Tag Archive : Rachel Metcalfe

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Arrival of Senior Class Completes Academy “Family” Once More

August 26, 2011 | News, People, Student Life, Students | No Comments

by Rachel Metcalfe, Academy Avatar

While the Senior Community Leaders moved in a week ago and the new junior students arrived on Sunday, the remaining Gatton Academy seniors were finishing up the last of their summers and preparing for the exciting school year to come. This Wednesday, all the remaining seniors returned and the residence halls are now packed to near capacity.

Many of the returning seniors acted very excited as they arrived in the parking lot of Florence Schneider Hall once again, for their second and last year at the academy. “Although it is bittersweet, I can’t wait to see what the new year brings,” said Annie Wheeler, a senior from Todd County.

Although all of the seniors seemed enthusiastic because they won’t be the lowest on the food chain anymore. “The only downside is we won’t have the older seniors here to help us anymore,” said Rebecca Brown.

Instead, the new seniors have to step up and fill those roles as peer mentors and academic tutors to the first-year students. After discussing the role of seniors with some of the new juniors, they agreed that their seemed to be an empowering  cycle of help at the academy, pointing out that each class takes its turn assisting the first-year students until they eventually become the senior mentors.

Seth Creech, a junior from Powell County, said that he would definitely be asking the senior community leaders on his floor for help, if and when he needed it.

“I am thrilled to have my ‘Gatton Family’ back under the same roof,” explained Taylor Leet, a senior an Community Developer. She said that she couldn’t wait to see her old friends and make even more great memories.

“I enjoyed helping move my old friends back in since I hadn’t seen them in so long,” said Holly Morris, who also serves as a Community Developer. “The family-like closeness that develops at the academy is evident. The students love being around the other students, and making connections makes the academy experience all that more memorable.”

Rachel Stewart, a returning Residential Counselor, added that the level of excitement for the new year has reached a fever pitch in Schneider Hall. “I’m excited for people to return that I already know, and also excited to meet the new students,” she said. “I’m interested to see what the floor dynamic will be with the combination of seniors and juniors, now that everyone is back.”

All in all, the whole “family” is reunited and ready to take on the new school year ahead. The pressure will come soon enough and so will graduation.

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By Corey Alderdice

Academy Students Share Findings at NCSSSMST Student Research Conference

June 6, 2011 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Nick Zolman shares findings at the 2011 NCSSSMST Student Research Conference.
Nick Zolman shares findings at the 2011 NCSSSMST Student Research Conference.

by Rachel Metcalfe, Academy Avatar

For six rising seniors at the Academy, the beginning of their summer started with a bang.

Shortly after the conclusion of their junior years, they traveled to Annapolis, Maryland, for research presentations at the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Math, Science, and Technology (NCSSSMST) Student Research Conference.  These students prepared and presented research, while also enjoying the sights of the beautiful Naval Academy campus.

For Sammi Hawtrey, a senior from Boone County, the conference provided another opportunity to share her findings from work accomplished during her junior year.  “I wanted to attend to have another opportunity to present my research and also hear about the other research that students similar to myself have been doing all over the country,” she said.

114 students were in attendance presenting on a variety of topics, ranging from nanoparticles to rugby to sound waves.  A combination of oral and poster presentations took place over two days during the conference. The six Gatton attendants were evenly split between the two presentation formats. Participants Andrea Eastes, Lori Lovell, and Sammi Hawtrey all reported on their genome research that they had completed over the previous two semesters at the academy. Jack Ferguson showed off his chemistry expertise, while Ben Rice presented his physics research and Nick Zolman informed the others about his astronomy breakthroughs.

When they weren’t presenting, students took yard tours of midshipmen training boats, visited the Naval Academy Museum, and mingled with all the other students at the conference from 24 participating member consortium schools. The students also played recreational sports with the midshipmen and learned from them how life at sea works. Additionally, students were able to partake in a laser light session with a Naval Academy professor, studying how light passes through different objects. The experience was an excellent way for the students to see the academy as a possible college option as well.

Although there were lots of neat experiences, attendee Nick Zolman decided that his favorite part was when the head of the conference approached him after he had presented to discuss his research. “He was really interested in my study about supernovae in the CANDELS Hubble Space Telescope and wanted to learn more,” he said.

Hawtrey fondly listed her time on the Yard Patrol boat as the most memorable part of the conference. “I loved seeing the living quarters and engine room. The captain even let me drive,” she added.

The research conference was a success for the Gatton Academy students. Hopefully more will continue to present their findings at conferences like these, and gain not only research experience, but also academic advancement from the other students and their presentations.

Student presentations at the conference included:

  • Andrea Eastes (’12) of Mayfield gave an oral presentation titled “Isolation of the Bacteriophage Liberi”
  • Jack Ferguson (’12) of Union presented a poster titled “Synthesis of Fluorescein Isothiocyanate Functionalized Nanoparticles”
  • Samantha Hawtrey (’12) of Union presented a poster titled “Isolation, Characterization, and Annotation: the Acquisition of a Novel Bacteriophage Genome”
  • Lori Lovell (’12) of Florence gave an oral presentation titled “Isolation of Novus, a Novel Bacteriophage Isolated from Florence, Kentucky”
  • Benjamin Rice (’12) of Somerset  presented a poster titled “Gamma-ray Spectra in Neutron-Based Explosives Detection Systems”
  • Nicholas Zolman (’12) of Mount Sterling gave an oral presentation titled “A Light in the Darkness: Finding Type Ia Supernovae in the CANDELS Hubble Space Telescope Survey”

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By Corey Alderdice