Avatars – Page 8 – The Gatton Academy News

Fall at Gatton

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Elizabeth Roebker | No Comments

This Saturday, September 22, marks the first day of the fall season. While it may technically be (almost) fall, it sure doesn’t feel like it! Bowling Green was around 90 degrees every day this week, definitely not the fall—or even summer—weather we are all waiting for here at the Gatton Academy. The 5-minute trek up the hill to get to Snell for biology or COHH for calculus seems a lot harder with the sun scorching our backs and the humidity causing a perpetual layer of sweat on our foreheads. Suffice to say that the heat is not ideal, but we’re still not letting it get us down. Intramural volleyball is in full swing, and Gatton’s teams are representing the Academy well. Last weekend was the BARK for Life, where many Gatton students volunteered their Saturday morning to walk dogs for the American Cancer Association. Next weekend is one of my personal favorite Bowling Green activity, the annual International Festival downtown. Furthermore, at night it’s the perfect temperature to work on the Colonnades or just sit outside and listen to music. If you find yourself on campus you’ll definitely find some Gatpacks doing just that before it gets so cold that no one wants to be outside to walk to dinner, let alone work or hang out with friends. I would say Gatton students definitely find a way to beat this never-ending heat and take advantage of these warm summer nights while we still can. Fall is right around the corner, my personal favorite season to experience at Gatton. The weather is so nice that you just want to be outside all the time, and even more festivities will be happening to take advantage. Plus there’s one of my favorite experiences, the Dogwood trees lining the sidewalks of campus changing color to beautiful pink blossoms that disperse campus.

Elizabeth

By Gatton Academy

Research at The Gatton Academy

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Elvin Irihamye | No Comments

Coming into the Gatton Academy, I never thought a tank of fish and a microscope would teach so much. For my entire high school career, I saw learning as a linear journey, I saw conducting research as a way to not only contribute back to the community but as a way to hopefully grow and discover. As I went from professor to professor, I struggled to find something that piqued my interest, I wanted to find something that I thought could one day directly benefit people while allowing me to be as independent as possible.

Beginning my first week of junior year, I began working at the Smith Neurobiology Lab at WKU. Little did I know that from the first day on research would start to become my largest time commitment. I spent the first year spending hours in the lab every week learning how to dissect fish inner ears under a microscope. As the months went by I found myself slowly getting better and faster but each dissection still felt like a millennia. The struggle of trying to stay focused and improving sometimes felt overbearing but I knew the effort would soon be worth it.

During the winter term, I was fortunate enough to go to the Costa Rica study abroad to learn about conservation and ecology. While there I got a taste of field research and relished in the experience. Waking up at 3 am, we would walk the beaches tracking and tagging giant turtles to learn about their population patterns. While the work was tiring and strenuous, I found the environment around me with its gentle coasts and beautiful sunsets worth every minute. As we continued to the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in the Talamanca mountain range, my group decided to explore the topic of carbon restoration. Hiking for hours a day we tagged regions, measured tree dimensions, and battled the heat, humidity and fatigue. Each day we would wake up with a new reinvigoration to go further and do more. Although I’ve never felt more physical stress in my life, the experience truly changed my outlook on the world around me. Returning back to Kentucky I felt more able and more excited about exploring science.

After a year in the lab, where we sought to identify anti-cancer drugs and relationships that could decrease side effects hearing loss, I decided to further continue my research over the summer with the research internship grant or RIG. Over this time frame, I began to further concentrate my efforts on looking at the type of transcriptional changes occurring within cancer cells with the use of a different class of chemotherapy drugs known as monofunctional platinum (II) compounds. Spending almost twelve weeks at WKU over the summer, I learned to sieze the opportunity to lead my own research and to enjoy the company of so many other Gatton students who like me, shared the same struggles and tribulations.

