Fifth Annual U City FLL Warm Up at UCHS

On Saturday, September 26th, University City High School was host to the fifth annual University City FIRST LEGO League Warm Up.  This event, sponsored by U. City Robotics, brought together 27 teams and approximately 125 students plus parents and mentors from across the region and as far away as Cape Girardeau.  FIRST LEGO League (FLL) introduces young people, ages 9 to 14, to the fun and excitement of science and technology. Teams, composed of up to ten children, build and program an autonomous robot to score points on a thematic playing field, as well as research and create a presentation centered around creative and innovative solutions to a problem (this year they will seek to solve the world's trash problems) and adhere to set of core values known as gracious professionalism.

The teams came to the Warm Up for an early chance to test drive the robots they are building and programming for the 2015 FLL challenge, TRASH TREK.  While there was no official refereeing or scoring, they had an excellent opportunity to meet and compete with other teams, and to practice for the upcoming November qualifiers (two of which will be held at Brittany Woods Middle School.) The event is also used by FIRST LEGO League of Eastern Missouri to train referees for the upcoming competition season.

FLL teams get the chance to play
this year's robot game in a timed
environment. 

Technical support was on hand to assist teams with design, building, and programming as well as subject expertise for the project presentations required as part of the competition.  The City of University City sent an employee from Waste Management, and Washington University sent six subject experts to help with project research.

Students get expert help on their research projects.

Six of our own district FLL teams, from Jackson Park Elementary, Flynn Park Elementary, and Brittany Woods Middle School, participated in the event.  All district teams were sponsored by Rankin Technical College, who was also a sponsor of the event and provided technical support staff.

Members of the Brittany Woods team make adjustments
to their robot.

Our high school robotics team, the UCHS Robolions - FIRST Robotics Competition team #3397 - brought their competition robot to demonstrate and even allowed some of the kids from FLL to try their hands at driving it.  The Robolions also provided help with set-up the night before, and volunteered at the event in various capacities, including providing programming expertise and support.

UCHS Robolions team members
set up the FLL competition fields.

FIRST  (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest in science and technology. In 2015 FIRST programs will reach 400,000 students around the world through four leveled programs for kids K-12.  FIRST kids are significantly more likely to attend college, major in science or engineering, and be outstanding future employees and citizens, For more information, please visit www.usfirst.org.  

Equations

I've never been good at math. Just hearing the word equations makes me anxious. Thankfully, my children didn't inherit their math gene from me. In fact, they excel at math and had the great opportunity to participate in the annual U. City Equations Open held every winter at UCHS.

The 2014 Equations teams hard at work

Equations is a board game played with dice that have numerical digits and arithmetic operators (+, -, X, etc.) that are used to make "goal" equations. Competitors improve mathematics skills while having fun in the process.

The start of an equations round

This year was the 17th annual U. City Equations Open. Tom and Mary Ellen Campbell started the tournament and coordinated the first 12 Opens. Judy Maffitt has been chairing the Equations Open since 2010 and is already planning for the 2015 event.

Judy, a Scrum Master for AT&T, and her husband Dave, a software engineer at the Electronic Radiology Lab at Wash U, moved to U. City in 1987. Both of their children attended Flynn Park, McNair, Brittany Woods and UCHS. Their son Kevin is now 23 and a Wash U graduate, and daughter Zoe is 20 and a Junior at Truman State University.

It is committed parents, volunteers and residents like Judy and Dave that make U. City the special community we all enjoy.

UCHS PTO moms run the concessions

The district also hosts a practice session for first-time teams to hone their skills a few weeks prior to the open. In addition to providing an opportunity for students to practice their math, logic and strategy skills, the Open hosts schools from across the region at UCHS and raises approximately $1,000 for the UCHS PTO.

Flynn Park Fifth Grade Team

Like the USFIRST robotic teams in the school district, equations allows kids who may not participate in sports teams to belong to a team. There is only one other Equations event in St. Louis and that is The Gifted Resource (GRC) Council's Academic Challenge. The U. City Open provides Equations teams the opportunity to prepare for that event and gives parents and coaches an opportunity to watch as no spectators are allowed at the GRC event.

For teams that want to get started there is good information on the GRC web site. There are also workshops held every October and November for parents and teachers interested in learning about Equations - and starting their own teams.

