STEAM ahead
Students of Belle Meade Montessori School on F.T. Valley Road have been busy studying personally chosen topics of interest, which include interviewing and receiving assistance from local experts for their individual projects.
Middle school students, for instance, took a field trip to Wild Roots Apothecary on River Lane in Sperryville to hear proprietor Colleen O’Bryant speak about herbal medicine and botany.
In addition, the school hosted a STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics — Workshop day that among other projects included building and testing a trebuchet, or catapult, an ancient siege engine (weapon) that uses a swinging arm to toss projectiles.
Finally, students from Rappahannock, Culpeper and Fauquier counties joined Belle Meade for a day of engineering, designing, and performing. — Alex Forte
MARKET AND REALITY
Rappahannock County Elementary School 3rd graders held their annual Market Day event last Friday. The event was a concluding activity for their economics unit. Students display posters they created advertising services or products that they are selling during the event.
Other students shop and purchase from the booths using special Market Day bucks. This activity ties in money math skills and calculating change. Some of the homemade goods and services included baked goods, bracelets, headbands, fortune cookies, lemonade, painted rocks, bookmarks, the chance to make a basketball shot and more.
Meanwhile, RCHS 8th graders participated in the 5th annual Reality Store event, a financial management program designed for students to learn about the importance and value of a dollar. During this activity, each student is randomly assigned to a career, a monthly net salary, a marital and family status. Students must visit 15 stations where they have to “purchase” items such as furniture, groceries, pay for daycare and a house. Students may select from high-end, higher-priced items, to lower-end and affordable items at each station. Students quickly learn that living in the “real world” can be expensive and making smart financial choices is important. — Holly Jenkins
RAPP SPORTS
Rapp’s spring sports practices have been thriving in the unseasonably warm weather, but our winter athletes take the headlines yet again on the basis of more postseason accolades.
In girls’ basketball Olivia Atkins, previously honored with all district honors, was named to the first team Group 1A all Region team for the 2017-18 season. Olivia was joined by teammates Sarah East and Carrington Wayland, both earning second team allregion 1B recognition.
On the boys’ side, senior Ryan Atkins earned Honorable Mention recognition to the Group 1A all-Region 1B team. Congratulations to these Rapp athletes and their teammates and coaches, all of whom worked hard to improve themselves and their teams.
Back to spring sports, Rapp will host its first spring sports contests this week. JV Girls Softball will host Luray in a scrimmage tomorrow (Friday) at 5 p.m. JV and Varsity Girls’ Soccer will also host Luray this Friday at Panther Stadium, JV game kicking off at 5. Our varsity baseball, softball and boys soccer teams will travel to Luray on the same day, Friday — baseball and softball first pitches at 4, soccer first kick at 6. — Jimmy Swindler
O’HEIR RECORD
Wakefield Country Day School senior Chris O’Heir of Castleton surpassed the 1,000 varsity points scored mark in a win over Timber Ridge School and finished his senior season on February 23 with 1,064 career basketball points.
O’Heir is the fourth male player in the school’s history to reach this incredible scoring achievement.
BEN AND RYAN
Randolph-Macon Academy students who earned a GPA of at least 4.0 and were placed on the President's List for the second quarter of the 2017-18 school year include Benjamin Kopjanski of Boston, a sophomore and son of Melanie Kopjanski; and Ryan Latham of Amissville, a senior and son of Stephen and Dawn Latham.
LONGWOOD LIST
Several Longwood University Students from Rappahannock County are being recognized for academic excellence.
Vanessa Isabela Barahona-Hickerson, Emmalee June Beardslee, Laikyn Ahnna Farmer, Courtney Mechelle Frazier, and Brittany Alexis Shumaker — all from Amissville — have been named to the Dean’s List (3.5-plus grade point average), while Beatrice Alejandra Gonzalez Acevedo from Sperryville has been named to the President’s List (4.0 grade point average).
Longwood University, a public university of more than 5,000 students in Farmville, is consistently ranked as one of the top regional public universities in the southeastern United States. In 2016 the school hosted a U.S. vice presidential debate.
CASE STUDY
Case Kramer of the town of Washington has made the Dean’s List for the Fall 2017 semester at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have a 3.0 or higher academic average for the semester.