WAKE NCSU STEM EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
Volume 2, Issue 5
May/June 2015
STEM News
A Word From Principal Schwenker
Inside this issue:
Haymore’s Tips
9th Grade Feature
10th Grade Feature
2
Kilpatrick’s Pointers
Junior Spotlight
Senior Updates for
class of 2015 & 2016
3
Honor Roll
Internships
4
Internships (cont.)
Teacher Externships
5
Stem Student Honored
6
Scaling STEM
7-8
Other Science News
9
Prom 2015
9
Graduates
10
CDC Message
Laptop Information
Schwenker’s Message
Testing Dates
Main Office Updates
11
Important Dates
 4/27– 5/7 NCSU Exams
 5/8—AP US History Exam
 5/12—STEM Cook-Out
 5/15—rain date 4 cook-out
 5/25– School is Closed for
Memorial Day
 5/27—Graduation Breakfast/Rehearsal
 5/28—Last Day of School &
Graduation Class of 2015
Super Seniors—Class of 2016
Seniors*– Class of 2015
Juniors—Class of 2017
Sophomores– Class of 2018
Freshmen—Class of 2019
New Freshmen –Class of 2020
Wow! Where has the
year gone? As we work to maintain our focus on learning and
teaching until the end of the
school year, we also take time
to reflect on our year. The numerous projects our students
completed, the job shadow
days, the competitions, the
college coursework, and the time
spent learning and exploring the
“Grand Challenges of Engineering”.
I recently was able to participate in a
trip to Suzhou, China to participate
in a ground-breaking ceremony for
the Suzhou North America High
School. As the staff and students
from this school look for acceptance
at American Universities, they have
reached out to NCSU and our school
for assistance in ‘learning like an
American High School’. So, with the
leadership of the Friday Institute
staff and the energy of Ms. Gambino, a number of our Juniors have
been working with students from
across the globe. The students have
been able to communicate
through various means, though
technology has been limited, to
learn about the lives of their
peers. They have developed
questions to guide them in a
research project about the similarities and differences amongst
the
two
cultures.
(Story continued on p. 11)
Assistant Principal Thomas’ Notes
The time you invest today will
determine what you reap tomorrow. What have you planned to
invest thus far as the summer
quickly approaches? Perhaps
you have planned to work or
intern. But have you planned
how you will secure that job or
internship? Perhaps you have
plans to open a bank account.
But have you planned to actually
put money in there much less
determined where the money
will come from? There are 73
days between May 28th and
August 10th; 11 weekends of sun
and fun – What have you planned
for this time? August 10th will be
here before we know it. Why not
begin applying for scholarships
via www.scholarships.com? Why
not visit www.naviance.com and
plan out your financial and educational needs for life after STEM EC
HS? Which schools are you interested in applying to and what are
the entrance requirements? If
your GPA is not high enough at
the moment, what is your plan
to ‘hit the mark’? The time you
invest today will determine
what you reap tomorrow. Invest
wisely and make every
moment count!
College Liaison Waldie’s Corner
You’ve finally made it to the end of the year! Through all of your trials and successes,
you have continued to advance forward, learning what makes you tick, exploring majors or careers you might be interested in, and finding what efforts are needed to
continue your journey beyond high school. At times, you have all been challenged in
your own ways, and I hope you remember that success is measured not only as a number in your GPA
(although that is important), but in how you’ve overcome personal and academic obstacles to get to
where you are today. You have worked hard over the past year and should be proud of your accomplishments! Your efforts have certainly not gone unnoticed!
I hope you take the summer to catch your breath and relax, and I encourage you to consider
many of the opportunities in the area to stay involved and exercise your brain. Whether you look to the
many camps offered at NC State and Wake Tech, find an internship or other employment, or get involved in a volunteer activity for which you are passionate, I think you will find that staying active will
help you readjust to academic life when the time comes. For those of you who know that you will be
enrolling in more challenging coursework next year, you might review your notes from this past semester in preparation. While the fall semester seems so far away, it will be here before you know it!
Page 2
Dean Ryan Haymore’s Tips
NCVPS Summer Courses:
Students may request to take a
course over the summer
through NCVPS if it is a course
that we do not offer here at our
school.
Request from either
Mr. Haymore or Ms. Kilpatrick.
See the list of courses offered
at: http://www.ncvps.org/inde
x.php/courses/catalogue/summ
er-2015-traditional-catalogue/
Please note NCVPS foreign language courses are only going
to be available to students in
the 11th grade and higher.