Research whether from the safety of the lab bench and the heat of the microscope, to the cloud forests of Costa Rica opened my mind to exploring the unknown and unfound, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Elvin

By Gatton Academy

Students vs. Staff Fantasy Football

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Devin Davis, Uncategorized | No Comments

The Gatton Academy offers a variety of activities and traditions that appeal to all of the students’ interests. My niche is fantasy football so of course, I was ecstatic when Pokey invited me to join the Staff vs. Seniors Fantasy Football league. I gathered five of my friends to join me in the conquest of defeating the staff. I knew it would be an easy challenge but I wanted to participate nonetheless. I still recall inquiring Pokey about a fantasy football league on Orientation Day the summer before my junior year. To my disappointment, I was informed that it was only for seniors so I patiently waited for my chance. However, as an incoming junior, I failed to recognize the sense of community that came with a simple fantasy football league.

Now that I have been a part of the Gatton community for over a year, I recognize the connection that is formed on a peer and staff basis. As an Avatar, I have developed a close relationship with Zack and get to face him in the league. On the Harlaxton trip, I became closely acquainted with Pokey and Alex Sorrels by playing Snooker and Croquet. I am now able to hand them another defeat back at Gatton. I am even able to compete against my current Residential Counselor, D, and small group leader, Alex Fahnders. The Staff vs. Seniors Fantasy League has provided me with a conduit to participate in a common activity with my peers and staff members for the fall semester.

We just concluded week two and Carson, D, Zack, and I are undefeated. I look forward to the matchup between two juggernauts this weekend as I face Carson’s overachieving team. Despite the fact that my parents advise me to focus on college applications instead of football, I rely on sports, especially fantasy, to be my escape. In order to combat the stress of my senior year at Gatton, I utilize my love and passion for sports to keep me grounded. It might be an addiction at this point considering the fact I participate in twenty-two leagues, listen to multiple sports podcasts, and manage a fantasy website. I anticipate the remainder of this season and hope that future Gatton students will have the opportunity to defeat the staff in the Seniors vs. Staff Fantasy Football League.

Devin

By Gatton Academy

KAGE Update Panel and Cage the Elephant Concert!

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Isabel Chumbler | No Comments

On Saturday September 8^th I got to experience two types of Cage—the KAGE update panel and the Cage the Elephant Concert!

At 11:00am five other avatars and I met at Gary Ransdell Hall for the KAGE update panel. KAGE stands for Kentucky Association for Gifted Education and this event provided a statewide gifted update for educators, administrators, and parents.

The other avatars and I answered questions alongside Dr. Julia Roberts. These questions pertained to our experiences in elementary school, middle school, high school, and Gatton. This was a great opportunity to show what events in our educational careers led us to attending Gatton. These events consisted of our schools’ gifted and talented programs, clubs, and class options. Once we began discussing our Gatton experiences we shared upon our experiences with research, study abroad, and the community.

After the panel wrapped up I had a few hours of free time before the free Cage the Elephant concert on campus! This concert took place to celebrate Western’s first home game of the season. The exchange between President Caboni and the band to plan this concert occurred in the most business professional of ways—on Twitter.

I showed up to the concert one hour early with a few other girls on my wing (fourth floor, best floor by the way!) and we managed to get second row. We had a great view!! If students would have preferred walking down with a Residential Counselor that was also an option, as the third floor boys’ RC took students down around 15 minutes before the concert began. President Caboni opened up the show with the WKU cheer and fight song, then the talented Cage the Elephant began performing. Cage the Elephant has been one of my favorite bands for about four years, so I was beyond thrilled to see them live. They performed around ten songs and put on such an energetic show. They pumped up the crowd and made everyone excited for the first home game!

After the concert, everyone fled to the football stadium to watch the football game. However, I am not a huge football fan (sorry!) so I did not attend the game. Sadly, we ended up losing against Maine 31-28.

This weekend is just one of many fun weekends I get to experience because I attend Gatton. There’s always exciting stuff going on at Western and I’m so glad I get to experience it as a Gatton student!

