”Marissa’s Journey”

Honorable Mention--Michael H--”The Plastic Wars”

Congratulations to these creative young writers!

Ohio Mathematics League

2011-04-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

The eighth grade team tied for second place in Ohio. In

the Individual category, Trevor L Hassan S, and Susmita

R placed among the top 20 students in the state. The

seventh grade team took first place at the state level. In

the Individual category, Clive C and Dhweeja D tied for

first place as individuals. Nate C, Kavya R, and Christine

B, also placed among the top 20 students in the state.

The sixth grade team also distinguished themselves

by taking second place in the state. In the Individual

category, Pratha K, Vinayak K, Ammar M, Michael T, and

Darius Z all placed among the top 20 students in the state.

MathCounts - State Level

2011-04-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Birchwood students Clive C, Kavya R, Nate C, and

Dhweeja D won 1st place in the team competition. In

addition, four students placed in the top 50 of the individual

competition: Clive -1st place, Kavya - 7th place, Vinayak

K- 35th, and Nate - 42nd. Kavya came in second place

in the Countdown Round. As coach of the first place

team, Mr. Debelak is the designated coach for the state

team (comprised of the top four individual placers from

around the state). This team will represent Ohio at the

national competition in Washington D.C. A big thanks to

Mr. Ravichandran for his help coaching Birchwood’s team.

His guidance at weekly club meetings provided invaluable

help. He is also assisting Mr. D. with the preparation for

nationals.

Science Olympiads (Grades 4-6)

2011-04-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

The Science Olympiad Competition was held on Saturday,

March 26 (spring break) at CSU. Although Science Olympiads is a national competition at the middle school and high school level, the Cleveland elementary level is

planned by Susan Robertson (Solon), Jennifer Detmar

(Parma), and Amy Brodsky (Shaker). This year the

Cleveland State Organizer/Coordinator was Jay Reynolds.

Altogether, there are 24 different events in which students

can compete.

The following fourth, fifth, and sixth graders worked for

a number of months on Science Olympiad events. 4th

graders: Sahej B, Avi B, Sophia C, Maya D, Abigail M,

Elizabeth P,and Olivia S. 5th graders: Jack B, Grace C,

William L, Isabela M and Sofia R. 6th graders: Alexis

H, Prathna K, Pheby L, Ammar M, Michael T, Grace

X, Haley Y, and John H (who just started at Birchwood.)

Individual awards are listed in the awards section.

A heartfelt thanks goes to: Mr. Poole and Mr. Bindra , who

served as judges for A is for Anatomy, Ms. Glamm, Mrs.

Poole, Ms. Priscilla, Ms. Zwolinski, and John Liu, who

made sure the students got to the correct rooms at the right

time and then picked them up. Also Dr. Magrey helped

watch students and Mr. Brancatelli brought pizza.

Birchwood Science Fair, NEOSEF 2011, Western Reserve District 5 Science Day, Best Medicine Engineering Fair, & State Science Fair

2011-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Science Fair

At the Birchwood science fair on March 4th twenty three

students presented their projects. Out of these projects

Kavya R advanced to the North East Ohio Science and

Engineering Fair (NEOSEF), held at Cleveland State

University March 14 - 17. NEOSEF accepts 7th-12th grade

students from 7 counties selects; students move on to the

next levels of competition: The International Science and

Engineering Fair (ISEF). Kavya R earned a 2nd place for

her project entitled: “Electrolyte Concentration - Gatorade

vs. Orange Juice”. Alumnus, Anirudh D, earned a 1st

place for his project: “The Effect of Nonstandard Boundary

Conditions on Quantum Interactions of Cosmic Strings.”

Prathna K and Vinny K were advanced to the Western

Reserve District 5 Science Day an the University of Akron

on March 19th. The Western Reserve District 5 Science

Day is one of the 15 District Science Fairs held in Ohio

each spring under the Ohio Junior Academy of Science.

Based on the results of the competition, students were

given the opportunity to proceed to the State Science

Day on May 7th. Vinny K (Project: “BMI, Heart Rate, and

Blood Pressure: Possible Correlation to Cardiovascular

Health”) was advanced to the State competition. He, also,

received awards from the following organizations: Summit

and Portage District Ohio Nurses Association (outstanding

research project at the middle school level related to health

and medicine), The American Society of Quality: (best use

of statistics in research), Honor Society of Nursing (best

nursing related project) and the Austen Bio Innovation

Institute (outstanding performance and invitation to the

Best Medicine Engineering Fair at the Inventors Hall of

Fame in Akron on April 2, 2011). Vinny will also present his

project at the Best Medicine Engineering Fair on April 2nd.

Dhweeja D was also advanced to the state science fair

on May 7th.

A tremendous thanks goes to the adults who took time

out of their busy lives to encourage the students in their

interest in science and engineering: Ms. Baca-Delancey,

Mrs. Cao, Mr. Elmore, Mr. Gianetta, Ms. Franklin, Ms.

Glamm, Dr. Hendryx, Mr. Liu, Mr. Martin, Dr. Magrey,

Mrs. Moner, Dr. Nader, and Dr. Nair.

CML 3rd and 4th Grade

2011-04-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Final 3rd and 4th grade Continental Math League contest

results: Congratulations to the following winners: Avi B

and Bianca H (gold); Sophie C, Elizabeth P, and Farah

S (silver); and Sahej B, Maya D, Cam K, and Jane N

(bronze). Great job Everyone!!

Scholastic Art and Writing Award - Gold Medal Best in Grade

2011-04-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 2011

National Celebration presented by

Alliance for Young Artist and Writers

Charles B received a Gold Medal and Best in Grade for

his sculpture I Spy…!

Best in Grade is a new award this year. The Alliance will

provide two $500.00 scholarships for each grade level.

The award is chosen from national Gold Medals across

all categories. Charles is one of two eighth graders in the

country to receive this award.

Charles’s artwork will be on display in New York City at

the Art.Write.Now 2011 National Exhibition, Located at the

World Financial Center. Charles will be recognized for his

accomplishments at the world famous Carnegie Hall on

Tuesday May 31.

Science Grant

2011-04-13T16:01:00.001-07:00

Science Grant: Earlier this year Miss Brown received a mini grant from the Cuyahoga Solid Waste Department (CSW) to purchase 6 heavy-duty recycle bins to expand Birchwood’s recycling program to include plastics. On March 24th, Ms. Katherine Rocco (CSWD) interviewed the eighth grade students responsible for running the program: Charles B, Amir F, Abhijeet S, and Sam Z. They explained how they set up the program, the amounts collected so far, and showed her how they collect and weigh the plastics.

Birchwood Students Win Regional Power of the Pen Competition

2011-04-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Cleveland - Ten Birchwood School students traveled to Canton on March 4 for the regional Power of the Pen competition, and brought home the first and third place team trophies for eighth and seventh grade, respectively. Sarah D, Trevor L, Prithvi P, Hassan S, Daniel W, and Hannah Y constituted the first place eighth grade team. Joan C, Dhweeja D, Katelyn V, and Naomi W comprise the seventh grade students who won the third place trophy.

The Power of the Pen is an Ohio interscholastic writing competition where schools are represented by teams of six. These young writers demonstrate their imagination and creative writing skills by writing three impromptu narratives in a single morning. They compete individually as well as a team and can advance from the district level through regional and state contests.

Four Birchwood students received special recognition for their performance in individual rounds of writing. Katelyn V finished third among all seventh grade writers and also received the honor of “Best of Round” for writing the best essay in Round I. Naomi W came in fourth, Joan C placed eleventh, and Trevor L finished in fourteenth place among several hundred writers who competed. These students along with Hannah Y will be going on to the state competition at the end of May at Wooster College.

Birchwood Student Wins at Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair

2011-04-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

Cleveland - Kavya R, seventh grade student at Birchwood School in Cleveland, won second place in the 2011 Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF) held at Cleveland State University March 14-17. Her project was entitled Electrolyte Concentration- Gatorade vs. Orange Juice.

The NEOSEF is a non-profit organization, whose goal is to get young adults interested in science and engineering by participating in a science and engineering competition. The fair has been held every year since 1954.

During the four-day event, approximately 600 students from over 100 schools in the area competed. Their projects were displayed and judged by more than 260 judges. The students had the opportunity to discuss their research with professional scientists and engineers from the local area. When questioned about her electrolyte entry Kavya responded, “I really appreciated the process of the scientific method while working on my project.”

Birchwood School Wins MATHCOUNTS Chapter Round at CSU

2011-03-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

At the Northeast Ohio Mathcounts competition on February 19 the math team from Birchwood School turned in a phenomenal performance. They placed first in the team competition and first in the team countdown round. The team composed of Kavya R, Dhweeja D, Clive C, and Nate C along with Vinayak K who competed as an individual, recorded four of the top six scores. Chan, a seventh grade student, earned a perfect score, the first ever at this chapter competition.