Students who are currently in
the 9th and 10th grade will be
taking their foreign language
through NCSU, Senior Year.
Our students can no longer
take health online through
NCVPS because they will be
taking that class with Ms.
House through Wake County Public Schools’ Blackboard.
Some things to remember about a summer
course…

Most classes start on
June 16 and end on August
7, 2015.

Students will have to
do reading and homework
nightly.
plan to work even when you
are away or catch up when
you get back.

It may be worth
more to you to rest and
recharge this summer
than to earn an extra
credit over the summer;
decide wisely.

The course doesn’t
stop for your vacation, so
9th Grade Feature
STEM ninth-graders recently completed their grade-level project which required them to apply
learning from Earth Science, Engineering, Computer Programming I, and English I. As a part
of this project, students worked in teams to create a wearable sensing device to detect Ebola
in high-risk areas around the world. After extensive research, teams created a 3-D prototype
of their device and summarized their findings in an APA-format technical paper. They also
devised an advertising campaign and developed a poster to present their work. This project
was conducted in part with NCSU’s Assist Program’s One Health Initiative. Overall, the students demonstrated a high level of creativity and innovation as a result of completing this
project. They also strengthened their collaboration and research skills.
10th Grade Feature
The 10th grade students in honors chemistry and engineering design are going to conduct an
engineering design project where they will design a testing protocol and model testing
tool. The model tool and testing procedure will be used to produce data that can support the
quality of the epoxy polymer given to the student groups. Student teams will also investigate
the effects that a large corporation has on the communities that surround its facilities and
write mock grants for federal research funding. The 10th grade team is looking forward to
seeing how much the students learn about the corporate research and development environment. Topics in Calculus is finishing out the term with two topics: Derivatives and Matrices.
In order to continue increasing our college readiness skills, we will be taking unit assessments on these two topics without retesting learning objectives afterwards. Students will also
be continuing to improve their skills in several areas; note taking during a lecture, time management and collaboration are just a few of those. The final exam will be comprehensive and
cover Units 1 through 8 from this semesters curriculum. Ms. Yerkie is very proud of all sophomores who took the NCSU placement test, resulting in 58% of students performing at a level
qualifying them for MA 141, College Calculus. While students are not permitted to go directly
into MA 141, this shows great depth of knowledge and understanding of the prerequisite
curriculum! Well done! In Civics, students just finished investigating the Legislative Branch of
the US government, which culminated in a Senate simulation in which they were required to
write, research, and debate their self-generated bills. After 3 days of highly contested discourse, the students were all too familiar with the good and the bad of lawmaking. Now students are getting ready to tackle the topic that will help them understand how all of these
bills are paid for: Economics.
Page 3
Counselor Natalia Kilpatrick’s Pointers
We are approaching the end to
another wonderful school year.
This one is quite different than
the last. With the end of this
school year comes a number of firsts; our
FIRST Senior class, our FIRST Senior Prom,
and our FIRST Graduating class. This is
certainly an exciting time for our students,
parents, and staff here at STEM. Graduation will be held on May 28th at 4:00pm at
Witherspoon Student Center. As we look
forward to Graduation, please know that
we have students who have been accepted to Wake Tech Community College, NC
State University, Campbell University, St.
Andrews University, UNC Greensboro, Elon
University, UNC Chapel Hill, Mount Olive College, Johnson C. Smith University, William
Peace University, UNC Wilmington, Western
Carolina, and Louisburg College. These students have been the pioneers within the STEM
community, and they will now be able to continue to do so within the communities of the
Colleges and Universities across North Carolina. We are thrilled
to see our first set
of students move
on
to
achieve
much success at
the College level
and beyond!
Junior Spotlight...
The Engineering Design III Community Design Challenge for the 11th grade students was AMAZING! The students designed sustainable, walkable communities that had necessary amenities and
attractions that encouraged community and access to fresh food. The students presented their
projects to other grade levels, to each other and to NC Dept of Transportation representatives, for
judging. Representatives from the NC Dept of Transportation that visited and served as guest
judges, as well as shared with the students many aspects of their jobs. There was great energy
and the students had thoughtfully designed their community and were well prepared for their
presentations. The DOT was impressed by the student's research and the level of details they provided to guide them in their decisions for their redesign. The judges tallied their votes and announced that Asiyah Ahmad, Nadeen Hamdan, and Sarah Abdallah took first place and Matt
Barnes, Zak Olech, Kellie Johnson and Tony Kamuhu were runners up. It was really exciting to see
our 11th graders in action and watch them put on a show. There was lots of hard work that went
into these projects and the students learned so much about the use of GIS maps, road design and
community lay out. This was such a great success. The 11th Graders proved that "if you build it-they will come!" Great job showcasing your dynamic abilities as engineers and problem-solvers for
local issues facing our communities.