Cheers,

Isabel

By Gatton Academy

Finding Balance

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sasha Sairajeev | No Comments

Many social media sites have adopted the concept of automatically providing the user with posts from the past with the concept of, “Throwback Thursday” in mind. I, along with several others in this age, use snapchat primarily as a means for communication. Every so often, a message bar appears at the top of my memories titled, “Flashbacks from *insert date here*”. Whenever I click it, the selfies, dumb videos, and the textbook pages instill intense nostalgia, both good and bad. I see myself in these images as a completely different person, someone who I’m not ashamed to recognize but someone who puzzles me with the dissociation. These snapchat throwbacks allow me to truly process how much I have changed as an individual as a year passes since I began Gatton.

The academic growth that Gatton students are expected to gain is apparent to even prospective students. The promise of academic rigor that the Academy has to offer is often seen as the central benefit of attending the Gatton Academy. Through my experiences, the diversity of the growth I have faced while at Gatton has shaped me into the person that I am today.

The idea of allowing 14-18 year olds running around on a college campus with relatively low supervision is nightmare fuel for many parents. How can anyone trust them with so much freedom? What happens if they abuse it? When I was accepted into Gatton, I felt excited yet uneasy about all the freedom I was going to acquire over the next two years. When I stepped foot on campus, I enjoyed it as much as the other person, but I also discovered the consequences of abusing it. Thanks to this learning curve, I was able to find a healthy balance between academics, sleep, and my social life, which eventually allowed me to live a healthy, independent life here at Gatton. To this day, I still have moments where I struggle to keep this triad of necessities balanced but I’m able to handle it better than I ever would have before. Being able to function and self-regulate without my family was difficult, but because I was forced to mature so quickly, I learned life skills that which will carry onto my adulthood. Believe it or not, I had no idea how to do laundry a year ago but today, I’m a tide pod expert! (editor’s note: You aren’t supposed to use tide pods in the high-efficiency washers we have)

As a year at the Gatton Academy passes in my life, I often reflect on the person I’ve become and who I strive to be in the future. Coming to the Gatton Academy has not only benefitted me academically, but has taught me to be resilient and persevere through the hardships that adulthood has to offer. Though we’re still merely teenagers, Gatton has shaped us to be the adults that society expects us to be. I wonder who I and my peers will be after two years passes at the Gatton Academy…

Sasha

By Gatton Academy

First Closed Weekend

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Shay Moore | No Comments

This past weekend, Friday, Aug. 31^st – Monday, Sept. 3^rd, was our first closed weekend of the school year. Closed weekends occur one weekend a month, and it’s a time for us to go home and see our family and friends. You can, of course, go home any weekend that you’d like, but not everybody can easily do that, so closed weekends are here to make sure everybody leaves and visits their family regularly. If you’re from the east, and having your parents drive all the way to and from Bowling Green twice in one weekend is a hassle, you can take the Gatton-provided shuttle to and from Versailles at the beginning and ending of the weekend. I’m from eastern Kentucky, so my drive is nearly 5 hours long—meaning I definitely utilize the shuttle.

I was particularly excited about this month’s closed weekend because it was the same weekend as my home high school’s Homecoming football game and dance. I managed to get back home Friday during the football game’s halftime, so I got to see who won Homecoming Queen and watch our football team win the game 41-7. I then went home to visit with my family and say hi to my dogs. The next day, on Saturday, I got ready and went to my school’s homecoming dance. It was a chance for me to catch up with a lot of people from my home school that I don’t normally talk to. It was certainly no Gatton dance, but it was pretty fun. I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on homework and sleep, and spending time with my family. Then Monday afternoon I headed back to Versailles and got on the shuttle to go back to Gatton, getting ready for the next week of classes.

Shay

By Gatton Academy

STEM plus

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Anna Dong, Avatars | No Comments

The Gatton Academy first offered the STEM plus program in 2012. At first, only Chinese was offered. It was soon followed by Arabic in 2013, and Russian in 2017. The STEM plus program is designed to supplement Gatton students regular stem courses. For students in the STEM plus tracks, the Academy often encourages them to apply to NSLI-Y, which stands for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth. It is a summer scholarship program during which students can spend a summer in other countries immersed in their language track.

