Bio-Art Partners with St Joe Med Center

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center is proud to be a partner with The Weidner School of Inquiry. It is imperative that our school systems prepare students for real life experiences. Those enrolled in the Weidner School of Inquiry have the opportunity to learn very important life skills needed to work in the challenging field of health care – teamwork, critical thinking skills and appreciating the importance of being constant learners and seekers of knowledge.

I see the work of WSOI  first hand as a mentor for the Bio-Art class. Students are working in together to create artwork of living organisms. The challenge is to put a very exacting science of biology together with the freedom of expression that is considered art. And if one stops to think about it, art and biology share in one very important similarity where the outcome is a beautiful creation.

The Bio-Art class is one of a kind in the nation. The class will allow for creativity but requires study and knowledge to produce the final product – a beautiful piece of Bio-Art.

My best to the students in the Bio-Art class as they travel on a journey towards excellence (and learn a little about art and biology, too)!

Blog Contributor: Barbara Holcomb, MT(ASCP)
Laboratory Manager
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center

Chem/Food Science partners with Zentis

Zentis Food Solutions is proud to be a community sponsor for the Weidner School of Inquiry @PHS. I was immensely impressed with the professionalism of both the department, as well as the students. I was treated with a great amount of respect, and felt that the students truly had an interest in what I had to say. The environment that the students are supplied with is a huge asset to prepare them for college, as well as the professional world. Teamwork is encouraged, as well as free and open thinking.

In my own professional field, the skills the students are given will be huge assets in their future. If a student is already prepared to work well in a team based environment, and does not feel judged for their opinions, they will be miles ahead of the average graduate. 

Pairing Food Science with the general Chemistry course allows the students to see real world applications of what they are studying. When you can see what your lessons can accomplish in the professional world, it makes the learning more enjoyable and valuable.

Students, thanks for your wonderful questions and attention.

Teachers, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my own passion with a new generation.

Sidenote, I'm jealous that I didn't have this chance in high school.

Blog Contributor: Steven J. Chambers
{Product Development Specialist: Zentis North America}

 

Student Reflections in Chem/Food Science with Mr. Riley and Mr. Johnson

Photo Courtesy of Sanguini

My fitness pal has really showed me that I need to be eating more. I knew before doing the my fitness pal I needed to eat more, but I didn't know I was eating this little. Since we started I have been eating more then what I used to. I'm also doing a sport right now, so it is even more important to eat more. To top it all off they brought in someone from Life Plex to show us how important it is to eat healthy. He talked about how carbohydrates and sugars are used differently in the body. I now have a better understanding of what I need to eat and how much of it I need to eat. I don't want to just eat a lot of food. I need to eat the right kinds of food too.

Blog Contributor: John Hunter
{WSOI Sophomore, WSOI Student Advisor, BPA Member, Boys Varsity Tennis Team Member}

I have been aware that I am not a healthy eater, always having been a lover of junk food and fast food, especially McDonald's.  The activities that we've done in FoodChem in addition to my appointment at the LifePlex for my testing for gym have opened my eyes to see my unhealthy eating in a new light.

I am taking my gym credit during SRT through the LifePlex.  One of the tests I did was a breathing test and the result of the test told me I should be eating around 1500 calories or more a day.  The lady administering the test told me that since I am a moderately active person that I need to be eating more calories.  Typically, I eat around 1200 or less.  I learned that though I am not deliberately doing it, I am starving my body of the essential nutrients it needs.  I had not even realized that this was going on.

The next week in FoodChem we started logging our meals in My Fitness Pal.  I've noticed that the foods I eat are really high in sodium and sugars that are not natural.  Natural sugars, fats, and sodium are good for you in moderation, but when they are unnatural it's harder for your body to process them.  I've made sure I'm more conscious of the types of sugars and fats I put into my body.  I am trying to steer clear of processed foods, and instead I am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables.

When Mr. Haug from the LifePlex came to speak to us, he really stressed the importance of water for a healthy body.  Of course, I already knew this but I still refused to drink water.  I just don't like it very much.  He told us that we should be drinking between 1-2 liters of water a day if not more.  This really stuck out to me and I thought about the time I drank a whole two liter of Pepsi by myself in a day.  That's how much water I need to be drinking a day.  It was so easy to drink that Pepsi, it's going to be a lot harder to drink the water since I don't like it.
   
All being said, it's going to be a hard journey to healthy eating.  I'm so used to eating unhealthy, but I think now is a great time to change.  I think that the key to getting healthy is making one small change at a time and sticking to it.

