Student Accomplishments In 6th Grade science, students were asked to creatively express their understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion. Lana and Olivia were inspired by how applicable the laws are to everyday life. So relevant, in fact, that maybe even young children could understand them. They decided to join forces to portray Newton’s Laws via an original children’s book created with publishing software. Beyond needing to understand the content well enough to present it simply, the girls needed to make decisions about font sizing, page layouts, illustrations, and more. The process was not without setbacks, such as
Lana Alvarez & Olivia Lichota, 6th Grade Created a Picture Book about Physics their original cover design being too low resolution to print clearly, and the software allowing just one person to edit at a time. Lana explained, “We still managed to make it work. I have an older brother who is a former GVS student so he knows how much each student puts into their work. He inspired me to not give up because in the end it will all pay off.” Olivia added: “I am a visual learner so seeing ideas with pictures helps me to understand the concept much better rather than just reading about it.” Teacher Doug Ebert finds that in addition to formal assessments (quizzes and tests), fun applications can further solidify students’ true understanding of concepts taught in class. Once the book was complete, the girls were invited to test it on a real audience: Olivia’s sister’s 2nd Grade class. When asked for final thoughts on this project, the girls each expressed gratitude:
“We just wanted to thank Mr. Ebert for making this possible. We are so grateful that we attend this school and we have the education that we have.” – Lana “I am also very thankful for the education that Green Vale has provided to me for the past seven years. Mr. Ebert always makes lessons fun, projects fun, and even tests fun.” – Olivia
Ariah Ahuja, 4th Grade Golf
Like her older sister Ashani (GVS 7th Grade), Ariah Ahuja began playing golf before most children can ride a bike, at age four. By seven, she started competing. Last year, she was one of 12 girls from the Northeast to qualify for and compete at the Regional Drive Chip and Putt Championship at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut. A natural lefty who plays righty, Ariah practices and trains year-round. Approach shots are her speciality. Says Ariah: “The hardest part of the game is when you miss putts, and the
best part of the game is winning."
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