The Chinese STEM plus track offers two options for students. The first one is the typical pathway where students start in a beginner’s Chinese class. The second option is for students who want a more demanding Chinese class; the class is called Flagship. Flagship is a program sponsored by the National Security Education Program. Students that are in this program are invited to apply for continued study in WKU Chinese Flagship if they wish to continue studies at WKU and become higher-level speakers.

A typical week for Flagship students is very different from modern Chinese students. For example, they have five classes a week which are divided into two different sections. Three out of five classes are called drill session in which they practice previous materials. The remaining two classes are lecture classes, which are used to assess students’ problems with vocabulary and grammar usages. Moreover, these new topics are expected to have been reviewed the night before to allow for more time to practice in class. Flagship students also have mandatory tutoring sessions, in which they are prohibited from speaking English (unless you are a beginner student).

I am a special case where I’m kind of doing something different from the two. I am not in Flagship, but I’m also not in a typical modern Chinese classroom. As a native speaker, I already have a Chinese background. I pursued STEM plus Chinese to further enrich my knowledge of Chinese. I am in something called independent study. I usually meet with my professor one on one. In this environment, I have the ability to choose how much I want to learn, along with the ability to choose the pace in which I want to go. It is definitely a different experience from the others in Chinese, however, I felt that this was the best option for me.

Choosing to learn a second language (or enrich your first one) is a choice that many Gatton students make. When you sign up to learn a new language, you are not only signing up to learn the language itself, but also the culture which it is from. In today’s world, many cultures are mixing, and it is definitely an advantage to know more than one.

Anna

By Gatton Academy

Roommates

November 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Wyatt Ringo | No Comments

Here at Gatton, a good roommate will make your experience infinitely better. Even before any students are in the building, the staff is already hard at work pairing off successful roommates and creating future best friends. At Orientation day, all incoming juniors take a personality quiz of sorts—one that asks what music you like and how you listen to it, or what your hobbies and interests are. Our assistant director of student life, Beth Hawke, has spent years perfecting this questionnaire and has discovered the two crucial components to roommate success: sleep schedules and cleanliness. No roommates will ever get along if one goes to sleep at nine every night and the other at three, nor will a slob get along with someone who likes their room spotless. Through this survey and the expertise of over 10 years of roommates, roughly 90% of roommate pairings are successful.

In my case, however, I ended up with not just a roommate, but also a best friend and an example of all the best things you could find. My roommate, fellow Avatar Drew Aubry, is the best friend I possibly could have gained from this random selection process. From day one, I could tell that we were going to get along swimmingly, with a lot of the same interests, hobbies, and warped senses of humor. Late nights staying up talking about life in general or just watching old vines on YouTube are standards of our time in the room together. And outside as well, our treasure trove of in-jokes keeps us both happy and the envy of any other roommate pairing. We are both late-to-bed, early-to-rise, and both like our room just the right level of messy to keep things interesting.

Roommates are invaluable to success at Gatton, providing a constant source of friendship and relief especially in stressful times. Not only are roommates great at helping you goof off, but they also are always willing to help when you need it, whether it be with school or personal matters. And after a long day of work, good or bad, your roommate will be there at the end of the day to finish it out strong. When it comes down to it, a roommate can be one more factor pushing you towards a great year, so be honest talking about yourself, and let Beth take over and do her magic. You might just end up with a friend along the way!

Wyatt

By Gatton Academy

Syllabus Week

September 4, 2018 | Avatars, Student Life, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

As I look from my window on the 2^nd floor of Florence Schneider Hall, I can see dozens of students trekking up the hill. Classes are finally back in full swing, Java (the campus coffee shop) has a line out the door, and campus is alive again. For most college students, the first week of classes is pretty easy. “Syllabus Week,” as they call it, is supposed to be a time to get back into the hang of things before the real work begins. But for Gatton students, I think the first week back can be a little more stressful.