Twelve students from the local competitions will advance to the state competition at Columbus State Community College on March 12. The top four individuals at the Ohio competition will progress to the National MATHCOUNTS Competition where they will compete against the top team from each state.

Currently in their 28th year, Mathcounts is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students. The Mathcounts Competition is a national middle school coaching and competitive mathematics program that promotes mathematics achievement.

It is no surprise that these students have met with success, considering their history of hard work. Just since October 2010, each student has solved more than 1,000 math problems on a special project outside of regular classroom work; and they stayed after school for at least an hour twice a week - just to practice math problems. “A lot of students are smart, but few will work as hard as this group,” remarked Charles Debelak, math teacher and Head of School. Mr. Debelak coaches the team with Mr. Ravichandran, one student’s father. This group of students will travel to Columbus with the hope of placing among the top teams in Ohio.

Four Young Birchwood Students Are Published in National Magazine

2011-03-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

Four students from Birchwood School’s first and second grade class were published in Spider Magazine, a national magazine for children 6-9 years old. Abeedah H, age 6, Zuha J, age 7, Bridget L, age 6, and Shruthi R, age 7, wrote poems related to holiday comfort food. Their poems will be printed in the March issue.

The Birchwood students prepared by reading acrostic and cinquain poems and then modeled their own work after them. Sticking to the structure of the model poem, students supplied details about the foods they loved to produce an original poem. Their practice paid off, as the four girls’ poems represent half of the works chosen from the USA for publication in the March issue. Rhonda Sprau, the Language Arts teacher of the students, said, “I’m proud of their effort. Having four students published in one month is phenomenal!”

Spider Magazine is a national literary magazine for children ages 6-9, and are part of the Cricket Magazine group. The magazine group has been producing top-quality children’s literature for 35 years. The girls’ poems can be viewed at
www.spidermagkids.com/corner.

Birchwood Student's Essay Is Chosen From Thousands

2011-02-24T10:49:00.001-08:00

Farah S, a third grade Westlake student attending Birchwood School, was the only student in Ohio chosen as a Top Ten Winner in a National Essay Contest. There were several thousand essays entered in the contest, sponsored by Creative Communication, from the United States and Canada. Her essay entitled Donating My Long Hair is an inspiring 250 words describing the experience of donating her hair to “Wigs for Kids.” Sayed shared her top ten spot with high school students, and was the only third grade student to make the top thirty.

Creative Communication is a company who is devoted to the promotion of writing, teaching, and appreciation of student writing. The intent of their contests is to motivate creative writers like Sayed. The winning essays were selected for their literary merit, creativity, and social significance. Farah’s essay can be viewed at www.poeticpower.com/winner.php.

Science Awards

2011-02-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

American Chemical Society and Chemistry Week

The Cleveland ACS sponsors three contests for students in K-8. Each contest requires that students experiment, record observations, and organize his or her thoughts to answer age-appropriate questions. The 3rd-4th graders conducted a series of experiments and observed how much foam was produced when different crushed and liquefied candies, vinegar, ginger ale, and lemon juice were mixed with baking soda. The 5th – 8th graders observed the reactions that occurred to copper pennies and other metals soaked in vinegar and salt over a three-day period. Two Birchwood students were chosen from the 550 5th – 8th grade entries.

Bianca H 4th grade regional winner
Vinny K. 5th grade winner
Sanjana R. 7th grade winner

The ACS, also, sponsors a poster contest for students in Kindergarten – Grade 12.
This year’s theme was “Behind the Scenes with Chemistry”. Students from six counties in the greater Cleveland area submitted entries relating to the theme "Behind the Scenes with Chemistry."

Shruthi R. K-2 regional winner
Sahej B. 3rd-5th regional winner
Sahej B. 3rd-5th second place national winner

Students Published in the Creative Communications Contest

2011-02-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Students published in the Creative Communications Poetry Anthology
Fall 2010 Contest

Marla B- Trees
Dhweeja D- Grass
Kavya R- A Rose
Sanjana R- Snapshots
Susmita R-Football
Hassan S- The Falling Snow

Power of the Pen District Winners

2011-02-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

Power of the Pen District Winners

A group of seventh and eighth grade Birchwood students packed into a van at 7:00 A.M. on the Saturday morning of January 29 for the Power of the Pen district competition. They competed at Howland Middle School in Warren, Ohio, among 122 contestants from 11 schools. They came home with several school and individual awards!

Power of the Pen is a writing competition exclusive to the state of Ohio involving middle grade students. Representing their schools, six students per grade have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and writing abilities in three rounds of impromptu writing. Competing as individuals and as a team, the Birchwood contingent fared very well.

The eighth grade team placed first with Sarah D, Trevor L, Prithvi P, Hassan S, Daniel W, Hannah Y, and alternate Sue R.

The seventh grade team brought home a third place trophy. Members included Clive C, Joan C, Dhweeja D, Kavya R, Katelyn V, Naomi W, and alternate Christine B.

The top twelve writers from each grade were also recognized. Among the seventh graders, Naomi W was awarded the first place trophy. In addition she snagged two “best of round” awards and a special Vindicator journalism award. For the eighth graders, Prithvi P and Sarah D received the ninth and sixth place, respectively. Hannah Y earned the third place trophy, one point away from second and three points shy of the first place winner. Naomi W and Hannah Y were among four students who earned Perfect Rank Point Total Scores by achieving 1’s in all three rounds of writing at this event. Hassan S joins these two ladies to be among eleven students who achieved Superior Ratings.

The executive director of POP Lorraine Merrill stated, “Bravo to Birchwood School for its awesome performance. It will be taking all six members of its eighth grade team on to Regionals.”

National Geographic Geography Bee

2011-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

National Geographic Geography Bee

Congratulations to Trevor L for his first place finish in the school bee. This is Trevor’s third year as the school winner. Next he will take a lengthy written exam to try and qualify for the state bee in April. Congratulations also to sixth grader Prathna K for her second place finish and fourth grader Olivia S for her third place finish!

National Chemistry Week Contests

2011-02-04T11:51:00.001-08:00

National Chemistry Week ContestsBack in October, 1-4 grade students designed posters for the 2010 National Chemistry Week Poster Contest. The theme was “Behind the Scenes with Chemistry”; posters were to highlight how chemistry is used in movies, such as make-up, sugar glass, fog machines and more. Birchwood School had two regional winners (students from six counties entered the regional contest): Shruthi R won the K-2 division and Sahej B won the 3-5 division. Sahej B also won second place in the National Contest for grades 3-5. Fantastic job!

The third and fourth graders also entered the National Chemistry Week Experiment Contest. Students observed the reactions when liquids (ginger ale, lemon juice) and crushed and liquefied candies (Nerds, Lemon Heads, Sour Patch Kids) were added to a cup with baking soda and water. They then answered questions about the results. Bianca H was chosen as a regional winner. Congratulations!

Cricket Magazine's National Story-Writing Contest

2011-02-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Cricket Magazine’s National Story-Writing Contest

The results for the September Cricket story-writing contest are in, and Birchwood students have made us proud once again. The prompt simply asked writers to tell a story that included a horse, and three third and fourth grade girls were recognized for their engaging and creative tales. Abby M earned first place for “A Horse Fit for a King” while Emma P came in second for “A Pony to be Proud of.” “Magic Mariachi” earned Olivia S an Honorable Mention award. Congratulations, young ladies!

Math Awards Reported in February 2011

2011-02-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

MATH OLYMPIADS CONTEST #3Gold Award: Trevor, Brad, Clive, Nate, Christine B, Vinny, Pheby, Michael, Darius, Jack. Silver Award: Suzie, Sunny, Marla, Prithvi, Daniel, Kavya, Dhweeja, Jorgen, Megan, Anna, Ammar, William. Bronze Award: Hassan, Amir F, Sarah D, Kareem, Peter H, Katelyn V, Haley, Grace, Adam.

CONTINENTAL MATH LEAGUE #3Gold Award: Trevor, Prithvi, Marla, Hassan, Suzie, Kavya, Dhweeja, Clive, Nate, Vinny, Ammar. Silver Award: Alexander I, Sunny, Sarah D, Kareem, Christine B, Michael, Darius, Grace. Bronze Award: Sam Z, Brad, Daniel, Hannah, Joan, Dalya, Sachi, Shan, Katelyn, Naomi, Jorgen, William.

Congratulations to all of our mathletes whose hard work and persistence is paying off!!!

