The international Hour of Code initiative began Dec. 8 and runs through Dec. 14. However, for our students, coding already serves as an integral part of their daily school life. Mrs. Bernadette Gilmore, Director of Academics and Curriculum, explains more in her recent blog post.
The Independence School welcomed 121 families, including 191 children throughout every grade level, on Thursday, Jan. 15, for its annual Family Fun Night. This year's event, known as "Math Mania," demonstrated to students and parents the various ways in which math can be taught and experienced, and just how much fun learning the subject can be.
The evening featured age-appropriate activities located throughout the school, such as Music Sudoku, Math Quiz Bowl, Snowman Bowling and Geometry Snowflake building, shown below, in addition to numerous raffles, prizes and a pizza dinner.
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For a full gallery of Thursday's festivities, click here.
RSVP here for Arabian Nights!
Don't miss a very special evening of dinner, dancing and an auction to benefit our students. Arabian Nights takes place on Saturday, March 14, 2015, from 7-11 p.m., at The Independence School.
Among the many highlights of the event:
For more information, email Catherine Pomeroy.
Seventh grader Dustin Fang won The Independence School's National Geographic Bee competition on Jan. 27. The school Bee, at which students answered questions on geography, marked the first round in the 27th annual National Geographic Bee.
Eighth grader Rishi Sreekanth placed second for Independence, followed by seventh grader Stephanie Sullivan in third.
Thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories are participating in the 2015 Bee. The school champions, including Fang, will take a written test, and up to 100 of the top scorers on that test in each state will then be eligible to compete in their state Bee on March 27.
The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state winners to participate in the Bee National Championship rounds from May 11-13.
Congratulations to Team De Nardi, which won first place in the qualifying state rounds of FIRST LEGO League at Delaware State University in Dover in late January. It will join Team Munson, which qualified in December at Conrad Schools of Science, for The Champion's Tournament on Feb. 14. The event will also take place at DSU. Our teams qualified for this event based on their overall champion's ranking and reaching a robot performance hurdle at the qualifier that they attended.
The FLL Core Values are integral to the program. Participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain can be combined and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork. The FLL values are a nice complement to lessons taught daily at Independence, such as learning together, friendly competition, discovery is more important than winning and gracious professionalism.
Best wishes to both teams at the next big event!
Team De Nardi: Luc De Nardi, Dominic Reeves, Neel Sortur, Rohan Patil and Joseph Isabelle
Team Munson: Dalton Munson, Arjan Kahlon, Caroline Hayter, Tara Kedda, Ryan Balu and Elana Agarwal
Independence representatives earned four trophies at the annual St. Mark's High School Spartan Speech Classic in Wilmington on Jan. 31: a first place, second place and third place in individual competition and an overall third place for its team, comprised of fifth graders Defne Elbeyli and Bridget Schutt and seventh-grade students Tatum Schutt and Erika Richard.
It marked the second year that Independence participated in the tournament, which featured 11 area middle schools. Competition categories were Declamation and Oral Interpretation. Fifth-grade teacher Ms. Biddle, sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Boettner and Ms. Graham, Head of Middle School, were very proud to attend and see these students participate in this highly competitive event.
Independence's representatives at the Spartan Speech Classic (from left to right): Defne Elbeyli (Grade 5), Tatum Schutt (Grade 7), Erika Richard (Grade 7) and Bridget Schutt (Grade 5).
Eighth grader Sydney Kenton performed as a soprano in the Delaware All-State Junior Chorus on Feb. 7 at Mount Pleasant High School. The chorus prepared 10 songs under the direction of guest conductor Anthony Trecek-King Jr., who serves as the Artistic Director and conductor of the award-winning Boston Children's Chorus. Mr. Trecek-King has earned international recognition working with choirs and orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.
The 2015 All-State Chorus, comprised of the top seventh- and eighth-grade voices from across the First State, performed 10 songs, including three in foreign languages. The event finished with a rousing rendition of "Little David, Play on Your Harp," which brought the entire audience to its collective feet to dance, clap and cheer.
Middle school social studies teacher Mrs. Tina Palmer, right, visits with eighth grader Sydney Kenton after Sydney's performance with the Delaware All-State Junior Chorus on Feb. 7 at Mount Pleasant High School.
Eighth-grade students in Mrs. Finocchiaro and Mrs. Kacmarcik's classes recently participated in "Engineers Teaching Algebra," a 90-minute session that sets out to make math exciting and stimulating through real-life, hands-on experiences, while also promoting STEM education.
Founded by engineer Mark Love in 1994, "Engineers Teaching Algebra" prides itself on bringing a field trip into the classroom. According to the company website, more than 100,000 middle and high school students in 38 states have taken part in the program.
As Mr. Love explains on his site, "In a world of technology, information and ideas, math is not a subject; it's a necessary language."
