The AC Blog

AC Students Presenting at Science Writing and Research Symposium April 28th

Posted on April 28th, 2017 by jpalomaki

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Nancy Northup ’77 Honored with 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award

Posted on April 3rd, 2017 by jpalomaki

Allendale Columbia School is pleased to announce Nancy Northup ’77 as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2017.

Established in 2009 to honor alumni for their outstanding achievements and contributions to both Allendale Columbia School and their local community, the AC Alumni Board is proud to recognize Nancy as an alumna who has made a regional, national, and international impact while also serving as a role model for young people around the world. As one nomination letter stated, “Nancy is a credit to AC, but, more importantly, she is someone who young people can look up to and see that one person can indeed make a difference in people’s lives.” (more…)

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AC’s Liza Cotter Named as a 2015 Broadcom MASTERS® Semifinalist

Posted on August 24th, 2015 by klapa

Please join us in congratulating AC 8th grader Liza Cotter on her recognition as a semifinalist in the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public. This honor places Liza among the top 300 middle school science and engineering projects in the United States from over 6,000 nominees.

The next step in the Broadcom MASTERS takes place on September 2nd, 2015 when 30 finalists will be selected from the 300 semifinalists. Finalists and one parent or guardian will receive an all-expense paid trip to Silicon Valley, California to attend the Broadcom MASTERS Finals Week competition from October 1st-7th.  Finalists will present their research and compete in hands-on challenges for top prizes, including funds to attend a S.T.E.M. summer camp, iPads, and the Samueli Prize of $25,000.

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International S.T.E.M. Camp Builds Student Collaborations and Global Friendships

Posted on August 21st, 2015 by ssorrentino

Our International Summer S.T.E.M. Camp brought American and Chinese students together again for another great summer immersion program for middle and high school students. American and Chinese students were teamed together, one-to-one, to experience a culture different from their own. Throughout their very full week, the student teams were provided opportunities to design, innovate, build, and tinker within collaborative learning spaces. During the morning hours, authentic learning experiences were offered in Allendale Columbia’s S.T.R.E.A.M. Program (science, technology, research, engineering, arts, and mathematics). Throughout the afternoon hours, students were immersed in the internationally recognized Vista Teach Summer S.T.E.M. Programs in Robotics and Engineering Education. This hands-on, unscripted week of innovation and design offered a rare opportunity for students to build collaborative skills across cultural differences while also developing global friendships.

This unique venue continues to offer many enriching benefits not only for our participating students but also for our team of S.T.E.M. educators and, each summer, we always look forward to another amazing week teaching Robotics and Engineering Education to our collaborative teams of Chinese and American students!

Click here to view a video all about this exciting program!

 

 

 

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Current Students and AC Alums Contribute to AC Summer LEAP

Posted on January 9th, 2015 by lbrown

Current students and recent graduates of Allendale Columbia School contributed to the success of this year’s Summer LEAP program. When the Stop the Violence Dance Alliance, (SVDA) a community partnership between Garth Fagan Dance and the Rochester City School District, visited the Allendale Columbia Summer LEAP Program, sixth graders Sarah Ash and Chinara Dorancy performed and assisted with the master class. Natalie Rogers-Cropper, Garth Fagan Dance School Director and Assistant Rehearsal Director, led students in a series of movements modeled by graduates of SVDA. Both Sarah and Chinara attended Garth Fagan’s Summer Movement Institute this summer.

Recent AC graduates Justin Kennedy (Class of 2011) and Omar Franceschi (Class of 2013) were also on campus working with the students. Justin assisted second grade classroom teachers Stephanie DePaul-Pragel and Melissa Bohrer, providing support and individualized attention to students in the program. Omar photographed all of the program events as well as the day-to-day activities of the students. He also helped raise awareness of the program by contributing to the weekly newsletter and Summer LEAP Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

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AC’s First LEGO League Teams Find Success at Recent Competitions

Posted on December 18th, 2014 by klapa

Two Allendale Columbia School teams participated in the Finger Lakes Region First LEGO League robotics season. In November, both teams competed at the Penfield High School Qualifying tournament. Eighteen teams from across the Rochester area competed, with only four advancing on to the Regional Championship event.

AC’s first team – AC – America’s Coolest – did a great job with their robot and project focused on educating the public about Ebola. Students Chinara Dorancy, Kasi Natarajan, Ben Smoker, Alicia Strader, Dylan Reece, Garrett Wilson, and Adrian Fuller were coached by Keith Wilson and Hugh Fuller.

AC’s second team – AC Aces – were named 2nd Place Champions which advances them to the Regional Championships. Coached by Jim Cotter and Andrew Perry, team members Liza Cotter, Caden Kacprzynski, Cameron Perry, Sarah Ash, Mary Cotter, Luke Dioguardi, and Matt Duver worked together to focus on how to improve how students study S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects. Their solution was to re-energize the Rochester Science Fair after it was cancelled last year. Learn more about their project at http://twitter.com/ACAcesFLL.

The Finger Lakes Regional Championships were held at the University of Rochester on Sunday, December 7th where the 36 teams that advanced from qualifiers met to compete. The AC Aces worked together well and were rewarded with a coveted yellow LEGO trophy for the Presentation Award!

Congratulations to all of our FLL students!

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