Senior Updates...
2015
2016
In Civics, students just finished investigating the
Legislative Branch of the US government, which culminated in a Senate simulation in which they
were required to write, research, and debate their self-generated bills. After 3 days of highly contested discourse, the students were all too familiar with the good and the bad of lawmaking. Now
students are getting ready to tackle the topic that will help them understand how all of these bills
are paid for: Economics. The English IV students are getting ready to wrap up a very productive
semester. They've just finished reading Shakespeare's Othello and are working on a critical analysis essay. They're also working on an individual project by investigating their own guiding question. Along with writing about published research pertaining to their topic, they will also be engaging in their own research by doing interviews and/or surveys. Students will also create a video,
website, spoken word poem, or other creative method of showing their
learning, and will present their work to both peers and community stakeholders in early May.
Page 4
Semester 2—Quarter 3 All A’s Honor Roll
10th Grade
Cole Earl *
Mackenzie Lamb *
Nichole Miller *
Rohan Patel *
Ronak Patel *
Soravis Sangvacharakul *
Isabella Sarria *
*= Denotes NHS Member
11th Grade
Ahmed Al-Khawaja
Matthew Barnes
Kilian Bouedo
Miguel Castillo
Thomas Fair *
Kellie Johnson
Zachary Olech
Denis Shovelton
David Torres
Luc Tran
*= Denotes NHS Member
12th Grade
Melody Armistead *
Hamza Baloch *
Zipporiah Bush *
Matthew Fiely *
Alanna Hart
Chris Passerini
Jasmine Porter
*= Denotes NHS Member
9th Grade
Maha Al-Ameen Ballard
Adam Battey
Caila Bridges
Robert Edwards
Aidan Faino
Lilyahna Gergle
Rachel Goldman
Bayann Hamdan
Mehmet Hatip
Deja Herelle
Kristi Johnson
Madeleine Jones
Brayan Jurado Mendoza
Lailah Ligons
An Marenova
Kayla McMillan
Shelby Neal
Nathan Ress
Warrington Riley
Parissa Sharifyazdi
Tanay Singhal
Thien-Nhi Tran
Distinguished 2015 Summer Internship Recipients
The competition was quite stiff however, cream always
rises to the top. We congratulate rising Super-Seniors
Matthew Fiely and Haricesh “Ajay” Ratnaharan on being selected for the SAS Summer Internship.
These two rising Super-Seniors were flat-out nervous
despite their already impressive presentation skills and
fabulous resume. Kudos to rising Super-Seniors Jasmine Porter and Britial “Bruce” Hodge on being selected to participate in the 2015 Lord Corporation Summer Internship Program.
Sophomore Roberta Gozan and rising SuperSenior Suzann Molina received notification on March 26th that
they will earn good money interning as High School
Assistants for the Science in the Summer Program.
STEM Junior Donald Gatto has been working at the
prestigious Web Assign. For those who are unfamiliar,
Web Assign is an online system provider for coursework and homework. It was originally developed by
NCSU members of the Physics Department in 1997.
Page 5
Distinguished 2015 Summer Internship Recipients
Rising Senior Zaren Rue will intern for Nuvotronics
this Summer.
Rising Super Senior Esther Mununga who
by the way does a phenomenal rendition
of the famous singer Diana Ross, has decided to be very greedy this Summer…
Not only has she been pegged for a job at
Starbuck’s, but also for a highly coveted
internship at the NCSU First Year College.
Rising Super Senior Shayla Poole absolutely
adores working with youth in the community.
She has already interned at a Charter School
here in Raleigh and will now spend her internship time at the Wee Care Day Care and
Learning Center.
When talking about truly unique internship experiences, rising Super Senior Julia Perry can author the book! She will
intern in the area of Equine Science working with ...horses!
STEM Teacher Summer Externships 2015
Mr. Joshua Henderson will be
externing with the Assist program at NCSU while Mrs. Evelyn Baldwin externs in the Kenan Fellows Program. We are
truly excited for them both and
look forward to them bringing
back what they have gleaned
for us.
