Superhereos STEAM Night at DCHS brings families together for night of learning and fun

October 17, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Kids love superheroes. You know what else kids love? Superhero activities!

On Monday night students and their families participated in a Superheroes STEAM night at DeKalb County High School making everything from superhero capes and masks to superhero slime.

For three years the DeKalb County School District has hosted a family STEM Night, now known as STEAM for students in grades Pre K-8^th as well as home schooled students. Teachers from across the district develop and set up exhibits and interactive activities for students to create, investigate, and explore. By hosting STEAM outreach events that engage the whole family, the school district is providing relevant, real-world learning opportunities for students that can increase the skilled workforce in our community.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math

“This is our 3^rd annual family event and we are doing STEAM activities. This time it’s a superheroes theme so everything we’re doing has to do with superheroes. Some of the things we have going on are a costume factory where students are making capes and masks and decorating those. We also have some Spiderman virtual reality and a place where they can create utility belts with cardboard. We have augmented reality coloring sheets where they can make a superhero and they are making superhero slime.  This year we have incorporated the arts in with the program,” said Amy Fricks, DCHS math teacher.

“We’ve had a lot of help from teachers and volunteers of every school and we really appreciate their help in putting all this together. We’re just excited to have all the families here with us to have a night of fun together. We also included the Career Technical Education (CTE) department from the high school including the agriculture department and FFA and shop teachers for automotive, manufacturing, and building trades to give kids some exposure to that and get them thinking about what they want to do for their focus  areas once they get to the high school,” said Fricks.

A special thanks goes to DTC Communications for its support.

“Last year’s STEM Night event had over 350 participants and 25 activity booths. Dr. Kathy Bryant, Supervisor of Instruction said, “With the number of families in attendance, we had a need for additional sponsorship to cover the costs of booth materials, food, and awards. We are so grateful that DTC and CEO Chris Townson agreed to meet that need for our community.” Mr. Townson understands the importance of giving back to the people that DTC serves by supporting and being involved with the local schools.

DTC Communications assisted with the STEAM Night event by not only providing funding but also by bringing their interactive Mobile Innovation Lab for students to explore for the evening.

October 16, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The TSSAA held their large school state golf tournament this week at Willowbrook Golf Course in Manchester and Anna Chew represented DCHS after qualifying at the regional tournament in Cookeville last week.

Chew, a senior, fired a 73 on Tuesday which put her in 2^nd place and on Wednesday she shot a 78 which made her plus 7 for the tournament finishing in 7^th place. Anna had won both the district and region tournaments before advancing to state.

IMG_4804 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“I am so proud of Anna. She represented DeKalb County very well taking on some of the best high school golfers in the state of Tennessee. Her game has gotten better and better over her four years as part of the program and she had really shined here in the post season her senior year. I really feel like her best golf is in front of her as she heads off to college to play at the next level. This week at the state tournament she showed a fighter spirit and hung tough against great competition,” said Tiger Golf Coach John Pryor.

Anna has committed to play college golf at Trevecca Nararene University.

Meanwhile Lynn Lim of Station Camp won the tournament with a 2 day score of 144. Lim has already committed to play collegiate golf at Vanderbilt University.

October 16, 2019
By:

Everyone loves a good ghost story, especially in October. Tennessee is full of tales about ghosts, and now it has two more. Mt. Juliet author, Donna G. Driver, has written two young adult ghost-themed novels and will be signing them on October 29^th at Justin Potter Library in Smithville from 3:00-6:00pm just in time for Halloween. These are great books for middle school and high school readers to stay up late reading under the covers on autumn nights.

Driver’s newest novel, All the Love You Write, was published this summer by Fire and Ice YA Books. It is a sweet, contemporary romance story about Mark and Bethany, two teens who start a relationship during the final semester of their senior year. Fifty years ago, two other teens from that same high school had a romance tragically ended by the Vietnam War. Now the ghosts of that couple are haunting Mark and Bethany, sometimes helping and sometimes hindering. Who are these ghosts and why do they care about what happens to Mark and Bethany? The answer will touch your heart. It’s a heartfelt story about young love, timeless love, and the power of love letters.

Lost on the Water – A Ghost Story is spookier. It’s about a girl who gets lost in the middle of a lake in a rickety old rowboat that is rumored to be haunted by a boy who drowned thirty-five years ago. It’s a summer adventure story set on Center Hill Lake, with scenes in Smithville, TN. If you’re a fan of coming-of-age stories like the movie Stand By Me, you’ll enjoy this book. Lost on the Water, published in 2018, has been awarded the Silver Medal in the 2018 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards for Best Young Adult Fiction, and ‘Official Selection’ in the 2019 New Apple Summer Book Awards for Best Young Adult Fiction.

When Driver first came up with the concept for Lost on the Water, she had only been living in Tennessee for seven years, having moved from Southern California. She knew a lot about beaches but not much about lakes. So, she thought it would be fun to use her experience and make her main character a young Californian with no knowledge of lakes and put her in the middle of one of the biggest lakes in Tennessee. Driver is excited to be doing a booksigning in the town where the story takes place. She will have fun ghost treats for kids that come to the event.

Both novels are clean reads and are targeted toward readers 11-16 years old. You can learn more about this novel and her other books by visiting www.dgdriver.com. Justin Potter Library, 101 South First St., Smithville, TN  37166. (615) 597-4359.