OSEF funds 20 new microscopes for science classes

Oakwood student using new compound microscope.

Did you know that there is a small spider printed on a dollar bill? Were you aware that the dollar bill contains magnetic inks to prevent counterfeiting? Did you know that the center portion of cat hair (known as the medulla) looks like a string of pearls?  Well, believe it or not Melinda Wargacki’s Forensic Science students
can tell you all about the characteristics of not only cat hair, but also dog, rat, rabbit, squirrel, muskrat, deer, and even bear hair!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation, Melinda Wargacki and Heidi Steinbrink were able to purchase twenty new compound microscopes for their classes.  During the 2007-2008 school year, about 150 students will benefit academically by having the opportunity to use this new equipment.  Many of the students are visual and tactile learners. Therefore, they must visually see and physically manipulate equipment in order to process information.

Microscopes allow for instruction to become hands-on, directly meeting the needs of our learning community. Ryan Grilliot, a student in Mrs. Wargacki’s Forensic Science class, noticed that dog hair shares many characteristics with human hair. “These new microscopes reveal a world which would be invisible to the human eye!” he said.

Obviously, in a typical Biology class, microscopes are routinely used to view plant, animal, and even bacterial cells. Oakwood High School’s microscopes traditionally been used primarily for the life science classes, such as Biology, but this grant provides the resources to supply regular microscope use in other courses as well.  
Oakwood students have been afforded access to technology that is not common in most high schools.

Teachers routinely make wish lists of curricula materials, supplies and embedded equipment that will enhance learning for their students.  For Melinda Wargacki and Heidi Steinbrink, these wish lists are clearly being brought to reality.

Staying in touch...

Luncheon with residents Feb. 29

Are you an Oakwood resident who does not have children in school? Would you like to talk about what’s happening in our schools? If you are, this is an opportunity for you to attend a luncheon with our Superintendent and district administrators to learn more about our successes, our challenges, and other important information.

The luncheon will take place on Friday, Feb. 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Edwin D. Smith Elementary School.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Sandy at the Oakwood Board of Education Office at 297-5332, or email maresh.sandy@oakwood.k12.oh.us by February 20.

PSEO meeting slated for March 3

Post Secondary Educational Option (PSEO) is an educational program available to all students in grades 9-12. Typically students access the program to enhance their high school curriculum by taking  course work at Sinclair Community College, the University of Dayton and /or Wright State University.

A mandatory meeting will be held in the high school auditorium on March 3 at 7 p.m. for parents and their students who wish to participate during the 2008-2009 school year.  PSEO applications MUST be submitted by March 31, 2008 in order to be eligible to participate in the 2008-2009 school year. For further information, please call the guidance office at the high school (297-5326).

Rotary scholarship deadline March 3

The Rotary Club of Dayton is now accepting applications for the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship.  The scholarship is for foreign study during academic year 2009-2010.  Up to $25,000 will be provided for round-trip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, some education supplies, and language training (if necessary).  Scholars act as “ambassadors of goodwill” as they study abroad in one of more than 160 countries where Rotary Clubs are located.

Students with permanent addresses in the Dayton area, or studying in the area, who have completed two years of college or two years of recognized vocational work by the time the scholarship period begins are eligible to apply.  Graduate students may apply as well.  The application deadline is March 3, 2008.

Since 1947 more than 30,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied
abroad under the auspices of Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today it is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarships program. More than 1,100 scholarships were awarded for study in 2007-08. Through grants totaling approximately $26 million, recipients from some 69 countries studied in more than 64 nations.

Contact Diane Welborn at (937) 223-4613, to request an application form.

Rotary Youth Leadership Workshop March 13

The Oakwood Rotary Club seeks applications from Oakwood area high school juniors to attend the Rotary District 6670 Annual Leadership Workshop at the Dayton Engineers Club. The all day event will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2008.  The one day session offers students from local area high schools the opportunity to meet Rotary leaders and develop team problem solving and presentation skills in a collegial atmosphere.

Applications and more details about the workshop can be obtained from Oakwood High School’s Guidance Counsel Office.  Students living in Oakwood who attend other high schools can also contact Oakwood Rotarian Chuck Roedersheimer (293-8105) for applications or ask any Oakwood Rotarian you may know for an application.  

Information on past programs and details on this year’s event can also be found at the local Rotary District 6670 Web Site – www.rotary6670.org.  Information on the RYLA international program is found at www.rotary.org under the tab “RI Programs” and then the tab “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.”

Applications need to be completed and turned into the Guidance Counselor office or to Mr. Roedersheimer (349 E. Schantz Avenue, Dayton, OH 45409) no later than Feb. 26, 2008.  Selected students will be notified on or before March 6.

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