Student Standouts for March 15

Student Standouts: Grannum ’19, Larsen ’19, Noda ’19, Anand ’20, Cohen ’20, Polanco ’20, Chilakala ’21, Weber ’21, Kain ’21, Richards ’21, Douglas ’22, Dufner ’22, Fendler ’22, Yuan ’22, Dai ’23, Katyal ’25, Boys Basketball and Boys Lacrosse in the News

Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.

"The Native Engineer" Award and Honorable Mentions

Congratulations to Ana Larsen ’19 who earned “The Native Engineer” Award recently! She utilized Leucanthemum vulgare, commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, as a geared rod (with pollen-shaped gears that turn on themselves) that can skim through water to coagulate small plastic waste and load them into a reciprocal net system. They’re used in waste removal in shallow lakes or waterways.

Congratulations to the two MICDS students who earned Honorable Mention:

Hunter Grannum ’19 used Scorzoneroides autumnalis for a sustainable building design that allows for internal collapse and dead air trap for insulation.

Erika Noda ’19 used Dactylis giomerata, amine solvent covered field fans for direct air carbon capture.

“The project work by this group was amazing, and they each had very impressive designs,” shares Upper School Science Teacher Paul Zahller. The competition was part of the autotroph biological design class. The goal was to solve a human problem using biomimicry techniques based on pollen grains.

Students Participate in Young Women's Leadership Conference

On Thursday, March 7, MICDS students participated in the Young Women’s Leadership Conference at the Chase Park Plaza. The conference brought together young women from area high schools who were invited to hear from women in international, national and local leadership roles. The annual event is organized by a committee of young women from area schools and co-chaired by young women from John Burroughs.

Sandra Polanco ’20 spoke to the group about her takeaways and the messages/stories that inspired her most. Fellow MICDS attendees included Nicita Anand ’20, Aadhya Chilakala ’21, Ceci Cohen ’20 and Morgan Weber ’21.

Sandra Polanco speaks at Young Women Leadership Conference

MICDS Ram Steps Up to 1st Place at the 2018-19 STEP Ahead Competition

Ferguson Boys & Girls Club member Danielle Kain ’21 has been selected by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Manufacturing Institute as the first place winner of the 2018-2019 STEP Ahead competition. The program exposes girls in the Boys & Girls Club to the exciting careers available in modern manufacturing. With the honor comes an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC compliments of The Manufacturing Institute! To view Danielle’s award-winning video essay, click here.

Danielle also won a $1,750 Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream award from BGCA to be used for expenses related to furthering her STEM projects! Way to go, Danielle!

Sophomore Earns National Medal for Flash Fiction

Upper School sophomore Fiona Richards ’21 was recently named a 2019 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards National Medalist! Fiona earned a gold medal for her original work of flash fiction, “Memory is Like a Bullet Train.” A huge congratulations to Fiona on her national medal and on her now nationally-recognized writing!

MICDS Girls Dive into STEM at Catalysts for Change Program

Four MICDS students recently attended the Catalysts for Change Program held on the campus of Washington University. Part of the Women in Science Program, Catalysts for Change is a two-day STEM workshop for 9th grade girls in the St. Louis area. MICDS attendees included Lauren Douglas ’22, Hallie Dufner ’22, Sophie Fendler ’22 and Kate Yuan ’22.

Lauren shared, “Catalysts for Change gave me a greater insight on women in STEM. I engaged in activities that challenged my knowledge of STEM and heard from accomplished women.”

Sophie echoed these remarks saying, “The Catalysts for Change program was a really great way for me, and other girls, to meet people who had similar interests and learn about the challenges women face in the science field. It was also a great way to expose girls to all the different aspects of all the STEM fields.”

All attendees enjoyed the opportunity to immerse themselves in STEM experiments and listen to guest speakers to get more exposure to the world of STEM.

Middle School Artist Creates Art Breakthrough

Eighth grader Nicole Dai ’23 is in the Middle School Art Studio every chance she can be. She also takes two-dimensional art classes outside of school. Nicole recently talked about her experience with “artist choice” time during class, which is a time where the class specifically focuses on each student’s creative process. Nicole shared, “My art classes at MICDS have pushed me to go outside my comfort zone and try things I didn’t think I would before. Having choices and building my ability to think creatively in the studio at school, led me to making this at home when I broke up the ice on the driveway. It was really fun!”

6th Grader Featured for Outstanding Achievements

Sixth grader Abhinav Katyal ’25 was recently featured for his outstanding successes. Abhinav participates in the Kumon Math and Reading Program which highlighted him in an article entitled “Discipline is the Key to this Student’s Success.” Read the feature here.

Katyal is already learning algebraic concepts and reads high school-level literature. He’s considering the field of medicine for his future career path and has been selected to attend the Pre-College Summer Scholars Program at Loyola University Chicago. At MICDS, he was chosen by his teacher to be the grade representative for the Gifted Education (MOSAICS) Program, following an accelerated curriculum for gifted students. When he’s not working on academics, you might find him playing badminton or table tennis.

Keep up the great work, Abhinav!

Season Preview of Boys Lacrosse

“The MICDS boys lacrosse program under head coach Andy Kay has achieved overlord status,” boasts a recent STL Today article covering the boys lacrosse season preview. With five consecutive MSLA championships, the team is gearing up for another strong season to make it 6 this May. Coach Andy Kay comments on the fresh season as three Division I signees are mentioned: Graham Bundy Jr. ’19 who will go to Georgetown University, Thomas Niedringhaus ’19 who will attend Boston University and Henry Carpenter ’19 who will attend Penn State. Also mentioned are Joe Maguire ’19 and Nico Feldman ’19.

Hooping Up Boys Basketball Post Season Recognitions

Postseason recognition for boys basketball has been announced in this Metro League All-Conference post on STL Today. Congratulations to the following:

Metro League:

Jack Pronger ’21 – First Team All-Conference
Jack Brooks ’19 – Honorable Mention All-Conference
Brandon Mitchell-Day ’22 – Honorable Mention All-Conference

Class 4, District 5 All-District Team:

Jack Pronger ’21
Brandon Mitchell-Day ’22