Three Birchwood Students Published in National Magazine

2011-01-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Three Birchwood School students’ stories were published in the January edition of Cricket Magazine, a national literary publication for readers aged 9 to 14. Abigail M, age 10 of Cleveland, Emma P, age 8 of Bay Village, and Olivia S, age 10 of Westlake, received first place, second place, and honorable mention respectively. Students were asked to develop a short story about a horse. These girls join a long list of Birchwood School students who have earned the honor of having their work published by this national magazine for children. Last year the school turned out 4 top-three finishers, and 6 Honorable Mentions.

When asked about the importance of these awards Karen Kufahl, the Language Arts teacher at the Cleveland private school said, “Considering that this is a national contest, it is a real credit to these young ladies' creativity and diligence as well as to the Birchwood writing program that they would be honored with the publication of their stories. I am so proud of each of them for writing engaging and beautifully descriptive pieces that won the admiration of the judges."

Young Astronauts Day 2010

2010-12-08T17:52:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, November 6, 2010, two teams of students
with the help of Ms. Hsiao, Ms. Annaswamy, Mr. Kurup,
and Mr. Zinolabedini spent a day at NASA Glenn
competing in the Young Astronaut Day engineering
challenges. The Pilots, composed of Prathna K, Grace
X, Grace C, Ammar M, Haley Y, Vinny K, Alexis H,
Caroline V, Darius Z, Anna H, and Michael T earned a
first place in the Balloon Car Race and the Marble Roller
Coaster events. They earned a third place ribbon for the
In-space Repair.

The Commander Team was composed of Jorgen K,
Hannah Y, Kavya R, Naomi W, Katelyn V, Sunny R, Sue
R, Sachi G, Dhweeja D, Dalya A, Clive C, and Kareem
T. They earned a second place ribbon in an event called
Lunar Rock Race. One person had (got) to wear a real
astronaut suit and pick up certain categories of rocks
with an extended reach tool. They picked up the greatest
number of “correct” rocks in the shortest amount of time.

This is the second year that YAD students were involved
in a community service activity in which they brought a
designated kind of canned food and used the cans to build
a structure resembling a “Robonaut”. The canned food was
then donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.

Math Awards Reported in December 2010

2010-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

This month the fourth graders took the first of 5 contests
for the Continental Math League. Winners were: Gold
Medal: Bianca H, Maya D, and Sophie C, Silver Medal:
Elizabeth P, Avi B, Abby M, and Sahej B, and Bronze
Medal: Victor P, Michael H, and Cam K.

Continental Math League:
Gold Awards (6 of 6 correct)
Trevor, Sue, Prithvi, Hassan, Alexander, Kareem, Kavya,
Dhweeja, Clive, Nate, Christine, Cameron, Shan, Katelyn,
Naomi, Prathna, Vinny, Pheby, Ammar, Grace, William
Silver Awards (5 of 6 correct)
Sunny, Marla, Sean, Brad, Daniel, Hannah, Peter, Sachi,
Jorgen, Michael, Darius, Haley, Maya, Alexis, Megan, Anna
Bronze Awards (4 of 6 correct)
Sam, Alex P, Sarah D, Joan, Dalya, Alex H, Anthony

Math Olympiads:
Gold Awards (5 of 5 correct)
Trevor, Clive, Nate, Dhweeja
Silver Awards (4 of 5 correct)
Kavya, Haley, Anna H, William
Bronze Awards (3 of 5 correct)
Sue, Sunny, Marla, Prithvia, Hassan Sam, Daniel, Hannah
Y, Sarah D, Kareem, Christine B, Darius, Anthony

Birchwood Students Help Feed 500 Area Families

2010-11-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Students of Birchwood School, located at 4400 W 140 Street, have been busy helping volunteers from the Blessed Trinity parish in their efforts to feed the poor. This past spring volunteers from the Bountiful Basement, a food pantry located on the Blessed Trinity grounds, planted a garden to provide fresh vegetables for area families in need. The students have been helping enthusiastically to plant and harvest the produce, unload food trucks, gather food items for the holidays, and pack bags for needy families. Part of the school’s mission is to build solid work habits in a caring environment, while forging a sense of social responsibility within each student.

“I can’t begin to tell you what a help Birchwood has been to the Bountiful Basement, especially this Thanksgiving season,” says Bountiful Basement director Tami Graf. “Some of the eighth grade boys even help unload the food truck, a very unselfish act.”

The Bountiful Basement was formed in the late 1990’s when the Cleveland Hunger Network decided to establish sites further west of the city. In the beginning they served as few as 20 to 30 families per month. Currently that number has grown to 500 families, and during the holidays, they are expecting to help as many as 700. The students are currently gathering food items to assist the volunteers in making this holiday season a great one! Donations are always welcome at the Bountiful Basement located at 4370 W 140 Street.

Birchwood School Is Awarded The Physical Fitness State Champion Award

2010-10-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

CLEVELAND-Birchwood School has earned the highest award for outstanding achievement in physical fitness, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, and was distinguished as a President’s Challenge Physical Fitness State Champion School for 2009-2010. Every student participated in 5 events designed to test speed, strength, flexibility, and endurance, and 25 percent achieved at least the eighty-fifth percentile in all 5 events.

Birchwood students have been participating in the President’s Challenge since the late eighties, and have received this award five times since they opened their doors in 1984. “Participation in the State Champion Program demonstrates their commitment to serving as a leader and role-model in physical fitness,” said Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

Students this school year have already been running around the school grounds as they practice for the mile run, one of the five events included in the President’s Challenge.

The following was not submitted to the press:

Presidential Award Winners 2009-2010
Alexander D, Chester H, Sarah M, Emma P, Alexis H, Maya F, Alex P, Vinny K, Grace C, Isabella M, Sarah D, Sanjana R, Clare P, Sophia C, Abigail M, Elizabeth P, Sahej B, Sachi G, Shawki A, Zaeem M, Miguel P, Grant F, Nathan C, Miranda M, Aide S, Arjun B, and Haley Y

Birchwood School Branches Out to Communities Offering Fruits of Many Years’ Experience

2010-10-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

In the midst of an economic crisis and during a period of educational decline, Birchwood School has launched a public service initiative for parents who want to give their children an academic advantage in a global marketplace. In addition, Birchwood would like to share its premier character-training program, which helps parents to nurture responsibility, strong work habits, and positive attitudes in their young. This initiative includes lectures and book discussions at Birchwood School such as The Cumulative Advantage: The Rationale For Investing in Early Education, and a discussion of Lawrence Steinberg’s popular book, Beyond the Classroom.

Another avenue through which Birchwood is giving back to the community is via free coffee house talks in Bay Village, North Ridgeville, and Medina. These informative discussions will focus on the education of bright and gifted children in elementary and middle school. They will center firmly on history and research, which strongly urge that special educational attention be given to these young people who will become tomorrows' leaders among the various disciplines of society.

Book Discussions
-Beyond the Classroom by Lawrence Steinberg, October 21
-Mindsets by Carol Dweck, December 9
-Reforming Education by Mortimer Adler, February 2
-The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, April 21

Lectures
-The Tenets of Great Education, September 23
-Cultivating Creativity in Young People, November 17
-IQ: Its Meaning and Implications for Education, January 20
-The Cumulative Advantage: the Rationale for Investing in Early Education, March 24

Lectures and book discussions will take place at Birchwood School from 2-3pm & 7-8pm

Coffee House Discussions
The education of bright and gifted children

October 12 Mojo’s Coffee and More Bay Village 6:30-8pm
October 14 Café 83 North Ridgeville 6:30-8pm
October 18 Panera Medina 6:30-8pm

Birchwood School and Teacher Receive Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities

2010-09-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Cleveland—On September 1, 2010 The Birchwood School and science teacher, Linda Brown, were the sole Cleveland recipients of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities. The Ohio Academy of Science selected 115 Ohio schools and 418 teachers to receive Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities for their accomplishments during the 2009-2010 school year.

To qualify for the Governor’s Award, each school conducted a local science fair with 20 or more students, sent one or more of these students to one of the Academy’s 16 district science days, and involved students in one or more youth science opportunities beyond the classroom such as State Science Day, visits to museums, mentorship programs an extended field trip.

In February of this year, Brown conducted a local science fair involving 30 students. Two of these students, Dhweeja D and Vinayak K, received superior ratings at the district level and advanced to the Ohio State Science Day where they also turned out superior ratings.

In addition to these achievements, Brown and her students participated in Science Olympiads, National Chemistry Week Experiments, Young Astronaut Day, as well as taking part in a four day program at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Center.

“Receiving a Governor’s Award for Excellence sends a clear signal that these schools and teachers value student-originated, inquiry-based science education as outlined in the Ohio Science Education Standards and in the National Science Education Standards,” said Lyn Elfner, the Academy’s CEO. “Whole new worlds of opportunities open up to students when they complete research or technological design projects.” he continued.

