Eagle Engineers Debut International Robotics Honor Society at World Championship

Chaminade’s Eagle Engineering robotics teams are completing their season at the Vex Robotics World Championship with historic implications. While the STEM Hall of Fame middle school team 83 earned their way to VEX Worlds as a finalist in the Southern California State Championship, the high school’s team 1138 traveled to Louisville with a secret.

Earlier in the year, former Chaminade teacher and Eagle Engineering founder Nancy McIntyre invited her old team to pilot a new program for the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF). The top-secret project was created to help develop a way to recognize the dedication and excellence that robotics students commit to their sport.  The International Robotics Honor Society (IRHS), will be rolled out to all American teams next year and will go worldwide in the 2019-2020 school year. Based on the format of the National Honor Society, IRHS celebrates students who excel in a combination of academic excellence, service and leadership, and a high commitment to their school’s robotics program.

Since late Fall, Robotics Program Director Tommy Smeltzer worked with McIntyre, Principal, Bro. Tom Fahy and team parents Talin Mansourian and Laura Gideon to charter a chapter at Chaminade and devise local guidelines for admission. After a comprehensive application period, some of the new inductees traveled to Kentucky to take part in a surprise announcement on Friday morning’s opening ceremonies. Twelve Chaminade students joined students from a local Louisville school to be the first to be inducted on the main stage in the Kentucky Exposition Center’s 18,000-seat Freedom Hall. Brother Tom Fahy was on hand to witness the event and share in the excitement as both Chaminade teams competed among the 1600 teams from over 40 countries.

Chaminade is honored to be among those leading the way in the development of this monumental program that will encourage STEM programs and recognize the dedicated students destined to become the next generation of engineers, programmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

For more information on Eagle Engineering, contact tsmeltzer@chaminade.org.

Studio Art Students Participate in Robert Graham Memorial Art Exhibition

By Charlene Hattier

Six Chaminade College Preparatory studio art students have work on display at the Our Lady of the Angels’ Robert Graham Memorial art exhibition. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, located in downtown Los Angeles, is a patron of the arts and continues to celebrate the art of growing young artists from 17 Catholic schools each spring. The theme of the exhibition is “Spirituality” and selected students were tasked with creating an art piece inspired by their own spirituality. Participating students, their teachers, and guardians were honored at the opening reception during Sunday Mass on January 21, 2018. Their works were blessed by the priest, and exhibited to hundreds of visitors attending mass and the exhibition. Anyone can still visit the Cathedral and see this remarkable exhibition in person until April 8, 2018.

The participating Chaminade students are Bianca Ryans ’18, Brittany Pakfar ’18, Isabella Boghossian ’20, Caitlin Lynch ’19 and Alexandra Nelson ’18.

Bianca Ryans
Savior
Acrylic on Canvas

I rely on my faith in every aspect of my life. When asked how to define my spirituality, all I could think of is how lucky and blessed I am to have a relationship with God to carry me through the tough times in life. I am strong in my spirituality, and it supports me at all times. I strongly believe that God will always provide. I decided to paint an image of my savior; in a way I am honoring and thanking Him for being an important part of my life.

 

Brittany Pakfar
Being Human
Acrylic and Ink

“Being Human” expresses my deep curiosity for the fate of humans in retrospect of an ironic truth; innovation can lead to the loss of humanity. This piece is a representation of my personal struggle to balance human nature, such as faith, with the addiction of technology, as contrasted by the bleeding hand and the shiny, android arm. Through this relevant and thought-provoking topic, “Being Human” serves as a cautionary piece; never sacrifice humanity for gadgets as real satisfaction is achieved in the arms of those we love.

 

Isabella Boghossian
A Light in the Darkness
Acrylic on Canvas

I believe that through times of darkness and pain, trusting in God and helping others will shine through the suffering. Love will always triumph hate. The hardest part we must overcome is gaining the courage to spread the love. The halo represents God being my inspiration to become a light in darkness and leading a path for others who have lost their way. The bible verse, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” (John 1:5) expresses my belief, that being a light in darkness will light the way for others.

 

Caitlin Lynch
Untitled
Acrylic on Canvas

This piece is illustrating my own self, placed within the chaos of the world. I am surrounded by other people’s religions and beliefs. The boat that I presented in the broken light bulb illustrates me peeking through to the open world. My calm thoughts on the flat water in the light bulb pour out into a wild ocean. The chaotic ocean illustrates my thoughts combining with the chaos of the world. My piece is also illustrating how people view my character. People see me as shy initially, but once someone gets to know me more, my true personality is exemplified with depth, like the ocean.

 

Allie Nelson
The Hands of Life
Acrylic on Canvas

My piece exhibits the cycle of life and how sturdy it may be. There is a balance in between the ways of the world, life and death. The hands represent the foundation and wonder, holding up the elements of life. The flower petals are a symbol for earth, the living, breathing structure that homes us all. In interpretation, my piece could be seen as rebirth or life after death in general. This is an open piece to all beliefs and religions, since we all believe in the peace of life.

Middle School Mock Trial Repeats as LA County Champions

By Jennifer Bader

Chaminade Mock Trial once again proved why it is one of the top programs in California at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse Monday night. The middle school team successfully defended their title defeating John Adams from Santa Monica and winning the 2017 Los Angeles County Championship. This is the 6th county championship for the middle school Legal Eagles. The 2015 and 2016 champion high school team also earned a return trip to the finals, their third consecutive appearance. The team finished second to iLead of North Hollywood.

