Student Standouts: Zacks ’21, Naber ’22, Ray ’23, Jain ’25, Puri ’25, Miller ’27, Field Hockey and Girls Tennis
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.
Senior Featured on Fox 2 Now for Notary-Pairing Service, MOtary Connections
Jonah Zacks ’21 and his organization MOtary Connections were featured on Fox 2 Now on Friday. MOtary Connections seeks to easily pair voters with notaries. If you’re needing a notary for your mail-in ballot, be sure to visit the website (linked above). “I wanted to make it so that no one has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” shares Jonah.
Junior Breaks 100 Backstroke Record
Swimmer Lee Naber ’22 broke a school record last week at the Kirkwood Quad meet! He completed the 100 backstroke, setting a new school record with a time of 50.93. The previous record was recorded by David Zenk ’05 in 2005, 15 years ago!
“This accomplishment means a lot to me as it shows the hard work and commitment that it takes to achieve milestones like breaking a school record,” said Lee. He’s been swimming since he was eight years old, and we’re so proud of him for setting a new school record. Congratulations, Lee!
Ray Runs to 1st Place
On Saturday at McNair Park, Julia Ray ’23 won the Border War Championship’s individual girls cross country title as shared in this STL High School Sports article. This was her 4th victory this season! Her winning time was 18 minutes and 16 seconds for the 5-kilometer distance, her season-best time. Way to go, Julia!
Thank you to Paul Halfacre, STLhighschoolsports.com for the photos below!
Middle Schooler Creates Donation Drive for Friends of Kids with Cancer
Like many, Ric Jain ’25 faced a challenging summer when COVID-19 closed down a lot of the typical, warm-weather, fun activities. Fortunately, Ric didn’t let that stop him from making a positive difference. He conducted a Toy and School Supply Drive for Friends of Kids with Cancer!
“I’d never done a drive like this before, but I’d really wanted to,” shares Ric. “So I contacted the organization and asked them what something was that they would be able to give the kids. They told me that toys and school supplies would be great, so I got to work.”
Ric made a flyer for the drive, sent it to his friends and family, and asked them if they wanted to donate. He was thrilled when most of them wanted to donate! “I made a list of the people who were donating and what they were going to donate. I was accepting three types of donations: toys, school supplies, and money. I would use the donated money to buy more school supplies and toys for the kids. After confirming everyone who was ready to donate, I went around town collecting donations. That was one of the most fun parts of the drive.”
In total, his drive collected over 75 toys and more than 200 school supplies, and Ric loved delivering the donations to the Friends of Kids with Cancer office in Maplewood. “This was the highlight of my summer. It was truly a humbling experience being able to do something like this. It made me glad knowing that I was able to contribute to something bigger than myself!” Outstanding job, Ric!
How Fast Can You Type the Alphabet?
Middle Schoolers had an optional competition this week to see who could type the alphabet most quickly and accurately. The challenge was posed by Maggie Dunson, Middle School English Teacher. Taking the challenge to heart, 8th grader Arjun Puri ’25 was able to crush not only his teacher’s time of 4.53 seconds, but he typed the alphabet flawlessly in just 2.491 seconds which is a typing speed of 121 words per minute! Way to go, Arjun!
Want to test how quickly you can type the alphabet? Participate in the challenge here!
6th Grader Creates Musical Instrument with his Coding Skills
Sixth grader Teddy Miller ’27 created a musical instrument using two Rasberry Pi’s (small, single-board computers), a storage drive, and his Javascript coding skills. He connected a speaker and a drum, and that allowed him to hit the drum which was coded to make a musical tone. He didn’t keep the instrument for too long; after a couple of days, he needed the storage space back, so he coded the storage card back to be used for images from a photoshoot. Way to go, Teddy!
Field Hockey Win with New Midfielders
The MICDS Field Hockey Team was highlighted in STL High School Sports for their victory over Cor Jesu on Saturday. The article talks about how Kate Oliver ’22 and Lily Baker ’21 have both transitioned to playing midfield for the team after graduating three NCAA Division I-bound midfielders from last year’s season. Read how the team has adapted and supported one another in the article linked above.
Girls Tennis Advances to Semifinals
This week, Girls Tennis defeated Liberty 5-0 to reach the semi-final round of the State Class 2 Team Championships! They will play in Springfield next Friday and Saturday! Go Rams!