Birchwood School Students Continue To Produce Outstanding Results in National History Day Competition; Four Place in National Finals

2010-07-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

*Revised*
CLEVELAND— Birchwood students had another excellent showing at the National History Day competition in June at the University of Maryland. The students reached the national level after placing in the top spots at both the district competition at Case Western Reserve University in March and the state competition at The Ohio State University in April. At the national competition, Birchwood students were up against the best from all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, and Department of Defense schools in Europe. Four Birchwood students advanced to the finals, and Birchwood was one of only three schools in the nation to have three entries advance to the finals. Ben W placed sixth overall, with an individual documentary on Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press. Zaeem M and Clare P finished seventh overall with their group performance on the Marshall Plan. Nathan C finished thirteenth with an individual website on Alan Freed, a well known Cleveland deejay. Amir F narrowly missed qualifying for the finals, coming in third in his preliminary judging room and receiving high marks for his paper on Garrett Morgan, a Cleveland inventor.

The National History Day Competition is an educational program which requires students to conduct primary and secondary research on a particular theme and present their work through creative and scholarly projects. After a series of district and state contests, the program culminates with a national competition. Birchwood School has produced 152 national qualifiers and 68 national finalists over its history.

Birchwood School Student Places Second in International Future Problem Solving Competition

2010-07-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

CLEVELAND— Katelyn V placed second at the International Future Problem Solving Competition (FPSPI) in Minnesota. She qualified to represent the state of Ohio in the individual junior division after winning first place at the state level.

A sixth grader at Birchwood School, Katelyn has been researching the topic of “Green Living” for two months to prepare for the competition held at the University of Wisconsin from June 10 – 13.

FPSPI engages students in creative problem solving. Founded in 1974 by creativity pioneer, Dr. E. Paul Torrance, the program stimulates critical and creative thinking skills and encourages students to develop a vision for the future.

The International Conference features four days of competitive problem solving and cooperative educational seminars. Each year over 2,000 students and coaches attend the FPS International Conference which includes charters from forty-five affiliate programs throughout the United States and other European and Asian countries, involving 250,000 students annually.

Katelyn honors Birchwood School with its third international trophy, having placed in other years at the team event and the scenario writing competition.

International Future Problem Solving 2010

2010-06-14T16:52:00.001-07:00

We just heard from Katelyn V who
is at the International Future
Problem Solving Bowl in Madison,
Wisconsin. She took 2nd place in
the whole wide world in the
individual competition! Woo-hoo!!!

Cricket Writing Contest Winners

2010-06-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

In March, the third through fifth graders entered a storywriting
contest in which they were asked to write about
a rescue. Avi B won first place for his story entitled “My
Dad Saves the Day.” Additionally, two students received
Honorable Mention awards: Maya D for “The True Hero”
and Sophia C for “Saving a Puppy.” These writers’
names and stories will appear in the July/August issue
of Cricket magazine.

Presidential Physical Fitness Awards

2010-06-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Presidential Physical Fitness Test is comprised of
five events: push-ups, sit-ups, one-mile run, V-sit and
reach, and the shuttle run.

Presidential Award Winners
(>85 percentile in all 5 events)
Alex D, Chester H, Sarah M, Emma P, Alexis H,
Maya F, Alex P, Vinny K, Grace C, Bella M, Sarah
D, Sunny R, Clare P, Sophia C, Abigail M,
Elizabeth P, Sahej B, Sachi G, Shawki A, Zaeem
M, Miguel P, Grant F, Nathan C, Miranda M,
Maide S, Arjun B, Haley Y.

National Award Winners
(>50 percentile in all 5 events)
Dalya A, Sarah C, Sue R, Hannah Y, LuLu S,
Nardine T, Eric H, Zuha J, Alia B, Channin M, Layla
N, Farah S, Annessa W, Dharma N, Shruthi R,
Hadi B, Avi B, Cameron K, Olivia S, Yamenah A,
William L, Sofia R.

Power of the Pen

2010-06-14T16:17:00.002-07:00

The 2010 state finals were held at The College of
Wooster on May 21. Out of 355 seventh grade students
representing the 280 schools in Ohio, Trevor L (7th
grade) qualified for the “power round” of writing and
emerged with a twelfth place state medal.

Ohio Celebration of Poets

2010-06-14T16:17:00.001-07:00

Several students have poems published in the 2010
Ohio Celebration of Poets. Fifth grade winners are
Alexis H, Vinny K, Grace X, Anna H, Darius Z, Adam
I, Maya F, Ammar M, Anthony C, Prathna K, and
Pheby L. Sixth grade winners are Kareem T, Alex H,
Nate C, Cameron S, Shan S, Naomi W, Kavya R,
Katelyn V, Clive C, Dhweeja D Sachi G, Christine
B, Jorgen K, Peter A, Hajira A and Dalya A. In the 7th
and 8th grade the winners are: Nathan C, Shawki A,
Carlf C, Peter C, Munim, Miguel P, LuLu S, Deepak
K, Tia L, Miranda M, Zaeem M, Nardine T, Sam Z,
Hassan S, Sunny R, Vikas N, Trevor L, Alex P, Sean
F, Amir F, Alexander I, Sarah C, Hannah Y.

OhioView Satellites Geospatial Technology Conference

2010-06-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Terri Benko, representing the OhioView Satellites
Geospatial Technology Conference, presented trophies
to Hassan S —1st place winner in the 7-9th grade
division. (How do different ground covers affect the
temperature of the earth?) and Hannah Y— 2nd place
winner in the 7-9th grade division (How does cloud
cover affect surface temperature?) There are photos
of Birchwood students from the 2009 and 2010
conference on the Satellites website
http://satellitesk12.org/. Look for Dr. C’s blog.
Also some on the Flicker link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50202373@N03/sets/72157623936631559/.

Ohio State Science Fair Awards

2010-06-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Both Dhweeja D and Vinny K received Superior
Awards (top) at the Ohio State Science Fair in
Columbus on May 8. In addition, they were nominated
for Young Scientist Awards. However, because they
were not high school age, they were not advanced to
the Intel Science Fair. (We will check back with them
when they are in high school.)

The Ohio Academy of Science has invited Birchwood
School to apply for the Governor’s Awards for
Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities.

Birchwood School Students Produce Outstanding Results in State National History Day Competition, Six Qualify for National Competition

2010-05-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE

May 5, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321

Birchwood School Students Produce Outstanding Results in State National History Day Competition, Six Qualify for National Competition

CLEVELAND— Birchwood students had another excellent showing at the state level of the National History Day competition held at The Ohio State University on Saturday, April 24. With many quality projects, six students will be moving on to the national competition in June at the University of Maryland. In the paper category, Sam Z (Fairview Park) qualified with his paper on the Gatling Gun, while Amir F (Avon Lake) qualified with his paper on Garrett Morgan, a notable Clevelander who invented the gas mask and traffic light. Amir also received two special awards from the Society of Ohio Archivists and the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board for his use of historical, archival records in his research.
In the website category, Nathan C (Lakewood) earned a place in the national finals with his website on Alan Freed, the Cleveland deejay who popularized the term “rock-n-roll.” In the group performance category, Clare P (Lakewood) and Zaeem M (Strongsville) had a strong performance on the Marshall Plan that helped them advance to the finals. In the individual performance category, Ben W (Cleveland) moved in to the national finals with his documentary on the invention of the printing press

The National History Day Competition is an educational program which requires students to conduct primary and secondary research on a particular theme and present their work through creative and scholarly projects. After a series of district and state contests, the program culminates with a national competition. Birchwood School has produced 152 national qualifiers and 64 national finalists over its history.

Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasehistorydaystatewinners5510.doc

Birchwood School Bucks the Trend - Middle School Girls Excel in Regional Math Contest

2010-05-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE

May 4, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321

Birchwood School Bucks the Trend-Middle School Girls Excel in Regional Math Contest

CLEVELAND— Birchwood School is proud to announce that three of its female students were recent State and Regional winners in the Continental Mathematics League (CML) competition. Kavya R (sixth grade, Westlake) Sunny R and Sue R (seventh grade, Avon) scored 35 out of a possible 36 points (97.2%). The CML was created in 1980 to aid schools in helping their students apply basic math skills to complex logic and reasoning problems. The region they competed in consisted of students from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

In addition, four Birchwood girls also placed very high in the Ohio Mathematics League Competition (OML). Kavya R placed first in the state, while Dhweeja D (sixth grade, Highland Hts.) and Hajira A (sixth grade, Rocky River) had the third highest score and Sue R had the fifth highest score. The OML Competition is a 30 minute exam covering forty complex word problems that require fluency in computation and problem-solving strategies.

