MEMS April Highlights

The following highlights are submitted by Irene Policastro, the Secretary to Superintendent John J. Marciante of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.

On Wednesday, March 14, the Delta community came together as a group to learn about and celebrate pi. Pi Day occurred on this particular Wednesday, 3/14, because the decimal equivalent of pi begins with 3.14. Pi Day began in predetermined groups wherein students circulated through four stations on their journey of discovery. At one station data was collected as students wrapped string around circular objects then measured the length of the string (circumference). Additional data was collected as they measured across the circular object from one point to another through the middle (diameter). Students then repeated this procedure 5 more times with different circular objects of varying sizes. Afterwards, an analysis of the data concretized pi by revealing its constant nature. Exposed was the relationship between a circle’s diameter and its circumference irrespective of its size: circumference is always roughly 3.14 times greater than its diameter.

Prior to Pi Day, students were invited/challenged to showcase their creativity, and some came prepared to perform for their peers. Kids wrote and performed songs about pi, memorized digits in pi (one knew the first 200!), and ate pie! Pi Day was educational, fun, and memorable. A good time was had by everyone.

The National Junior Honor Society visited the , and hosted a fun afternoon of cultural activities. Joining them was Sra. Schiano as she gave her pasta-making demonstration. It was well received by both the seniors as well as the staff. Mrs. Royston's jazz band "tuned" up the crowd with their uplifting performance as well. The seniors also enjoyed an array of cultural foods including Swedish meatballs, spring rolls, and Irish soda bread. All had a fantastic time, and it was a pleasure bringing a smile to the faces of our elderly friends.

On Wednesday, April 4, 2012 eleven MEMS students participated in the Delaware Valley Science Fair, competing with over 400 students in that age bracket. The following students were recognized:

• Cynthia Rishi – Computers – 3rd Place – How does the step size and timing interval affect the simulation of the bouncing ball? Special Award from Broadcom Masters Middle School
• Amanda Lashenick – Engineering – Honorable Mention – How does the viscous layer, an elastic layer and a visco-elastic layer separately affect how sound is dampened in conjunction with a constraining layer? Special Awards: United States Navy/Marine Corp. Junior High; Dupont Excellence in Science for Middle School and Team Projects
• Kathryn Jiang – Physics – 3rd Place – How do different starting temperatures affect the Mpmemba Effect? Special Award: Broadcom Masters Middle School
• Christopher Demeritt – Physics – 2nd Place – How does the data track spacing on a CD, DVD or Bluray disc affect light coming from a laser pointer? Special Award: Broadcom Masters Middle School

On Friday, April 20, 2012, both 7th and 8th grade students competed in the school wide Battle of the Books competition. The winners from each grade will move on to compete in the regional competition on Friday, May 4, 2012 which will take place at MEMS.