Sophia Nations ‘22 was awarded the MVP for her portrayal of the Defendant Casey Davidson, and Defense Attorney Samantha Bader ’18 received the award for the high school final. Freshman Armen Ajemian ’21 won Outstanding Defense Attorney for the entire high school competition.

Los Angeles is the largest county competition in the nation with over 150 teams and more than 2,600 competitors. Every year, the teams start in August to prepare all of the elements of a criminal case which they will argue in front of sitting judges and practicing attorneys. This year’s case, The People vs. Davidson, focused on a murder investigation at a political rally in Acorn, CA.

The members of the 2017 Los Angeles County Champions are Madison Cheramie ‘22, Sophia Goldsmith ’22, Maddie Gutshall ’22, Emma Heafner ’22, Rachel Lee ’22, Luke McNulty ’22, Gabby Munoz ’22 Noelle Nashed ’22, Jonathan Park ’22, Sofia Piolanti ’22, Katie Santourian ’22, Samai Srinivasan ’22, Madison Teopaco ’22, and Sam Woznica ’22.

The members of the 2017 Los Angeles County Runner Up are Samantha Bader ’18, Dario Cardenas ’21, Chris Collins ’19, Matthew Delgado ’19, Spencer Delgado ’18, Claire Fairtlough ’19, Louis Gerny ’18, Shane Scarpace ’18, Rebecca Steinberg ’18, Skylar Takac ’21, and Julia Wilson ’19. The teams are coached by Jennifer and Bert Bader.

 

Join us for High School Open House

HS Open House 2On Sunday, November 19, Chaminade College Preparatory welcomes families to Open House. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about our high school program, which combines a rigorous academic curriculum with robust course offerings and extra-curricular activities. Open House will be held at our West Hills campus from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

During Open House you can:

  • Take a campus tour and see our facilities
  • Talk to faculty, students, and current parents
  • Learn about our one-to-one tablet technology
  • Visit academic departments and learn more about our innovative learning program
  • Explore our arts and athletics programs
  • Talk to our admissions team and administration

Don’t miss a special performance of Macbeth by William Shakespeare in the Tutor Family Center for the Performing Arts. Families are invited to drop in anytime during Open house and stay for a Q& A after the performance.

If you can’t make it to Open House, please call 818-347-8300 to schedule a tour or visit our website.

AP Capstone Students Participate in Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility

By Lee Ann Metivier
Director of Development,
Leadership Giving and Special Initiatives

There was a time, shortly after college when I wished I could be a professional student. The idea of being able to sit in a classroom, read, and discuss ideas and opinions on a daily basis sounded much more appealing than getting up five days a week to commute back and forth between home and the office. Then the steady paychecks came, my quality of life improved, and I forgot my professional student aspirations.

Until I sat in on the AP Capstone Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility.

AP Capstone is a program new to Chaminade, and it was created by the College Board in response to feedback from colleges and universities seeking students passionate about learning, who think both collaboratively and independently, and who are effective communicators. On paper, it sounds like a new way for high school students to expand their academic experience, and start learning at the college-level. In person, at Chaminade, it is exactly as described. AP Capstone is Chaminade living its promise to educate for adaptation and change.

The forum, held in the Media Center of the Condon Center, gathered all 60 AP Capstone students for a day of higher learning. Dressed in business attire instead of their usual uniforms, the students heard from four panelists who work in four different career fields.

Sean Walsh ’81, a principal at Wilson Walsh George Ross, provided a perspective on corporate social responsibility (CSR) from both the private and government sectors. While Todd Stevens P ’19, chief executive officer and president of California Resources Corporation shared insight from the energy sector. A food industry and non-profit viewpoint was provided by Robert Egger of the LA. Kitchen and CForward. The group was rounded out by Jit Bhattacharya ’96, chief technology officer at Fenix International, who comes from the social enterprise world.

Pictured left to right: Todd Stevens P ’19, Robert Egger, Jit Bhattacharya ’96, and Sean Walsh ’81

Vice Principal, Jennifer Poole, moderated the forum, and asked each panelist to answer:

  • How does your company define CSR?
  • How should companies behave in terms of social responsibility?
  • Do companies have a responsibility to the community, their employees, the environment, or their consumers? What are the limits on these responsibilities?
  • Should corporations have political influence?
  • What is the role of government?

After the moderated portion of the forum, students were invited to ask questions of their own. Each student who stood up in front of their peers asked thoughtful questions, which demonstrated their clear interest in the day’s topics and issues at hand. Panelists were asked questions ranging from, “In order to keep prices so low [for solar power systems] what do you do about labor costs?” to “What should I do to be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow?” to “What sort of push back do you get on communities intent on preserving traditional ways of life?”

The time passed quickly, and the forum ended before everyone’s questions could be answered. However, students had the opportunity to eat lunch with the panelists and ask more questions on an individual level. In addition, later in October, AP Capstone students will go on a field trip to the L.A. Kitchen and see social responsibility in action.

The forum is just the beginning for AP Capstone students, who are in the seminar portion of the program. They are learning to investigate real-world issues, to work independently and with a team to research a topic selected by their teacher, and develop a written report after information analysis and making evidence-based arguments. Next year, they will take on the research half of the two-year program to address a real-world topic of their choice. Their research practices and writing skills will be put to the test, and ultimately each student will present and orally defend their findings and methodology.