In a recent report on the under representation of women in science and math by the American Association of Women, the effects of the learning environment on girls’ achievement in science and math were well documented. The study found that when parents and teachers encourage girls to expand their experience and knowledge in math, they tend to do better on math tests and are more inclined to study math in the future. This helps offset the negative stereotypes that boys are typically better than girls in science and math.

At Birchwood School, children develop the habits and attitudes that will enable them to reach their potential. This includes learning opportunities beyond the core curriculum, such as the CML and OML competitions. Consequently, we believe these teaching tools will encourage our female students to pursue careers in math if they choose to.

Additionally, one of the largest gaps in cognitive abilities is in spatial skills, where boys consistently outperform girls. Spatial skills are considered imperative for success in engineering and other scientific fields. Girls that are in an environment that has spatial skills training are more likely to develop these necessary skills needed to succeed in scientific fields. At Birchwood, we emphasize the hands on approach in science at an early age, with experiments and demonstrations beginning in kindergarten.

Click here for printer friendly version:

http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasegirlsexcelinmath5410.doc

Students Advance to National Level in History Day Competition

2010-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Birchwood had a wonderful showing at the state level of the National History Day competition. Held at the brand new Ohio State University student union building in Columbus, 22 students went with strong projects and high hopes. There were many high quality projects from other schools as well and the competition was tough. Birchwood students excelled in a number of categories and six students are advancing to the national competition which will be held at the University of Maryland in June. In the paper category, both Sam Z and Amir F were national finalists. This is the first time Birchwood has sent on two historical papers to nationals. Sam’s paper is on the Gatling Gun and Amir’s paper is on Garrett Morgan, the Cleveland inventor of the gas mask and traffic light. Also advancing to the national competition is Nathan C with his website on Alan Freed, the innovative Cleveland radio deejay who coined the term “rock and roll.” In the individual documentary category, Ben W will be competing with his documentary on the printing press. Zaeem M and Clare P will be representing Birchwood in the group performance category with their performance on the Marshall Plan. In addition, Amir received two special awards from the Society of Ohio Archivists and the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board for his use of historical, archival records in his research.

There were also a number of other strong showings by Birchwood students. In the group documentary category, Munim, Zach I, and Deepak K were the national alternates with their project on the polio vaccine. Hassan S was a national alternate in the individual documentary category for his project on the Apple II computer. Making the finals of the state competition and thus receiving honorable mentions were Kavya R for her website on the Bill of Rights, Lulu Sun for her website on the Northwest Ordinance, and Trevor L and Sunny R for their group performance on Yellow Journalism.

Good luck to all at the national competition in June!

Future Problem Solving Piece Qualifies for State

2010-05-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Nardine T submitted her science fiction piece to the 2010 Future Problem Solving Scenario Writing Contest. She developed the topic of "Sensory Overload," where a child's life was turned topsy-turvy when his older brother became handicapped from a car accident. Normalcy came in the form of a neuro-implant device that allowed the older brother to regain mobility, that is, until side effects started to surface. Compounding the turmoil in the family was how the younger brother begrudged all the attention his brother was getting. This piece qualified to go on to the state level and tied for fifth piece. Congratulations!

Earth Day Poster Winners

2010-05-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

This year 920 students from 27 different schools in Cuyahoga County entered the Cuyahoga Solid Waste District's Earth Day Poster Contest. Students had to depict some aspect of composting. Although top picks were chosen because of their art work and best use of design and color there were many excellent student posters that did not make the top ten. Fortunately, with parental permission, Mrs. Kutis allowed us to scan student work into Artsonia. You can look at student artwork online at http://www.artsonia.com/, and even order a mug or note cards with student work on it.

Students recognized for being in the top ten of their grade were: Elizabeth P (3rd grade); Alexis H and Anna H (5th grade); Sarah C, Sarah D, Sean F, Alex P, and Brad S (7th Grade); Zach I, Clare P, LuLu S, and Ben W (8th Grade).

Each grade winner and runner up had their posters featured on the Earth Day Calendar. The four Birchwood students were: Shruthi R (1st grade Winner), Avi B (3rd grade Runner up), Pheby L (5th grade Winner), and Hannah Y (7th grade Winner).

Continental Mathematics League Cumulative Scores

2010-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Birchwood students did an impressive job with the CML testing this year. Sue R, Sunny R, and Kavya R all were State and Regional champions! Both the seventh and eighth grades classes turned in scores that placed Birchwood as the top school in the State and the Region. The sixth grade class finished 3rd in Ohio and 3rd in our region, while the fifth grade class finished 2nd in Ohio and 3rd in the region. Great Job to all!

2010 Ohio History Day Teacher of Merit

2010-05-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

In the April issue we proclaimed that Mrs. Miller won an award for the History Teacher of the Year at the regional level. Now we must blow the trumpet! We just received the news that Connie Miller was named 2010 Ohio History Day Teacher of Merit! She received a plaque and a monetary award for her dedication to the teaching of history and excellence as an educator. This prestigious award was sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society and, at the national level, by National History Day and the Patricia Bearing Fund.

History Teacher of Year for NE Ohio

2010-04-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Miller won the History Teacher of Year for NE Ohio at the district History Day contest at Case Western University. This award from the Ohio Historical Society is so well-deserved! Her students took top awards across most categories. Inside this issue you can read a full version of the Westlake Observer article.

Science Olympiads 2010

2010-04-07T17:27:00.001-07:00

The 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students entered a new science competition this year. On Saturday, March 20th twenty-one teams from schools around the Metropolitan area competed in 31 different events at CSU. Birchwood students competing were: Amir I (1st place Science Bowl), Jack B (3rd place Aerodynamics), Sofia R (3rd- Aerodynamics), Caroline V (1st- Science Bowl), Isabela M, William L, Grace C, Yamenah A, Marco B (1st- Science Bowl, 2nd- Starry Starry Night), Alexis H, Adam I, Prathna K, Pheby L, Ammar M, Grace X, Haley Y, Hajira A (2nd- Starry Starry Night), Christine B, Nate C (1st- Bridge Building), Clive C (1st- Bridge Building, 1st- Circuits), Jorgen K (1st- Circuits), Kavya R (1st- Science Bowl), Shan S, Katelyn V, and Naomi W.

We owe a big thanks to all the parents who accompanied us. They, literally, ran the students to each event, picked them up, and made sure they made it to the next event! Thank you!

National Geographic Bee 2010

2010-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Trevor L for qualifying for the state level of the National Geographic Bee! Trevor is Birchwood's first two-year qualifier for the state competition. After winning the school level of the Bee, Trevor took a challenging written exam to qualify as one of approximately 100 students from across the state for the state level Bee which will be held at The Ohio State University, Mansfield Campus on April 9. Best wishes for Trevor's success in the state Bee!

Letters About Literature 2010

2010-04-07T17:25:00.002-07:00

Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing promotion contest sponsored by the Library of Congress and Target. This year over 70,000 students from grades 4-12 read a nonfiction book, short story, poem, essay, or speech and then wrote a personal letter to the author. In these 100-400 word letters, the students reflected upon the affect the piece of literature had on their lives. Students from the state of Ohio submitted over 2,400 letters; 913 of these were from fourth to sixth graders. Of these 913 entries, only 36 advanced to state level (Round 3) judging. Birchwood School's fifth and sixth graders made up one-sixth of the total students from Ohio to reach Round 3 judging. These six students include Prathna K, Vinny K, Michael T, Peter A H, Kavya R, and Katelyn V. In the next round, the 36 entries were whittled down to six semi-finalists, and once again, Birchwood students finished very strongly. Of the six top essays chosen, half were those of Birchwood students: Kavya R, Katelyn V, and Michael T. Kavya then went on to win second place in the state of Ohio for her letter to Kathryn Lasky, who wrote The Night Journey, while Katelyn earned third place for writing to Ann M. Martin, author of A Dog's Life. Congratulations to these fine students for their success with clear written expression.

National Chemistry Week 2010

2010-04-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

Way back in October, the 5th-8th grade students experimented with chemical reactions with copper pennies. Congratulations to Vinny K (5th grade winner) and Sanjana R (7th grade winner), who were chosen out of 550 entries. They and their families were invited to an Education and Awards Night Dinner.
Additionally, the 2nd-4th grade students participated in the National Chemistry Week 2009 poster contest. Students from six counties in the greater Cleveland area submitted entries relating to the theme "Chemistry - It's Elemental." Third grader Elizabeth P's poster was chosen as the winner for the K-5 category. She and her family will also attend the Awards Dinner on April 21st where she will be honored and awarded her prize.

Math Teams Shine In Ohio Mathematics League

2010-04-07T17:24:00.001-07:00

The Birchwood mathletes continue to excel this spring. The school competed in Ohio Math League competition on the sixth, seventh and eighth grade levels. This competition is composed for 25 difficult word problems that must be completed in a forty minute period.

