Competitors in Foxcroft’s "Oceans 911" 阀杆 Challenge Dive Into Ocean Conservation

The winning Marvelous Manatees team from Bullis School in Potomac, MD, comprised of Grace H.，贾琳·J.安娜·R.Amiyah T., 赢得了高中的奖杯, designed and fabricated by Foxcroft 阀杆 students using the tools in The Innovation Lab. 海牛队还赢得了五项个人挑战中的一项.

Second place in the high school division went to the Nifty Narwhals (Diane N.夏普丽O.莉莉·R.Minna X.) from Madeira School in McLean, VA, and Foxcroft’s Terrific Turtles (seniors Claire A.凯瑟琳·J.，欣怡S.和Selina X.)获得第三名. Foxcroft’s team and the Madeira team also each won one of the five individual challenges, while an additional team from Madeira and one from Bullis won a single challenge each.

在中学赛区，粉碎乌贼队(艾玛·E.夏洛特·G.格温妮丝·M.和Faith P.) from Harmony Middle School in Hamilton, VA, took home the middle school trophy. 第二名是潇洒海豚队(Sarah B.斯特拉·K.诺拉·M.，以及Sophie S.) from Blue Ridge Middle School in Purcellville, VA, and the Sassy Seahorses (Fiona D.Jiya K.坦维·N.阿贝尼·S.(来自弗吉尼亚州阿尔迪市默瑟中学)获得了第三名. Each of the top three teams also won one of the five individual challenges, while a team from Washington Episcopal and another from Mercer also won a single challenge each.

在一天的过程中, energy and enthusiasm filled Foxcroft’s Athletic/Student Center and Schoolhouse science labs as the girls, 四人一组, 接受了五个不同的挑战. 

在生物实验室, teams analyzed a variety of plastic particles "collected from the beach by local high school marine biology students,，试图确定海洋太阳鱼(翻车鲀)在加利福尼亚海岸附近出现的频率较低. Students measured and calculated the density and buoyancy of the plastics, determined what types of marine feeders might mistake those plastic particles for food, then assessed which particles might be contributing to the mystery of the missing Ocean Sunfish and what other marine life might be affected by the loss of this majestic fish.

在化学实验室, students worked to restore harmony to the Galapagos ecosystem by investigating the cause of a shellfish die-off. 在挑战期间, students tested their knowledge of the pH scale by arranging items in order of pH and measuring the pH of several common household solutions. They also investigated the cause and impact of ocean acidification in two mini-experiments. 

回到体育/学生中心参加"海上飞镖"活动, 学生们使用冰棒棒, 橡皮筋, and small cups to create a catapult to launch nanobot capsules (ping pong balls) into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a kiddie pool). The closer students got to the center of the pool, the more points they earned. The scoring part of the event was three minutes of pandemonium as multiple teams were firing balls and making adjustments to their catapults before time ran out. 在编码活动中, students learned to convert binary code to letters and from letters to binary code using a tool called a "Dolphin Flipper."

每年, event sponsor Stryker Corporation brings several of their female engineers to not only administer one of the challenges but also to share their experiences and answer questions from the young competitors during a career panel. The Stryker team’s 工程 challenge this year involved math on unit conversions to figure out how much plastic to remove from the ocean, 计算帮助海洋动物所需的碳酸盐. 

之间的挑战, students used Kindle Fires supplied by Foxcroft to answer questions about ocean conservation and earn raffle tickets for prizes ranging from gift cards to tech devices. Participants in the middle school competition also took tours of campus and learned a little more about Foxcroft’s focus on “girls in 阀杆” during a session with Head of School Cathy McGehee.

女童阀杆教育的领导者, Foxcroft offers an innovative curriculum that addresses challenges facing tomorrow’s workforce and provides relevant and stimulating learning experiences. 学校的招牌项目, 阀杆计划强调探究型实验室, 自信自如地使用技术, 动手解决问题的能力远远超出了课堂. The annual 阀杆 Challenge competition showcases Foxcroft's innovative focus on the 阀杆 fields.