Flynn Park Third Grade Teams

Over 300 students attend the Open annually. For many students and their parents it is the first time stepping foot in the beautifully, historic UCHS building and gymnasium. If your school doesn't field a team there is plenty of time to get started. After all, who doesn't love kids playing a math-based game?

Friday Night Lights

No, we're not talking football, but on Friday, January 24th the lights were on at many of the U. City schools this past Friday night. There was a basketball game at the high school, bingo night at Flynn Park, Cub Scout Chili Cookoff at Jackson Park, and the Winter Ball at Brittany Wood Middle School - what has become the social event of the season. Below are a few snapshots of all the fun.

Brittany Wood Winter Ball

Jackson Park Cub Scout Chili Cook-off

The U. City Fire Department chooses the winner of the "Judges Choice"

The JP Girl Scouts provide the home-baked desserts

It was a full house at the January 24 Chili Cook-off

Flynn Park In the Loop

Close proximity to the Delmar Loop, designated one of 10 Great Streets in America, opens up a lot of opportunities for Flynn Park elementary students.  With both civic and cultural attractions to enjoy, a field trip to the Loop is guaranteed to be both fun and educational - just ask the third graders who recently spent an afternoon soaking up art, architecture, government and, of course, Fitz's rootbeer. 

The kids headed out on foot from the school in groups, each armed with a notepad and digital camera, along with directions to look for and photograph art, architecture, and landscape along the way. Flynn Park art teacher Beverly Brandt was "so happy to see how enthusiastic these young community members were about the art and history that is around them every day."  She says, "they come to me almost every day still talking about art and architecture that they saw on their bus ride or while they were with their families." 

In Council Chambers at City Hall

The group stopped at Fitz's for lunch and a tour of the bottling plant, followed by a tour of the Loop in which they compared buildings intended for government use to those intended to be public places for consumers. The field trip ended with a trip to the fifth floor of City Hall and a chance to enjoy the spectacular panoramic views. 

The photographs taken by the students will used in an upcoming art project in which they will design a book about what they saw and learned on their field trip to the Loop.

Thanks to Beth Martin, Beverly Brandt, and Nicole Wight for photos and information.

A Visit from the Prize Patrol

The University City Education Foundation surprised six U. City teachers on Friday morning, October 10th, arriving with balloon bouquets and big checks.  The first round of 2013 fall grants were awarded at Flynn Park elementary's Friday morning assembly.  Teachers Nicole LaPlante Wight and Andrea Andrea Callahan received grants totaling $1900.00 to fund technology enhancements (including iPad Mini and iPad Touch devices) for the math and reading curriculum.

Andrea Callahan, Flynn Park 5th grade and
 Nicole Wight Flynn Park, 3rd grade

Next it was on to Brittany Woods middle school, where three teachers and Librarian Kelly Werthmuller were surprised in their classrooms.  The Brittany Woods grants totaled $2,950 and will fund projects including a 6th grade classroom reading center, new magazines and other reading materials for the library, participation in an area-wide Book Battle event, and a social studies trip to Memphis to conclude an in-depth study of the Civil Rights Movement.

Katherine Adams, Brittany Woods 6th grade Language Arts

The University City Education Foundation was founded in 1996 to enhance the educational programming in the School District of University City by providing grants to fund enrichment projects that typically fall outside of the scope of a school's standard budget.  For the fall 2013 grant cycle, UCEF was pleased to fund all submitted applications. 

Christine Kwiatkowski, Brittany Woods 7th grade Social Studies

Since 1996 UCEF has awarded over $200,000 in grants.  A complete list of recipients can be found here. Grants are entirely funded by donations and fundraising events. For timely news and information about UCEF and how to become involved in this terrific organization,  please visit the UCEF  facebook page.  

Julia Reimann, Brittany Woods 6th - 8th grade Spanish

UCEF awards grants twice a year, in the fall and spring.  The grant program is open to faculty, staff, principals, and administrators in the School District of University City.  Parents and other community members may submit a grant application  if sponsored by an eligible employee of the district. The spring deadline is January 27th, and applications can be downloaded here.

Kelly Werthmuller, Brittany Woods Librarian

Spotted on Facebook

The beautiful flower bed in front of Flynn Park Elementary School, courtesy of U City in Bloom.

U City in Bloom maintains stunning gardens at each of our schools, as well as the McNair administration building.   You can read about the new garden at Pershing Elementary here.