The juniors are just beginning to acclimate to their new home; after a week of meetings, activities and getting to know Florence Schneider Hall, they’re set loose on campus and thrown into classes. The first days in a computer science, calculus, or biology class can be a little panic-inducing, but the nerves will settle after the first round of homework assignments, quizzes, and tests. The juniors are beginning to develop routines, discover favorite study spaces, and realize that there are more restaurants on campus than Panda Express and Chick-fil-a.

For the seniors, the return to campus is familiar and, for some, bittersweet. The first week of classes marks the beginning of our “last firsts” as high schoolers. For some of us, it will be our last year on WKU’s campus, though some of us will be back in the fall. Rather than worrying about CS or finding the way to our classes, the senior class is panicking about college applications. Where to apply, how many schools to apply to, who to ask for letters of recommendation are all questions that swirl around with the calculus equations and chemistry formulas that have been etched into our brains. It’s an exciting time, filled with the possibility of the coming 2 or 4 years as an undergraduate, but the combination of college applications and a full college course load can a cause more than a few late-night freak-outs in anticipation of the unknown. Learning how to balance everything on our plate will take time, but just as “our seniors” were able to check off all the boxes on their to-do list, we’ll learn to do the same.

The first week of classes can be a stressful time for both juniors and seniors, but it’s good to remember to take time to enjoy the quiet part of the semester before midterms and finals week hit hard. Going to Preston to play Wallyball or Basketball, walking downtown to visit Spenser’s, a local coffee shop, or having a group dinner at Thai Express or Mariah’s are popular ways to fill the coveted downtime of the first few weeks of the semester. Whether it’s your first-first week of classes on campus or your last, it’s great to take pause and enjoy the opportunities that the new semester brings.

Sydney

By Gatton Academy

2018-2019 Avatar: Sydney Wheeler

August 31, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

Hi everyone! My name is Sydney Wheeler, and I am a rising senior from Allen County. I grew up in Bowling Green, but at the beginning of my freshman year my family moved to a 150-acre farm just across the Warren County/Allen County Border. I continued to attend Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, and I consider BG to be my home, although I’ve embraced Allen County and Scottsville in the three years I’ve lived there.

I first heard about the Gatton Academy when it opened in 2008 because it was so close and connected to lots of the activities that I participated in through the Center for Gifted Studies at WKU. It always seemed like something that I might be interested, and by the time I hit middle school I knew that I wanted to apply. Before coming to Gatton, I was heavily involved in dance as a member of the pre-professional Southern Kentucky Dance Ensemble. When I wasn’t at the dance studio, I was attending Greenwood’s sporting events, helping with student council, or helping my mom with her vegetable delivery business.

It’s crazy to think that just about a year ago I was moving into Gatton as a junior. The past year has been filled with new challenges, new friendships, and tons of new experiences. It brought my first venture out of the country when I went to England through the Harlaxton study abroad program this summer and my first classes in computer science. However, my favorite “first” here at Gatton has been the opportunity to do faculty-mentored research. Last September I started working in the Gustav Fechner Vision and Haptics Lab in the Department of Psychological Sciences. I’m very interested in Neuroscience, so our lab, which focuses on human perception, is a great fit. I continued my research this summer through a Gatton sponsored Research Internship Grant, which was an amazing way to dive into my research full time.

My free time at Gatton is mostly filled by club meetings or studying with friends on third-floor commons. I participate in a tutoring group at the local Boys & Girls Club, Student Y, Science Dance, and Cryptocurrency Club. If I’m not studying or at a club meeting, you can probably find a few friends and me at the Fresh Food Company, the main dining hall on campus.

My junior year was filled with new experiences and nerves, but returning for senior year feels a lot like coming home. I am still filled with excitement for the year to come, but it is an excitement that comes with being sure of the good (and, sometimes, stressful) times ahead, rather than the excitement of the unknown. I am fully looking forward to spending my senior year surrounded by my amazing classmates, our supportive staff, and the extended Gatton Family.

By Gatton Academy

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