Seattle Schools Community Forum

From our readers, news about great work being done by Seattle students who are interested in space studies. From Eric B: The Ingraham Rocket Club i s one of 12 middle and high schools nationwide accepted into NASA's Student Launch program this year. The program requires students to design and build a rocket to carry a student-designed and built scientific or engineering payload to 5,280 feet. Along the way, their work will be reviewed by NASA in the same way NASA reviews their own projects.  In April, our students will go launch their rocket in Huntsville with staff from the Marshall Space Flight Center.  From McClureWatcher via Geek Wire :

I'm behind on this one and I forgot about something happening today - it's National Library Week and today a picture is going to be taken in every Washington state library.  I hope the schools put this word out and got kids in their school library for the photo.  My apologies.

A couple of fun things coming up for this weekend for kids so put them on your calendar. First up, the FIRST FRC Seattle Regional which is a high school robotics competition.  It's March 18th and 10th (Friday and Saturday) at Qwest Field Event Center, from 9-4 pm (with a lunch break for the participants from noon to 1 p.m.) It's free to the public.  From the website: Event is for all ages. Self guided Robot Pit tours are available, but closed toed shoes will be required (no sandals or open footwear). Eye protection is required and available for loan. Baby strollers not allowed in Robot 'Pit'. Seattle is represented by teams from Franklin High, Ballard High, Nathan Hale and Cleveland High.   They are looking for volunteers if you are interested in helping out. Also to note, students from Coe Elementary will competing in a national robotics contest using Lego in Carlsbad, California in May. (Not to plug Legoland but it's a far be...

Update: The NY Times had an article on the decline of science fair participation. At his State of the Union speech, President Obama said something to the effect of it being just as important who wins the science fair as who wins the Super Bowl. It got a good round of applause. Pondering this, though, I have to wonder. In SPS, it seems like there is a ton of work and effort all towards the goal of academic achievement for our students. But: We have a gifted program that gets spotty attention from the administration and attacked from within/without (people in the program worry about quality and loss of the program, some people outside the program wish it didn't exist). There are individual school programs that compete in academic programs like debate, Latin and robotics but only in competitions outside the district. Schools are spotty on whether they have honor roll in middle and high schools. When my son was at Eckstein, I was told they suspended it because "it hurts k...

The Times had a nice article about the high school robotics competition that happened over the weekend at Key Arena. That is if you can get past the first two paragraphs: It takes a special kid to get excited about engineering. Even if their hearts cry out for angles and gears, their peers often call out "nerd" and "geek," and the thrill dies. For Pete's sake, enough with the belief that any kid interested in math or science is a nerd or geek. It's just pathetic and by writing these same old tired beliefs, journalists keep them alive. For all the mohawks and plastic gladiator caps, there was learning going on at Seattle's FIRST Robotics Competition. It is the event's second year in Seattle, after one year in Tacoma. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a New Hampshire nonprofit that organizes techie competitions to encourage kids to major in engineering and other sciences. The robotics competition entry ...