Blog Contributor: Haley Mills {WSOI Sophomore, WSOI Student Advisor, PHS Cheerleader, Crimson Choir Member}

A Parent's Perspective

Photo by Krissy.Venosdale

I was quite nervous about my son entering high school until I attended the Weidner School of Inquiry parent orientation.  The facilities and technology are impressive, and it’s exciting to see the changes in the logistics of the classroom.  To be honest, I was more impressed with the staff and the presentation of information to the parents.  I think there are misconceptions about project based learning, and the facilitators did an excellent job in taking the parents through a fact finding exercise to help us gain insight, answers, and clarification to concerns and questions.  The use of sticky notes, whiteboards, presentations, and small group discussion were all tools and key factors used to help the parents discover answers and solutions to help our children be successful.  It demonstrated one technique of how the facilitators will lead and teach in the classroom.   I see these concepts used in our senior management meetings to generate ideas, talk through issues and concerns, and then find possible routes to resolve the issues.  One item that was stressed was teaching the students to think and problem solve.  This is a critical skill that they will use the rest of their lives no matter what path of life they choose. 

The other item that was so impressive to me was the “why” statement.   What is my purpose?  Many people take the “why” question for granted.  I appreciate the hours of collaboration and candid dialogue it took to reach that statement.  It is evident the passion these facilitators have for these students to be life-long learners and solution based thinkers.  Defender Direct, an Indy based company, stresses how businesses don’t grow…People Grow!  I look forward to seeing my child’s development and growth.  These students will be engaged and challenged to work with others that they may not normally associate with due to their extra-curricular activities after school.   It will show them the importance of teamwork, collaboration, influence, and respect.   I know there will be struggles ahead, but there will also be the satisfaction of overcoming those struggles and breaking through to solutions and success.   

I am truly thankful for the vision of Plymouth Schools, donations and community involvement in helping this program get started.  WSOI is developing leaders and thinkers who will make a difference in this world.  Thank you for giving my child the option and opportunity to take advantage of this program. 

Blog Contributor: Kathy Bacon
{WSOI Parent, Community Member, Controller - Wiers International}

Student Reflection on Culture Week Activities

Culture week is my favorite part of school because it's a time to learn about our classmates and facilitators but most importantly ourselves.  This week we have embarked on a mission of discovery that has led me to learn interesting things about my personality.  Two of the activities that I really enjoyed were the Myers Brigg Test and the Compass Points activity.
    
 I have now done the compass point activity twice and each time I discovered something interesting.  The first time that I did this activity was in a Student Advisory Board meeting.  Our facilitators had done this activity before and were excited to see what would happen.  Half of us ended up going to the West poster and the other half was at the East.  It was interesting to see that we are on polar opposites of working style.  My fellow people in the West pay a lot of attention to the fine details, whereas the Easterners look at the big picture.  

     The second time I did this activity, there were new people in the West.  I noticed that checklists and writing everything down is a big deal to them.  It is not so with me.  Although I do look at the fine details and need to know just about everything before I start, I do not have the patience or organization to make out lists.  I think I might be a mix of West and North: a Northwest.  When we met up with some Westerners from another class, I observed that some of their answers were different than mine.  They seemed to be more compassionate and Southernly, where I said that Southerners were hardest to work with.  Then I thought maybe within each direction there are sub-directions: i.e. Northwest and Southwest.   

     I really loathe personality tests, and the one we took last year was brutal.  The Myers Brigg test was not so bad.  I felt the questions were more relevant and easier to answer due to their only being two choices: yes and no.  At the end, my acronym was INTJ which meant nothing to me at first.  After reading into it, I discovered that it is The Mastermind; so basically I'm a genius.  I found out that only 2% of the population is this personality type and only 1% of women are a part of The Mastermind.  From that I concluded that I am pretty rare too.  While reading the description of my personality type, I was completely in awe of how perfectly it described me.  It said I was a perfectionist which is very true.           

    Though others may think these activities are just to pass the time and don't appreciate the information they discovered, I see the value in these activities.  It is always beneficial to gain knowledge about yourself so you can improve yourself.  I am excited to start this new school year having made self discoveries that will use to improve my character.

Blog Contributor: Haley Mills
{WSOI Sophomore, Student Advisor}

Back to School at the Weidner School of Inquiry

The phrase, it’s back to school time, usually fills students with dread at the prospect of long hours confined to a classroom and even longer hours devoted to homework. But for each of the learners at the Weidner School of Inquiry the prospect of a new school year must fill you with anticipation at all that lies ahead to be experienced and accomplished.

The unique opportunities provided to the WSOI learners to be educated in a way that not only enhances conventional learning but also encourages the student to develop characteristics such as personal responsibility and community awareness is an exciting concept. The directors and teachers at WSOI are so enthusiastic about the unlimited possibilities of all of you and will be wonderful mentors in your quest for success. Each of you has the chance to receive an excellent education while expanding your knowledge of our business community and those who comprise it. There are many family businesses in Plymouth, each with their own story of accomplishing success through dedication, hard work and perseverance. Please take advantage of the opportunity to learn about them and from them.

It is our family’s wish that every student at WSOI will discover his or her own potential and fulfill it in such a way that will bring them success in whatever they choose to do in life. We also hope that each of you will give back to our community and help it thrive. If your path in life leads you elsewhere take a little bit of Plymouth with you and contribute in positive ways to your chosen community.

Blog Contributor: Julie Weidner
{Community Member, Business Owner, Donor}