Page 6
STEM Student Honored
Suzann was honored at a Wake County Board meeting
on March 31st for receiving the Spotlight on Students
award. This award is given to students for outstanding
achievements and accomplishments. Adept is the word
that best describes this student. In her first year with
us, Suzann was very quiet and kept to herself. Being a
first generation college goer in her family, she is very
determined to succeed. Over the past 4 years, her teachers have watched her achieve the difficult task of coming
out of her shell while continuing to excel in both her
high school classes as well as her college classes. With a
3.2 GPA in her NC State classes, Suzann manages to be
one of the most hardworking and dedicated students we
have here at STEM.
Her Communications Professor
describes her as, “a pleasure to have in class, very engaging. Glad to know her”.
She has grown into a
bright, personable, and mature young woman who works
hard both in class and through her extra-curricular activities to achieve her goal of becoming a business major
at a 4 year university.
–Submitted by Mrs. Kilpatrick
(Pictured L—R: Kilpatrick, Honoree Molina, Principal Schwenker)
Suzann Molina pictured to the left with
Guidance Counselor
Natalia Kilpatrick and
Principal David
Schwenker.


Suzann Molina pictured to the right with
WCPSS Schools
Superintendent
Dr. James Merrill.
Page 7
SCALING STEM CONFERENCE—April 13-15
Holy Cannoli? -Mrs. Gambino @Scaling STEM
Such love and peace! Mehmet (9th grade) wants love too Mr. Bagwell.
Must he wait for 10th grade? (Junior & Isabella - 10th grade)
STEMMERS want their cut of that $1million dollar NCNS check from
GlaxoSmithKline. Dr. Tony Habit (CEO) bombs their plan/picture!
Really, cannoli is just not Holy. -Mr. Bagwell
@Scaling Stem
Scaling Stem is important for learning different aspects of teaching and thinking outside of the box. Everyone has their own teaching and learning strategies to develop and improve. This conference is a great
way for educators to find different ways of teaching and broadening the aspects of STEM into other
classes. Developing new ways of learning will help and guide students to see what they would like to
do in the future.. We have so many students that have the potential to improve engineering and creativity. STEM not only allows students and teachers to explore their skills in mathematics and science, but it
helps students and teachers to engage in activities that will develop their creativity and see the inventor
inside of them. -Submitted by Kyanah Hughes, 9th Grade Presenter
Day #1 such an awesome STEM staff representing us at Scaling STEM.
Day #3 Selfies… they’ve loosened up a bit!
Page 8
SCALING STEM CONFERENCE—April 13-15
The illustrious STEM
presenters from our school.
Page 9
In Other Science News...
THE GREEN CLUB
STEM EC HS GREEN
CLUB:
On 4/22 the Green Club
participated in NCSU's
Earth Fair on the Brickyard.
The Green Club was the
only high school to participate in this annual event.
We showcased earth day
trivia using Kahoot on the
iPad. . -Submitted by William
Burgess
NCSU NANODAYS
NCSU NANODAYS:
On 4/24 10th graders Peter Holst,
Tara Wells, Kevin Kamto, & Danielle Mills presented their One
Health-Ebola wristband at NCSU's
Nanodays event. Their design was
the best design out of 20 entries
from the 9th and 10th grades. The
students saw demos of nanotechnology and toured labs in the College of Textiles and the College of
Engineering on Centennial Campus.
Submitted by William Burgess
INNOVATION CHALLENGE
STEM EC HS INNOVATION CHALLENGE
COMPETITORS:
On 4/13, 9th graders Madeleine Jones,
Kayla McMillan, & Nathan Ress presented a proposal to promote healthy habits
at the Scaling STEM Conference in
Durham. The students presented to a
panel of judges from RTI, BCBS of NC, &
First Citizens Bank. The students were
one of eight finalists from entries sent in
from around the state. Submitted by William Burgess
Page 10
The Inaugural Prom - April 10, 2015
Queen Shaqueena K. with King Bruce H.
and King Day-quan D.
Hollywood Twins!
New reality show “The Staff” will air everyday
7:25AM/EST.
Your children are always safe with us… no worries… Keep calm
and carry on.
Page 11
Scholarship Award Winner!
Hamza Baloch was the proud recipient of the Magnet Schools
of America Scholarship on Friday, April 24th. He was honored
before Magnet School educators from across America along
with many distinguished guests at the Annual Magnet Schools
of America Conference in Raleigh, NC.
At each Magnet Schools of America national conference in cooperation with the host school district, nine graduating seniors
who completed grades 9-12 at a magnet school with a 3.5 or
above grade point average receive a $1,000 scholarship toward
a technical, community or four-year college or university. Hamza Baloch submitted an application that included an essay,
personal statement and letter of recommendation that listed
his academic performance and community involvement.