In the team competition, our sixth graders tied for second place in the state; the seventh grade team placed fifth and the eighth grade team also placed fifth.

In the individual competition the students excelled. In the sixth grade, Kavya tied for first place, Hajira, Dhweeja, and Clive tied for the third highest score; Nate tied for the fourth highest score, Christine tied for the fifth highest score, and Peter tied for the sixth highest score. In addition, Naomi, Katelyn, Jorgen, Stewart, Kareem, Shan, and Sachi earned the Birchwood School honorable mention.

In the seventh grade, Hassan tied for the third highest score in the state, while Alexander and Suzie tied for the seventh highest score. Trevor, Prithvi, Sunny, Marla earned the Birchwood School honorable mention.

In the eighth grade, Shawki tied for the second highest score in the state, Deepak tied for the third highest, Munim and Nathan tied for the fourth highest, Zaeem tied for the fifth highest, Grant and Ben tied for the eighth highest score. Carlf, LuLu and Clare earned the Birchwood School honorable mention.

On an interesting note, I allowed the fifth graders to participate in the sixth grade contest. If their scores were permitted, they would have had the seventh highest score in the state. Not bad!!!

Continental Math League Test #5

2010-04-07T17:23:00.002-07:00

Gold Award: Zaeem M, Mohammed M, Shawki A, Ben W, Lu-Lu S, Trevor L, Clive C, Dhweeja D, Maya F, Ammar M, Darius Z, Vinayak K, Pheby L, Prathna K, Haley Y, Anna H,

Silver Award: Nathan C, Carlf C, Clare P, Grant F, Miguel P, Sunny R, Sue R, Alexander I, Marla Bashour, Sean F, Jorgen K, Kareem T, Katelyn V, Jorgen K, Naomi W, Kavy R, Dayla A, Christine B, Nate C, Cameron S, Anthony C, Marco B, Grace X, Michael T
Bronze Award: Zach I, Prithvi P, Brad S, Hajira A, Adam I

Math Olympiads Test #5

2010-04-07T17:23:00.001-07:00

Gold Award: Mohammed M, Nathan C, Grant F, Zaeem M, Sunny R, Sue R, Trevor L, Marla B, Nate C, Kareem T
Silver Award: Shawki A, Deepak K, Lu-Lu S, Alex P, Prithvi P, Hassan S, Sarah D, Hannay Y, Hajira A, Clive C, Christine B, Cameron S, Kavya R, Vinny K, Michael T, Dhweeja, D
Bronze Award: Carlf C, Alexander I, Sarah C, Brad S, Jorgen K, Naomi W, Darius Z, Pheby L, Haley Y

MathCounts Team At State

2010-04-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Birchwood was a state finalist in the MathCounts competition in Columbus, Ohio. The school was among the top 32 middle schools in the state – the top 4%. The team came in twelfth place. As individual participants Kavya came in 23rd place, Munim came in 38th place, Nathan came in 62nd place and Nate C came in 66th place. Good job, team.

Future Problem Solving 2010

2010-04-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

After six months of hard work on three consecutive practice problems, the 5th – 8th graders held their breath while they waited for feedback on the 3rd problem: orphaned children. It had been a tough job to apply all six creative problem solving steps in just two hours with no teacher help. The teams had to wait three weeks before the news finally arrived. And arrive it did! Nine teams received an invitation to the State Bowl at Berea High School on April 23-24. They are now busy preparing on the topic of Food Distribution. (We welcome anyone who can speak on any angle of this topic.) The teams are:

Intermediate Division
LuLu, Munim, Ben, Grant, Nathan, Carlf, Shawki, Nardine, Zaeem, Deepak, Clare, Mahmoud
Susmita, Marla, Sunny, Hannah, Trevor, Alexander, Prithivi, Hassan, Nicholas, Sarah, Abhijeet, Alex

Junior Division
Nate, Naomi, Ammar, Hajira, Sachi, Grace, Alexis, Haley, Dhweeja, Vinny, Michael, Darius, Kavya, Prathna, Pheby, Marco

5-6 Grade Science Day Winners

2010-04-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dhweeja D and Vinny K, both science projects in the botany section, earned "Superior" rankings at the Western Reserve District 5 Science Day on March 20th. The District 5 Science Day is one of 16 statewide science fairs that feeds in the Ohio State Science Fair on May 8th. In the past, our students have received "Superior" rankings, or even placed first, but were not allowed to advance to the State competition. However, because of a rule change, this year, Vinny K and Dhweeja D advanced to the state competition.

3-4 Grade Math Awards

2010-04-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Special congratulations to the following students who earned a silver medal in the final contest of Continental Math League: Avi B, Maya D, and Abigail M, and the following students who earned a bronze medal: Sahej B, Sophie C, Michael H, Bianca H, Cam K, and Elizabeth P.

Special congratulations to Yamenah A and Isabela M, for earning a silver medal, and William L, for earning a bronze medal in the final contest of the Continental Math League.

Birchwood Math Teams Soar!!!

2010-03-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Birchwood MathCounts team of Mohammed M, Nathan C, Kavya R, and Clive C won first place in the Chapter MathCounts competition. This team, together with state qualifier Nate C competed inthe state competition March 13. They came in twelfth place. Great job, students!

The seventh and eighth grade math teams also won acclaim at the St. Edward High School Math Classic March 6. The seventh grade team came in first place. In the individual competition, Trevor L won first place and Hassan S won second place. In the eighth grade division, the Birchwood team won second place.

History Day Results 2010

2010-03-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Birchwood students had a wonderful showing at the district level of the National History Day competition held at Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, March 13. With many outstanding projects, 22 students will be moving on to the state competition in Columbus on April 24. In the paper category, Sam Z took first place with his paper on the Gatling Gun. Sam also received a special award from the Cleveland Grays which recognized outstanding projects on military history. Amir F received a second place award for his paper on Garrett Morgan, a notable Clevelander who invented the gas mask and traffic light. In addition, Amir received the Bicentennial Award, along with a generous cash prize, sponsored by Cuyahoga County in honor of the county’s 200th anniversary, given to an outstanding entry related to the county’s history.

Birchwood students swept the website category. Kavya R placed first with her website on the Bill of Rights. She also received an award from the Sons of the American Revolution recognizing an outstanding entry from the Revolutionary War era. Nathan C earned second place with his website on Alan Freed, the Cleveland deejay who popularized rock-n-roll. Earning third place was Lulu S with her focus on the Northwest Ordinance.

In the performance categories, Birchwood students again put on stellar performances. With her individual performance on Samuel Morse and the invention of the telegraph, Nardine T placed first. Placing second with her performance on Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone was Christine B. In the group performance category, Trevor L and Sanjana R placed first with an engaging performance on the topic of Yellow Journalism and Clare P and Zaeem M placed second with an excellent performance on the Marshall Plan.

In the documentary categories, 11 students will be advancing to the state competition. Susmita R placed first for her individual documentary on the discovery of DNA. Ben W took second for his documentary on the invention of the printing press. Earning an honorable mention was Hassan S for his presentation on the invention of the Apple II. Prithvi P earned a special award from the Cleveland Grays for his documentary on Blitzkrieg. In the group documentary category, Sarah D and Hannah Y placed first with their presentation on the Cleveland Metroparks. Placing second were Zach I, Deepak K, and Mohammed M for their project on the discovery of the polio vaccine by Jonas Salk. Earning an honorable mention for their documentary on the Russian Revolution were Shawki A, Grant F, and Miguel P.

Five students received special recognition, along with generous cash awards, from the Early
Settlers Association of the Western Reserve. These awards are given for excellent projects on topics related to Western Reserve history. Receiving these awards were Amir F, Lulu S, Nathan C, Carlf C for his website on Charles Hall, the discoverer of an efficient aluminum processing method, and Alexander I for his website on Paul Brown, the innovative football coach.

In addition, Connie Miller received the Teacher of Merit award from the Ohio Humanities Council and will be recognized at the state competition in April.

Congratulations to everyone and good luck in Columbus!

Birchwood School Students Are Gold Key Winners in Scholastic Writing Awards Competition, Qualify for National Competition

2010-03-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

CLEVELAND— Eleven budding authors from the seventh and eighth grades at Birchwood School in Cleveland are Gold Key winners in the regional Scholastic Writing Awards Competition. All of their entries are eligible for the national Scholastic competition. The seventh grade winners include Trevor L, Vikas N, and Susmita R. The eighth grade winners include Shawki A, Nathan C, Deepak K, Miranda M, Mohammad M, Yun Lu S, Nardine T, and Benjamin W.

