Hockaday JETS Advance to State in Robotics
On Nov. 5, the Hockaday JETS team competed in the Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology Competition, or BEST competition. Following the theme of farming, the 34 teams competing in the BEST tournament constructed robots, made a marketing pitch, created a booth to exhibit their creation and produced an engineering notebook that documented the process. Hockaday placed third overall and qualified to attend the state competition in the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10 along with 73 other teams. Although they did not advance to the national competition, the team improved their score by 1000 points.
Senior Community Service Drive
On Friday, Dec. 16, Upper School seniors will participate in a grade-wide community service project of Meals on Wheels for the first time instead of attending classes on the last day of school before the holiday break. Each advisory will drive in two to three cars to the Dallas Meals on Wheels headquarters where they will disperse and provide meals to elderly citizens and adults with physical disabilities. The idea for the service project originated with Laura Day, Hockaday director of service learning; Rebekah Calhoun, Form IV dean; and senior Emma Paine, chair of the community service board.
Students Attend Student Diversity Leadership Council
Juniors Madison Camper, Sydney Polk, Maria Zhang, and seniors Wendy Ho and Melanie Kerber attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Atlanta on Dec. 7 through Dec. 9. The theme this year was “Dreaming Out Loud: Waking Up to a New Era of Civil Rights.” Assistant Head of Upper School Renee Lafitte, Student Diversity Board Sponsors Lucio Benedetto and Katy Lake, and Director of Inclusion and Community Tresa Wilson, selected which of the interested students would attend the conference. Hockaday students have attended this conference since 2005.
TED Prize Winner Speaks to Middle School
Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., visited students on Nov. 14 in seventh and eighth grade, who are currently studying ancient civilizations, to talk about her work as an archaeologist and Egyptologist. Parcak has blended history, science and technology in her archeology and discussed how modern technology can aid in scientific discoveries. A pioneer in the new field of satellite archaeology, Parcak uses satellite images to uncover hidden tombs, towns and other archaeological treasures. She received the 2016 TED Prize and the accompanying $1 million grant, awarded to “a leader with a creative, bold wish to spark global change.”
Mary Orsak – Assistant News Editor