(#MSA2015 brochure, p. 26)
Hamza was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University. This Fall, he will matriculate at UNC Chapel Hill as a Business Major. His long term plan is to attend law school and pursue a career in the field of law.
Farewell To Our Graduates...
Destiny Batts
Shaqueena-St.Andrews
Gregg—WTCC
Morgan—WTCC
Day-Quan UNC-G
JK—WTCC
Gabby– UNC-W
Jaki—St. Andrews
Hamza– UNC-CH
Tresiour-Campbell
Priscilla– UNC-G
Colby Spencer
Raekwan Smith
Career Connections with Linda Brannan……
STEMtastic Career Corner
Physical Address:
715 Barbour Drive
Raleigh, NC 27603
Mailing Address:
Campus Box 8117
Raleigh, NC 27695
Phone:
919-515-2255
Fax:
919-515-2157
Website:
http://stemec.wcpss.net
Follow us on Twitter:
@WakeNCStateECHS
SCHOOL IS
CLOSED
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
5/25/2015
Memorial
“Summer time and the living will be busy” for our STEM students and teachers.
We are excited to announce that many students will participate in various summer
opportunities such as:
NCSU ASSIST Program
Summer STEM Camps
Summer Art Programs
Health Sciences Camps
Internships at SAS, LORD Corp., Fidelity Investments, NCSU First Year College, Starbucks, Equine
Science, Wee Care Daycare, Conservation Corps., the Governor’s Office, NCDOT, Morehead
Planetarium, and other local retail businesses.
Summer Jobs
Our teachers are participating in summer externships in business and industry as well. They will work in
these businesses and see firsthand how the Engineering Design Process and Project-based learning is
used in the world of work, in order to replicate some of these ideas in the classroom for our students.
Teachers are participating in externships with NCSU ASSIST Program, LORD Corporation, Duke Energy,
and the Kenan Fellows Program.
Much appreciation goes to our Business Advisory Board for working with our school to prepare students
for internships and for providing these excellent teacher externships to our school.
For more information on summer enrichment opportunities available for students at Wake STEM ECHS, please check our
school’s Naviance website for a listing or you may email Mrs. Linda Brannan at lbrannan@wcpss.net
(Principal Schwenker’s story continued)…
They will showcase their projects on Wednesday, April 29th at the Friday Institute with videos made incorporating our students and their Chinese peers from Suzhou. We anticipate expanding this program
for next year as we realize, the collaboration, and communication across countries is the future for our
students.
I have also had the opportunity to attend several workshops with principals from other Early College
High Schools and Magnet High Schools around the Nation. Each time I attend and hear stories about
other places, I am truly amazed at how our teachers and students are so innovative and forward thinking.
With Wake County’s recent adoption of the Strategic Plan, the county will focus on the “4 C’s” of Education: Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking. At Wake STEM ECHS, we are moving forward as leaders in these concepts. Through the Project Based Learning structured around real
world problems and the expectations of presentations of work, we strive to help each student reach his/
her potential and master the “4 C’s”.
I realize that your students have made sacrifices to attend our school, and at times, they may feel overwhelmed with the workload or expectations. It is during these times, that I remind them of how proud
they are each time they present a project and showcase their learning. And I remind myself daily that I
am here because of them, and helping them to realize their fullest potential.
Important Testing Dates to Remember...
Laptop Info. Corner
May 21-27—RETURN ALL Laptops—they must be reimaged.
Upon return, let Mrs. Jackson
know if you will be using that
school laptop or bringing your
own device for 2015-2016.
August 6-7— from 9AM-2PM
Students complete necessary
computer forms, pay insurance dues, and pick up laptops







May 8 –AP US History Exam—11th grade
May 21—Final Exam Day (bus leaves @2:10pm)
May 22—Final Exam Day (bus leaves @2:10pm)
May 26–Final Exam Day (bus leaves @2:10pm)
May 26–Biology EOC Review ALL CLASSES 12-2pm (bus leaves @2:10pm)
May 27–Final Exam Day (bus leaves @2:10pm)
May 28–Make-up Day Final Exam (bus leaves @2:10pm)
News from the Main Office… (919)515-2255
1.
2.
3.
4:30PM is the latest students must be picked up from assigned after-school program, or no later than 2:30PM at the
end of the regular school day.
If you are not receiving RoboCalls?: Please stop by the main office or call Mrs. Anaidis Rue with your phone
number updates.
Not receiving USPS mail? Please update your mailing address if it has changed.