Scholastic Writing Awards Competition was founded in 1923 and is the oldest, longest running, most prestigious recognition program for student achievement in the visual arts and creative writing in the United States. The competition is for creative teenagers in grades 7-12 from public, private and parochial schools throughout the United States and Canada, as well as American-run schools abroad, home-schooled children students and students who make art and writing through community organizations.

Power of the Pen Regional on Feb 20 at Kent State University

2010-02-28T17:03:00.002-08:00

Congratulations to regional qualifiers:
Seventh graders - Marla B, Trevor L, Hassan S, Hannah Y
Eighth Graders - Miranda M, Lulu S, Ben W

Trevor L took home the first place trophy for seventh
graders, along with the Jane Heap Memorial Award that
included a savings bond, and a Best of Rounds.
Students who advance to the state level will compete in
Wooster College on May 21, Friday.

A big thank you to Rozina Sayed who sacrificed a Saturday
to chaperone the students.

MathCounts Team Wins First

2010-02-28T17:03:00.001-08:00

We did it!!! Our MathCounts team of team of Mohammed
M, Nathan C, Kavya R, and Clive C came in first place in
the chapter level of the MathCounts competition held at
Cleveland State University, February 13. In addition,
Mohammed came in second place, Clive in third, Kavya
in fifth, Nathan in seventh, and Nate in 12th place.
The team will head to Columbus on Saturday, March 13 to
compete against other Ohio teams for a chance to go to
the national level. To prepare, the students are putting in
extra time at school and at home studying problems from
previous math competitions. Good luck students!!!

Language Arts Competition Announcement

2010-02-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

A representative from the Scholastic New York regional office
called the school with exciting news. Several students in
the seventh and eighth who entered the Scholastic Writing
Awards competition are Gold Key winners. All these entries
are eligible for the national Scholastic competition. The
following are synopses of their writing:

Trevor L wrote Next Year, a memoir about his experience
in a summer baseball league where his mediocre team
rose in the ranks to play in the championships.

Vikas N wrote a fantasy entitled Briefcase about a boy’s
brush with the dark forces as he struggled to make sense
of his father’s dying gift even as he was defending a friend.

In The Treasure Susmita R wrote a short short story about
how a bullied boy faced his adversity in a race to hunt for
treasure.

Shawki A’s The End was a short short story exploring the
life of an addict and his influence on a young adolescent
entrusted to his care.

My Brother and Me is Nathan C’s memoir about the
escapades he finds himself in as he follows his brother’s
apparently innocuous suggestions.

Dog Trouble is another memoir. Deepak K writes about
his horrific ordeal with ferocious dogs as a young child
and explains his family’s intense phobia of dogs.

Miranda M in Here, Fishy Fishy describes an innocent
experience one summer of how she and her friends try to
save a stranded fish near the shores Lake Erie.

In the science fiction piece entitled Mission 274, Colony
531, Mohammed M writes a story about a scientist who
embarks on a journey of fact finding, only to discover other
truths about himself and his friend.

It was not until Lulu S visits her grandma in China, while
making the acquaintance of her cousins, that she learns
a valuable lesson in the piece entitled Follow.

Nardine T submitted two pieces, Coolio and That
Day. Coolio explores her thoughts and inner feelings
as she witnesses a young friend’s suffering and fight
against cancer. That Day is a fictional short short
story about how a young woman coped with parents
who invited themselves to dinner after being
estranged for several years.

Ben W was also recognized for both of the pieces he
submitted. The Spelling Bee was a short story about how
the friendship of two friends, both vying for first place in
the National Spelling Bee, endured the trials, jealousy, and
pressure inherent in the contest. His other piece called

Extreme Sports redefined his understanding of the venue
as he described the adventure and peril he experienced in
his first whitewater rafting trip down the Ohio Pyle River.

Congratulations to these young writers whose manuscripts
will be sent on to the national office for judging. We wish
them the best of luck.

Feb 2010 5-8 Math Awards

2010-02-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Continental Math League

Gold Award: Darius Z, Vinayak K, Pheby L, Prathna K,
Kavya R, Nate C, Sunny R, Sue R, Trevor L, Marla B,
Prithvi P, Vikas N, Sarah D, Brad S, Hannah Y, Shawki
A, Deepak K, Zaeem M, Carlf C, and Clare P

Silver Award: Michael T, Alexis H, Haley Y, Katelyn V,
Clive C, Hajira A, Kareem T, Dhweeja D, Sachi G,
Hassan S, Amir F, A.J. S, Sean F, Munim M, Ben W,
Grant F, and Nardine T

Bronze Award: Anthony C, Marco B, Ammar M, Shan S,
Peter A, Jorgen K, Naomi W, Christine B, Alexander I,
Nicholas J, Nathan C, and Mahmoud A

Math Olympiads

Gold Award: Darius Z, Kavya R, Clive C, Christine B,
Nate C, Hajira A, Kareem T, Dhweeja D, Sunny R, Sue
R, Hassan S, Prithvi P, Brad S, Hannah Y, Sean F,
Nathan C, Munim M, and Lulu Sun

Silver Award: Ammar M, Peter A, Jorgen K, Cameron S,
Sachi G, Trevor L, Marla B, Alex P, Shawki A, Deepak
K, Ben W, Zaeem M, Grant F, Clare P, and Miguel P

Bronze Award: Anthony C, Vinayak K, Maya F, Grace X,
Prathna K, Anna H, Shan S, Naomi W, Sarah D, A.J. S,
Mahmoud A, Peter C, and Zach I

Birchwood School Students Win Top National Honors in Cricket Magazine Contest

2010-02-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE

Feb. 11, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321

Birchwood School Students Win Top National Honors in Cricket Magazine Contest

CLEVELAND— Six young authors from Birchwood School in Cleveland have seen their work published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Cricket magazine, a national literary publication for grade school children. Budding writers were asked to develop a story of 350 words or fewer in which the main character had a special talent or power. Birchwood students took the top three places in the ten and under age group. Third grader, Bianca H, won first place honors with her story "A Very Special Mary." Her sister, fifth grader Alexis H, placed second with a humorous tale about a terrible chef. Vinayak K won third place, and three other fifth graders earned Honorable Mention: Marco B and Amir I and Ammar M. In this national contest, these Birchwood students were the only six winners in the state of Ohio.

Cricket Magazine Group began offering top-quality children's literature over 35 years ago and now publishes a line of beautifully illustrated literary magazines for children of all ages.

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The Birchwood School is a private, coeducational school in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1984, Birchwood serves students in kindergarten through grade 8. Birchwood's mission is to provide an educational setting where challenging academics build solid work habits, an achievement culture nurtures healthy attitudes, and a caring environment forges social responsibility.

http://www.birchwoodschool.org/

Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasecricketwinners21310.doc

Birchwood School Press Release: Students Make Their Mark in National Math Competition

2010-02-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

CLEVELAND— Three students at Birchwood School in Cleveland earned a spot on the Distinguished Honor Roll in the American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8) by scoring among the top one percent of all students nationwide: These math wizards include Shawki A, Munium M, and Trevor L. In addition six students earned an Honor Roll distinction, scoring among the top five percent of all students nationally. They are Nate C, Nathan C, Dwheeja D, Deepak K, Zaeem M, and Kavya R.

The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice examination in junior high school mathematics, designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. Many problems are designed to challenge students and to offer problem-solving experiences beyond those provided in most junior high school mathematics classes. This year more than 150,000 students and over 2,200 schools participated.