During Mr. Love's recent visit to Independence, students saw a practical application of civil engineering using algebra to figure out traffic patterns and the timing of traffic lights. They worked through a series of problems on worksheets and at the front of the classroom, both individually and in groups. Mr. Love then explained the best possible solution for most of the scenarios.
"Mr. Love showed us how basic algebraic formulas are incorporated in everyday life," eighth grader Brendan Balthis said. "His lesson on traffic engineering and the activities included were enjoyable and challenging."
Other students, such as Nicky Bouchard, agreed.
"Mr. Love's presentation connected algebra and real-life problems in a fun, challenging way," he said.
For a photo gallery, visit Exploring Independence.
For more information on Mr. Love's program, visit www.engineersteachingalgebra.com.
Independence basketball teams combined to go 22-0 on the court this season, with the boys completing their first undefeated campaign in school history and the girls achieving the feat for the first time since 2011. The two squads finished with matching 11-0 records this winter.
Over the course of the season, the boys outscored the opposition 460-312, a plus-148 point differential.
"This group deserves to be undefeated with the hard work and dedication they all put in over the last three and a half months," head coach Mike August said. "What a perfect ending for these eighth graders to go out in style. I'm very proud of each one of them."
The girls turned in a dominant stretch on the defensive end, holding their opponents to 10 points or fewer on six occasions and surrendering a mere 12.5 per game. All told, coach Terri Shockley's group outscored opposing schools 335-138, a plus-197 differential.
"Coming in as the new head coach of the girls' basketball team has been the most rewarding experience!" an excited Mrs. Shockley explained. "From the very first practice, every player gave 110 percent and quickly learned that we were going to be an aggressive, fast-paced team.
"They supported one another and bonded as a team. Their thirst to improve was phenomenal! It was truly an honor to coach these amazing girls and help them achieve the 11-0, undefeated season."
Game ball signed by the undefeated Patriot boys' basketball team
For much more on Independence's winter sports teams, check out the News & Results Feed.
Please follow The Independence School on Twitter: @IndySchool78 and 'Like' us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheIndependenceSchool
In celebration of the 100th day of school, kindergarten and first-grade students worked on a homework project finding different ways to present the number 100. The results proved to be fantastic, demonstrating a variety of wonderfully creative ideas. Each student's project -- known as a "My 100 Collection" -- went on display on Thursday, Feb. 21 in the multipurpose room for classmates, teachers, administrators and parents to see.
For the complete gallery, please visit our Exploring Independence multimedia page.
Independence recently partnered with Renascentia Hall International ("Renas Hall"), a Newark-based organization that provides support to students, families and schools involved with international student programs. Through this partnership, Independence welcomed three visitors from China who participated in the Renas Hall Winter Camp: Shuyan "Sophia" Dong, Ziijan "Ethan" Li and Wenting "Winston" Xu.
As part of the camp, they attended classes at our school during the week of Feb. 9 and were matched up with a seventh-grade student (Sophia with Kelsie Yu, Winston with Dylan Yin and Ethan with Dustin Fang). Additionally, the family of Independence seventh grader Ryan Johnston kindly hosted Winston during his stay.
During their second week in the United States, our Chinese friends traveled to New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore and experienced a shopping trip to the Christiana Mall.
Independence's Chinese visitors pose with their host students. Seated (from left to right): Ziijan "Ethan" Li, Wenting "Winston" Xu and Shuyan "Sophia" Dong. Standing (l-r): Dustin Fang, Dylan Yin and Kelsie Yu.
The Drama Club's production of Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. will take place on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., in the auditorium. Please join us for a magical evening with entertainment for the entire family.
The Independence School welcomed 121 families, including 191 children throughout every grade level, on Thursday, Jan. 15, for its annual Family Fun Night. This year's event, known as "Math Mania," demonstrated to students and parents the various ways in which math can be taught and experienced, and just how much fun learning the subject can be.
The evening featured age-appropriate activities located throughout the school, such as Music Sudoku, Math Quiz Bowl, Snowman Bowling and Geometry Snowflake building, shown below, in addition to numerous raffles, prizes and a pizza dinner.
For a full gallery of Thursday's festivities, click here.
The reviews are rave!
"Enjoyed seeing the play yesterday!!! The students did a fantastic job!!! Great fun watching them!!"
"I saw the dress rehearsal – fabulous show! Hard to believe this is a middle school production."
"What a treat! It was FANTASTIC! Very well done."
"What a great chance to see our students in a different venue. LOVED it."
"It was wonderful! Congrats to all."
"Bravo! Absolutely amazing."
"The play was awesome, and I especially enjoyed the music! The actors and set were perfect. The alumni orchestra was genius, and it was perfectly synched with the actors. Thank you for a wonderful theatrical performance. Bravo, bravo, bravo!"
Now, don't be late for this important date to relive the Drama Club's magical production of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland, Jr." by clicking on Exploring Independence for an exciting multimedia gallery. As an added bonus, check out backstage and rehearsal photos, as well as special shots of the entire cast together prior to Friday night's encore performance.
(Presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by MTI 421 West 54th St. NY, NY 10019. Copyright 2006 Disney Enterprises, Inc.)
Each year, several students in grades 4-6 are selected to participate in the Delaware ACDA (American Choral Director's Association) Children's Honor Choir Festival. At the end of the intense two-day rehearsal, the 150-member choir put together a spectacular concert this weekend at Newark High School under the direction of this year's guest conductor, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King. Currently the Music Director of the Boston Children's Chorus, Dr. Trecek-King has earned international acclaim for his work.
Congratulations to Independence's 13 representatives at this wonderful event.
Mrs. Annable and Mrs. Schweizer's first-grade classes recently participated in a STEM and project-based learning experience entitled "Radical Robots," where students teamed up in groups to design robots with a specific purpose – all while following certain criteria.
Each group completed a planning sheet prior to construction that detailed the finer points of its future creation. From there, the engineering process began! After several days of hard work, teamwork and dedication, the students presented their robots as a group to their teacher and fellow classmates. Every first grader took a turn speaking at the front of the room, discussing the robot's name and purpose, describing the function of any movable or pop-up parts and explaining likes and difficulties related to the project.
Throughout the entire course of "Radical Robots," Mrs. Annable and Mrs. Schweizer sent email updates or posted pictures, collages, video clips and more to their Group Spaces so the parents could follow the children's progress.
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The robots, each of which featured a QR code on the front, later went on display at the 100 Days Museum, and parents with a QR code scanner or reader on their phone or iPad were invited to scan the robots and watch the group presentations.
The unit culminated several days later when seventh grader and Indy Robotics team member Neel Sortur joined the first graders, their teachers and Head of Lower School, Mrs. Christy Koense, for a live robot demonstration and Q&A session that included insightful and thoughtful inquiries from the young students.
Click here for a photo gallery. Click here for a pair of videos.
Congratulations to the fourth-, sixth- and seventh/eighth-grade Odyssey of the Mind teams for advancing to the State Finals on March 28. The 35th Anniversary of the state event will take place at the Trabant Student Center, Willard Hall and the Carpenter Sports Complex on the University of Delaware's campus. While the fifth-grade team did not qualify for states, it, too, turned in a competitive performance.
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Our students also experienced tremendous success on Saturday in the Quiz Bowl "Charter Challenge," with sixth-grade teams taking first and second place in the 22-team Newcomer Division and eighth grade (third place) and seventh grade (fourth) both qualifying for the national tournament in May after their strong performances in the 22-team Nationals Division. Eighth grader Rishi Sreekanth placed third overall in individual scoring for the Nationals Division, while sixth graders Krish Malhotra and Emma Foley garnered third and fifth, respectively, in the Newcomer Division. All told, 29 Independence students participated in the "Charter Challenge."
Business was booming in the gym on Thursday for fourth grade's first Mini Society session of the 2014-15 school year. Mini Society is a cornerstone of our Economics curriculum – Economic and Entrepreneurial Education (E3) – which focuses on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and business leadership.
Mrs. Roach and Mrs. Wright's students worked long and hard to create their own businesses with unique, creative goods and products to sell. "Indybucks" in $1 or $5 increments could be used by fellow students, as well as teachers, to purchase those items. The second business session will take place on May 15, with fourth-grade parents invited to attend.
For a full photo gallery, click here.
Eighth grader Sydney Kenton performed as a soprano in the Delaware All-State Junior Chorus on Feb. 7 at Mount Pleasant High School. The chorus prepared 10 songs under the direction of guest conductor Anthony Trecek-King Jr., who serves as the Artistic Director and conductor of the award-winning Boston Children's Chorus. Mr. Trecek-King has earned international recognition working with choirs and orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.
The 2015 All-State Chorus, comprised of the top seventh- and eighth-grade voices from across the First State, performed 10 songs, including three in foreign languages. The event finished with a rousing rendition of "Little David, Play on Your Harp," which brought the entire audience to its collective feet to dance, clap and cheer.
Middle school social studies teacher Mrs. Tina Palmer, right, visits with eighth grader Sydney Kenton after Sydney's performance with the Delaware All-State Junior Chorus on Feb. 7 at Mount Pleasant High School.
Independence's fourth-grade Odyssey of the Mind team placed first in the Pandora's Box problem to win a state championship for Division I (grades 3-5) at the 35th anniversary of the OM State Finals on March 28 at the University of Delaware.
The fourth-grade group, which consists of Mia Gattuso, Zain Khan, Clare O'Dwyer, Molly Sugalski, Holly Urbanek, Gautam Wadhwa and Kamille Watkins, automatically qualified for the 2015 World Finals in late May at Michigan State University. Congratulations to these students, as well as all of our teams that competed at the Delaware State Finals.
The fourth graders and their coaches, Brian Urbanek and Margaret O'Dwyer,
pose with Odyssey mascot OMER, fourth from right.