Around School End of the 23-24 Year

Around School

Guest Speaker Loung Ung

Bestselling author, public speaker, and activist Loung Ung (pictured front row, center) gave an inspiring presentation at Magnificat in March as part of Women’s Empowerment Week. She shared her experience as a child in war-torn Cambodia, which was documented in the film First They Killed My Father directed by Angelina Jolie. She inspired students with her words about the tremendous power of love, empathy, and kindness to heal the human heart and make a difference in the world, describing peace as something we have to choose on a daily basis and work for together.

STEM Field Trip

AP Computer Science Principles and STEM Club students visited Parker Hannifin's Technology Center in Macedonia, Ohio, where they toured additive manufacturing and motion technology labs. Students then had the opportunity to meet with engineers to discuss what it's like to be a woman and a leader in STEM fields.

Aerial Drone Team Competition

Magnificat’s new Aerial Drone Team had a successful start at its first competition in Cleveland in March: Three out of four teams qualified for the quarterfinals. Club moderator Keith McMillin (pictured far right) got the co-curricular team off the ground earlier this year thanks in part to a grant from the REC Foundation.

Día de la Danza

Each year, Spanish classes at Magnificat celebrate Día de la Danza, which translates to Day of the Dance, to experience the cultural diversity and richness of the Spanish speaking world through the common language of dance. Students enjoyed practicing typical dances like salsa and bachata They also created beautiful Mexican paper flowers, learned to play the castanets and use Spanish fans, tasted foods like flan and pan de banano, and played the popular game of dominó.

Diversity Week

The theme of the third annual Diversity Week was "Diversity in the Arts" and featured a variety of activities, including cultural food samples and performers. Each day highlighted a different art form, including music, dance, and visual arts, as students were encouraged to celebrate the beauty in diversity. Diversity Week is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Great Lakes Actors

The Great Lakes Theater company spent two weeks visiting 11th grade English classes, performing scenes from Hamlet and breaking down the script to give students a better understanding of the story.

NASA Capstone Research

Grace Cooke ’25 and Mengxin Deng ’25 took advantage of an opportunity to participate in a NASA Capstone research project, studying the water quality of the Rocky River. The students followed GLOBE protocols to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, and nitrate levels to determine the quality and health of the river's ecosystem. After the students completed their study in early April, they presented their findings at the NASA Glenn Research Center and enjoyed a tour of the facility.

Robotics State Finalist

The Magnifibots Robotics Team rounded off their inaugural season by competing in the State competition in May, facing off against more seasoned competition. Halfway through the day, the team made some adjustments to the robot’s arm to help on the defensive side and emerged as a State Finalist!