Jan 2010 5-8 Math Awards

2010-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

5-8 Math Awards

Continental Math League Contest #2
Gold award
Munim M, Sunny R, Sue R, Hassan S, Alexander I, Marla B,
Amir F, Brad S, Nicholas J, Sam Z, Kavya R, Christine B,
Nate C, Cameron S, Hajira A, Shweeja D, Michael T, Maya
R, Prathna K, Haley Y, Ammar M, Prithvi P

Silver award
Shawki A, Nathan C, Ben W, Zaeem M, Grant F, Trevor L,
Vikas N, Hannah Y, Sean F, Jorgen K, Clive C, Kareem T,
Darius Z, Marco B

Bronze Award
Deepak, K, Lulu S, Clare P, Shan S, Peter A, Naomi W,
Dalya A, Sachi G, Sarah D, Alex P, A.J. S, Anthony C,
Vinayak K, Pheby L

Continental Math League Contest #3
Gold Award
Darius Z, Vinayak K, Michael T, Maya F, Ammar M, Peter
A, Naomi W, Clive C, Kavya R, Christine B, Nate C,
Cameron S, Hajira A, Kareem T, Dhweeja D, Sunny R,
Sue R, Hassan S, Marla B, Prithvi P, Nathan C, Munim M,
Grant F

Silver Award
Anthony C, Dalya A, Sachi G, Sam Z, Alexander I, Trevor
L, Sarah D, Abhijeet S, Shawki A, Deepak K, Lulu S,

Bronze Award
Pheby L, Haley Y, Katelyn V, Shan S, Jorgen K, Vikas N, Amir
F, Hannah Y, Alex P, Sean F, Prathna K, Carlf C, Ben W

Math Olympiads Contest #2
Gold award
Munim M, Nathan C, Deepak K, Zaeem M, Lulu S, Sunny
R, Sue R, Hassan S, Alexander I, Marla B, Trevor L, Prithvi
P, Brad S, Christine B, Nate C, Clive C, Dhweeja, Grant F
Silver Award
Shawki A, Alex P, Jorgen K, Hajira A, Sachi G, Anna H,
Ammar M

Bronze award
Clare P, Vikas N, Sam Z, Hannah Y, Sarah D, Katelyn V,
Vinayak, K, Michael T, Maya F, Darius Z, Prathna K, Haley Y,
Ben W

Math Olympiads Contest #3
Gold Award
Clive C, Nate C, Kavya R, Dhweeja D, Sachi G, Hajira A,
Alexander I, Trevor L, Vinny K, Maya F, Ammar M, Nathan
C, Munim M, Zaeem M, Grant F, Sachi G

Silver Award
Darius Z, Pheby L, Deepak, K, Ben W, Carlf C, Lulu S,
Christine B, Cameron S, Kareem T, Hassan S, Brad S,
Prathna K

Bronze Award
Marco B, Katelyn V, Jorgen K, Naomi W, Dalya A, Shawki
A, Sunny R, Sue R, Marla B, Prithvi P, Vikas N, Sarah D,
Hannah Y, Sean F, Ben W

AMC 8 HONORS
DISTINCTION
Top 1% Nationally: Munim M, Shawki A, Trevor L
HONOR ROLL
Top 5% Nationally: Zaeem M, Deepak K, Nathan C, Kavya
R, Dhweeja D, Nate C

Birchwood student featured on Good Company Today

2010-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Isabela Moner: "Maybe" Performance:
http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx#/Isabela+Moner%3A+%22Maybe%22+Performance/64495869001

Birchwood student featured in Avon Lake Ledger

2010-02-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

8-year-old phemon is 'Annie' in annual MGP performance:
http://avonlakeledger.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=677&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=3048&hn=avonlakeledger&he=.com

Birchwood Students Make Their Mark in National Math Competition

2010-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE

January 21, 2010 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321

Birchwood School Students Make Their Mark in National Math Competition

CLEVELAND— Three students at Birchwood School in Cleveland earned a spot on the Distinguished Honor Roll in the American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8) by scoring among the top one percent of all students nationwide: These math wizards include Shawki A, Munim M, and Trevor L. In addition six students earned an Honor Roll distinction, scoring among the top five percent of all students nationally. They are Nate C, Nathan C, Dhweeja D, Deepak K, Zaeem M, and Kavya R.

The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice examination in junior high school mathematics, designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. Many problems are designed to challenge students and to offer problem-solving experiences beyond those provided in most junior high school mathematics classes. This year more than 150,000 students and over 2,200 schools participated.

###

The Birchwood School is a private, coeducational school in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1984, Birchwood serves students in kindergarten through grade 8. Birchwood's mission is to provide an educational setting where challenging academics build solid work habits, an achievement culture nurtures healthy attitudes, and a caring environment forges social responsibility.

http://www.birchwoodschool.org/

Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressrelease112010.doc

Birchwood School Press Release: Students Excel in NASA's Young Astronaut Competition

2009-12-02T19:22:00.001-08:00

CLEVELAND—At the NASA Glenn 17th annual Young Astronaut Day Challenge on Nov. 7th, Birchwood School soared by winning a first place ribbon for the Balloon Propulsion Competition. They also had the fastest time for the Inspace Repair Challenge. In the Wind Power Challenge, they earned a third place ribbon for generating the most power from their turbine.

The day is filled with hands-on activities and competitions that are intended to stimulate an interest in aeronautics, space science and engineering. A total of 350 students from Greater Cleveland gathered at the challenge. The day’s events started with a talk given by NASA astronaut Sunita L. Williams, a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During the talk, Birchwood 5th grade student Vinny K was chosen to model the distance of the
ISS from the moon.

The students competed in a variety of engineering and scientific challenges. Birchwood’s Pilot (5-6th Grade) team was composed of Marco B, Katherine B, Alexis H, Vinny K, Darius Z (5th Grade) and Hajira A, Christine B, Clive C, Dhweeja D, Alex H, Jorgen K, Kavya R, Katelyn V, Naomi W (6th Grade). This is the team that won the first place ribbon for the Balloon Propulsion Competition, had the fastest time for the In-space Repair Challenge and earned a third place ribbon in the Wind Power Challenge.

The Commanders (7-8th Grade) team was made up of Nicholas J, Trevor L, Prithvi P, Sanjana and Susmita R, Hassan S, Brad S, Hannah Y (7th Grade), Nathan C, Deepak K, and Mohammed M (8th Grade). The Commanders earned a special ribbon in the Aerodynamic Protection Competition and also earned a ribbon for “most improvement” in the Aerodynamic Drag Challenge.

Dec 2009 5-8 Math Awards

2009-12-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

5th-8th Math
November was the start of math competitions and here
are the results:
Continental Math League
Gold Award
Christine B, Katelyn V, Kavya R, Clive C, Sue R, Sunny R,
Vikas N, Alexander I, Sarah D, Zaeem M, Deepak K, Grant
F, Nathan C, Shawki A, and Michael T

Silver award
Carlf C, Munim M, Clare P, Lu Lu S, Peter A, Hajira A, Nate
C, Dhweeja D, Jorgen K, Cameron S, Shan S, Kareem T,
Naomi W, Vinayak K, and Ammar M

Bronze award
Zach I, Miguel P, Ben W, Marla B, Amir F, Nicholas J, Prithvi
P, Brad S, Hannah Y, Dayla A, Marco B, Anthony C, Mayla
F, and Darius Z

Math Olympiads
Gold award
Munim M, Sue R, Sunny R, Joren K, and Pheby L

Silver award
Shawki A, Nathan C, Grant F, Clare P, Nardine T, Vikas N,
Clive C, Kavya R, Christine B, and Nate C

Bronze award
Zaeem M, Carlf C, Sunny R, Hassan S, Marla B, Amir F,
Brad S, Hannah Y, Alex P, A.J. S, Katelyn V, Naomi W,
Cameron S, Hajira A, Kareem T, Dhweeja D, Darius Z,
Vinayak K, and Maya F

Great Job!

Students Excel in NASA's Young Astronaut Competition

2009-11-23T14:32:00.001-08:00

THE BIRCHWOOD SCHOOL
PRESS RELEASE

Nov. 13, 2009 Contact: Jim Sukys, 216-251-2321

Birchwood School Students Excel in NASA’s Young Astronaut Competition
CLEVELAND—At the NASA Glenn 17th annual Young Astronaut Day Challenge on Nov. 7th, Birchwood School soared by winning a first place ribbon for the Balloon Propulsion Competition. They also had the fastest time for the In-space Repair Challenge. In the Wind Power Challenge, they earned a third place ribbon for generating the most power from their turbine. The day is filled with hands-on activities and competitions that are intended to stimulate an interest in aeronautics, space science and engineering. A total of 350 students from Greater Cleveland gathered at the challenge. The day’s events started with a talk given by NASA astronaut Sunita L. Williams, a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During the talk, Birchwood 5th grade student Vinny K was chosen to model the distance of the ISS from the moon. The students competed in a variety of engineering and scientific challenges. Birchwood’s Pilot (5-6th Grade) team was composed of Marco B, Katherine B, Alexis H, Vinny K, Darius Z (5th Grade) and Hajira A, Christine B, Clive C, Dhweeja D, Alex H, Jorgen K, Kavya R, Katelyn V, Naomi W (6th Grade). This is the team that won the first place ribbon for the Balloon Propulsion Competition, had the fastest time for the In-space Repair Challenge and earned a third place ribbon in the Wind Power Challenge The Commanders (7-8th Grade) team was made up of Nicholas J, Trevor L, Prithvi P, Sanjana and Susmita R, Hassan S, Brad S, Hannah Y (7th Grade), Nathan C, Deepak K, and Mohammed M (8th Grade). The Commanders earned a special ribbon in the Aerodynamic Protection Competition and also earned a ribbon for “most improvement” in the Aerodynamic Drag Challenge.

Click here for printer friendly version:
http://www.birchwoodschool.org/mainfiles/pressreleasebirchwoodstudentsnasa.doc