GENEVA — Students at Geneva High School are beginning a new semester and are looking forward to new activities and new challenges.
Members of the GHS Key Club are preparing to brave the cold and treacherous waters of Lake Erie as participants in the Polar Bear Plunge. This annual event, which benefits the Special Olympics, will take place on Feb. 28 at Breakwater Beach, which is on Lake Road West, 2 miles west of State Route 534, in Geneva State Park. Interested GHS students must see club adviser Kim Debacker for registration materials and sponsor forms. All registration materials must be turned in by Feb. 8.
Debacker notes that the Key Club has collected an average of $3,000 in donations each year.
“It has been a wonderful experience working with the Polar Bear Plunge for the past three years,” Debacker said. “Who would have thought that jumping into Lake Erie in February could be so much fun!”
Senior Allison Burgess looks forward to participating again this year and regards the event as “an unforgettable experience that supports a good cause.”
More than 90 GHS students are ready to plunge into college level work after enrolling in one of four dual credit courses being offered in cooperation with Kent State University. Students work with teachers in their own high school to complete coursework aligned with a particular undergraduate KSU class. At the end of the semester, student work is evaluated by both the classroom teacher and the professor, giving students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credits for the course. The added bonus for the student is the chance to get a taste of the rigors of college work while still in a high school setting.
“I feel that being in a dual credit program is a great opportunity,” said junior Garrhett Via, enrolled in College Writing I. “I believe that this course will prove to be a great challenge and will help me to better prepare myself for the college experience.”
Eight students from the Choral Music Department have been invited to be members of an Honors Choir at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown on Feb. 12 and 13. Katy Fenlason, Kendra Cozy, Sarah Belknap, Ben Schanfish, Ricky Smith, Danielle Ramey, Mark Reed and Bradley Jewell will join other select members of District V high schools for four massed numbers under the direction of guest conductor, Brett Scott from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Bright scientific minds will be on full display at the annual Geneva High School Science Fair on Feb. 3. More than 100 projects are expected to be entered from students in grades seven through 12. The Science Fair is open to the public from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. The students’ projects will be evaluated by judges from the community. Each student makes an oral presentation to a judge and answers questions pertaining to the project. The scoring is based upon four categories, each with a maximum point value of 10. Students set their sights on attaining a superior rating which will give them the opportunity to advance to the district competition on March 27 at Youngstown State University.
The 15 members of the GHS Science Olympiad are eagerly awaiting the competition at Case Western Reserve University on Feb. 27. Students from regional high schools will compete in a series of 23 team events in areas such as physical chemistry, technology, earth and space science, life science and the nature of science. The team has been practicing with chemistry teacher Elizabeth Lehtola. Students Drew Avsec and Matt Wright are designing a catapult for part of the competition.
“It has been hard to get everything correct on this project, but we are hoping it will really pay off,” Avsec said.
Parents are reminded that the scheduling of classes for the 2010-2011 school year will take place at the high school during the month of February. All students will attend scheduling assemblies and will be given course of study booklets to help them in planning their schedules for next year. Parents are also reminded to attend parent/teacher conferences 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 2 and 3.
