Rivermont Collegiate News

Dear Rivermont Community,

580 students from 56 schools around Iowa traveled to Iowa State University on March 30th-31st for the Iowa State Science and Technology Fair.  Of those, 11 students from Rivermont won an impressive 27 awards and scholarships.

For the third time in her high school career, top honors went to senior Pavane Gorrepati, winner of the prestigious Grand Championship award for her project on the impact different genes have on the nutritional characteristics of rice.  Pavane will represent the State of Iowa at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May, 2012.  Pavane also won 1st place in the Plant Sciences category, 3rd place in the Senior Individual Biological Seminar, and was awarded several prizes and scholarships for her project.

12th grader Maghana Pagadala and 10th grader Shravya Pothula also had impressive projects that made them Semi-finalists for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.  Meghana won first place in the Cellular & Molecular Biology category and was awarded several prizes and scholarships for her project on the Mechanism By Which CD8+ FoxP3+ T-Cells Regulate Osteoclast Activity.  Shravya won second place in the Medicine and Health Science category for her project on how Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Reduces Mitral Valve Regurgitation.

But the high schoolers weren't the only winners at the competition!  Not to be outdone by her older sister, 7th grader Manasa Pagadala was the winner of the Grand Champion award in the Overall Junior High Biological division for her project titled How Do Spices Affect the Growth of Bacteria and Fungi?  Manasa also won 1st place in the 7th Grade Biology division, a University of Iowa College of Engineering scholarship, and she will compete at the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) National Middle School Science Fair in Washington DC in the fall, 2012.  Sixth grade Rivermont students Collin Smith, Klaus Storl-Desmond, and Aviana Zahara will also compete at the Broadcom MASTERS.

Other Rivermont Collegiate students at the Iowa State Science and Technology Fair include :

• Klaus Storl-Desmond (6th grade) - Do Moon Phases or Weather Factors Affect Different Coyote Calls? - 2nd place winner in 6th Grade Biological division and Broadcom MASTERS Junior High Finalist.
• Naina Ninan (6th grade) - How Does Temperature Affect Scindapsus Plants? - 10th place winner in 6th Grade Biological division.
• Lana Meier (6th grade) - Do Background Distractions Influence a Person's Hand-Eye Reaction Times? - 8th place winner in 6th Grade Biological division.
• Collin Smith (6th grade) - Do the Number of Magnets on a Guitar's Pick-Up Influence the Sound Frequency? - 4th place winner in 6th Grade Physical Science division, BroadcomMASTERS  Junior High Finalist, and Student Incentive Prize Winner.
• Aviana Zahara (6th grade) - Which kinds of Bacteria Do We Find in the Mouths of Cats, Dogs, Horses, and Humans - 3rd place winner in 6th Grade Biological division, Broadcom MASTERS Junior High Finalist, and Horizon Award winner.
• Sophia Xiao (6th grade) - Phototropism, Geotropism, Hydrotropism: Which has a Greater Effect on Plant Growth?
• Sarah Bowman (8th grade) - How Does Road Run-Off Affect the Germination and Growth of Common Seeds?- 5th place winner in 8th Grade Biological division.
• Marta Storl-Desmond (8th grade) - Does Precipitation Influence the pH, D.O. or Nitrate Levels in a Local River? - 9th place winner in 8th Grade Biological division and winner of special award from the Association for Women Geoscientists.
• Hannah Hansen (8th grade) - Can Photocatalysis Allow Concrete to Self-Clean?
• Bailey Mangan (8th grade) - Do low Voltage Currents in the Soil Influence Pea Plant Growth?

KUDOS!

 

Congratulations! Sixth grader Collin Smith has been selected for the Junior Scholars Institute (JSI) class: Leadership for Students Who Want to Make a Difference which will be held on The University of Iowa campus June 17 - 22, 2012. Many outstanding applications for JSI were received. Selection teams, composed of faculty and staff from The University of Iowa, reviewed all applications and selected students from across the US and around the world to attend.


Welcome to our newest Rivermont Lion!  Max Hauser was born on April 10.  Congratulations to PreSchool teacher Sara Hauser and her husband Matt.  

It's SATURDAY!   Congratulations to our Lower School students for a great program Thursday evening.  You were amazing! Thanks go to our Music Director Sally Schulz, our special guest performers, and all the Lower School teachers who helped put on a great show! Way to rock the house!

Summer Enrichment Camp Coming to Rivermont! Stay tuned!  We are putting the finishing touches on our new and improved summer camp at Rivermont!  Classes will include Harry Potter-Ology, Electricity and Magnetism, Cultural Food and Art, Greeks, Romans & Percy Jackson, The Seas & Me, and much more!   Classes will run from 8:30-3:30 Monday-Friday for 8 whole weeks!  Sign up for just one class, or the whole summer.  Classes will be available for PreSchool-Kindergarten, 1st-3rd Grades, and 4th-8th Grades.  We hope you will join us! Sports camps will also be offered. Basketball, Volleyball, Archery, LaCrosse, Martial Arts, and more! More info coming next week.

NJHS Garden

In preparation for a successful growing season and an opportunity for outdoor learning and service opportunities, National Junior Honor Society members, advisor and parents filled 6 container gardens full of dirt. The garden will be used in all divisions to extend outdoors learning and increase the service opportunities that Rivermont students have. The produce grown will be given to local food pantries.