LCPS Students Excel at International Science Fair All five Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students who went to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair on May 18th and 19th in Los Angeles won major awards. Devina Thapa, a senior at Potomac Falls High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $1,500, second-place award in Translational Medical Science. Her project was “Reinventing the Catheter: Inhibiting UTIs by Creating a Novel Material Integrated with Castanea sativa to Inhibit Quorum Sensing among Nosocomial Infection Causing Bacteria.” Marissa Sumathipala, a junior at Broad Run High School, won a $1,500, second-place award in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her project was “A Novel Systemic Approach to Cardiometabolic Disease with Dual Therapeutics.” Aditi Bawa, a senior at Loudoun County High School, won a $1,000, third-place award in Material Science. Her project was “Development and Testing of 45S5 Bioglass via Acid and Base Sol-Gel Polymerization and Fusing onto Gallus
gallus domesticus Cervical Bones for Bone Grafting Treatment.” Bawa also won a special $1,000 award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc. Soham Dessai, a senior at Stone Bridge High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $1,000, third-place award in Biomedical Engineering. His project was “Analysis of Retinal Fundus Images to Detect Macular Degeneration Using Machine Learning Methods.” Josef Zimmerman, a senior at Woodgrove High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $500, fourth-place award in Physics and Astronomy. His project was “On the Stability of Bahcall-Wolf Cusps of Dark Matter Orbiting Supermassive Black Hole Binary Systems.” Approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions and territories were awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for $4 million in prizes at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair.
Backpack Buddies Program Grows The LCPS Backpack Buddies program has grown significantly since it started with 133 students in five schools in January 2014. During the 2016-17 school year the program, which supplies foodinsecure students with essential grocery items on weekends and holidays, served 1,339 students at 24 schools. People are always surprised when LCPS Backpack Coalition Program Coordinator Barbara Mendoza talks to them about the need for student food support in Loudoun. “There are more than just at-risk students.” Students are identified for the Backpack Buddies program by their school. Sometimes these students are the children of somebody who has just lost their job. Sometimes they have a parent in the hospital and insurance coverage has yet to kick in. “(The school will) notify the child and say ‘Maybe we can help you with a bag of food this week.’” Students do not have to be eligible for free or reduced-price lunch to be in the Backpack Buddies program. Anyone who has a need can take part. “We have a lot of students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and about 25 percent of those children are receiving food on the weekend. There are a lot of parents who feel like – if they’re put on a list – it’s going to hurt them with other sources (of food) they’re able to get.” Backpack Buddies serves all grade levels. It has been extended to students in the Head Start program and to older students in alternative education settings. Mendoza said there’s a definite relationship between hunger and academic performance. “Imagine a child who is trying to do their studies, but all they hear is their stomach rumbling. They can’t concentrate. They can’t focus on their studies. They’re not getting their homework done. The thing that they are waiting for is Monday morning when they go in and get that breakfast or that lunch. That’s what they look forward to instead of getting their homework done.” During the summer months, LCPS has distribution days at schools. Parents also are given information about food pantries where they can receive help. The charitable organization One Hundred Women Strong saw a need within the school division because not every school had orga-
571-252-1040
nizational support for the Backpack Buddies program. There was a waiting list at most schools because outside organizations had limited resources. One Hundred Women Strong came to LCPS and said it would like to support all the schools that did not have organizational support. One Hundred Women Strong stated that if Mendoza raised $100,000 in two years, they would match it. She raised $100,000 in 14 months. One Hundred Women Strong also partnered with Loudoun Hunger Relief to make sure that every student that needs food receives food. “It’s not just single-serving food, but family style food,” said Mendoza. “We feed the whole family.” The program costs $5 per week per child. Backpack Buddies also gets food donations from programs like Wegmans’ Fill the Bus Campaign. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank supplies Backpack Buddies with grants and deals on food. The Backpack Buddies Foundation provided LCPS with a $15,000 grant. Mendoza’s position is financed by grants and she does grant writing to fund her position. LCPS pays nothing for this position. (Her current grant funding expires in January.)
Dominion 2016-2017 RAMP School The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) named Dominion High School as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) school. The RAMP designation, awarded for aligning with the criteria in the ASCA National Model, recognizes schools that are committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program and an exemplary educational environment. Since the program’s inception, more than 650 schools have been designated as RAMP recipients.
PAGE 31