Stevenson's Chapman Caddell, a scientist in the making

Chapman Caddell, a senior at Stevenson School, was named a U.S. high school semifinalist for the Intel Science Talent Search earlier this year. The talent search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition and it honors exceptional high school seniors for their scientific research and their potential as future leaders in the scientific community. Chapman received a $1,000 award from the Intel Foundation, and an additional $1,000 grant was made to Stevenson School.

He was one of 300 out of 1,750 that applied to qualify for this national contest, although he did not qualify to be one of the top 40 finalists. Quite an achievement, given that the application process is extensive and requires original research, multiple faculty recommendations, transcripts, AP test scores, standardized test scores, personal essays, summer institute participation, and a listing of awards.

Chapman’s apparatus that earned him this recognition resulted in his discovery of—among other things—methods to reduce the threshold “Leidenfrost Effect” temperature by half (from 650F to 300F) and condense airborne moisture, an important application in a drought environment.

I've written about Chapman's accomplishments in the past and no doubt we'll continue to hear about his success in the future. Way to go!

York School and Stevenson seniors, candidates for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

Kevin Zamzow-Pollock, a graduating senior at York School, and Teeger L. Blasheck, from Robert L. Stevenson School, are among the 4,000 candidates in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars program.

They're believed to be the only two graduating seniors from Monterey County selected for the recognition.

A panel of educators will review the names and accomplishments of these candidate and select 800 semi-finalists in early April. The commission of Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 citizens appointed by the president, will select the finalists. The U.S. Department of Education will announce up to 161 chosen scholars in May.

Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors granted upon graduating high school seniors. They’re selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in school activities.

Congratulations, Kevin and Teeger! What a great honor!

Stevenson's Emma Morgan a finalist in national competition

Stevenson Junior Emma Morgan was recently selected as one of six finalists in MIT's nationwide THINK scholarship competition. The MIT team reviewed papers submitted by over 100 top high school students from across the country. Of these entries, six including Emma’s were selected as finalists, and three will be awarded the opportunity to work with MIT faculty and students to develop the idea in the laboratory. Final selections will be announced late this week.

As one of the six finalists, Emma won an expenses-paid trip to MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts to present her paper, Artificial Musculature: A New Approach to the Linear Solenoid, to the THINK team (a panel of MIT professors, alumni, and students) and was interviewed extensively by the selection team on Wednesday.

The competition consisted of three parts: a written 10-page paper with concept drawings describing the idea, a 25-minute personal presentation at MIT, and an extensive interview with the selection team.

Each paper proposed an innovative idea in science, engineering, or math that was in the early concept stage and had yet to be developed. Emma's inspiration for her paper came while she was trying to build an autonomous robot toy and discovered existing solutions were not very good at simulating the linear movement created by a natural muscle contraction.  (Submitted by Elena Mueller)

Congratulations, Emma! Pretty impressive! It will never cease to amaze me to see what young people are capable of achieving when given enough love, attention and resources!

Kevin Hicks named new head of Stevenson School

Kevin Hicks, currently at the helm of The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, has been named the next president and head of school at Stevenson School. Hicks will assume his new role at the private institution in July.

Hicks is succeeding Joe Wandke, one of the longest-serving heads of any independent school in the United States.

Hicks holds a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Yale and a doctorate in English from Princeton. He has previously worked as English teacher, admissions officer, and lacrosse coach. From 2005-2010 he served as Dean of Berkeley College at Yale University, where he counseled hundreds of undergraduates and instituted a unique advisory system.

In 2010 Hicks joined The Hotchkiss School, one of New England's best respected independent boarding schools. Hicks served in many capacities, and instituted new approaches to mentoring, revised the school's strategic plan, and created a symposium on learner-centered teaching.

A Stevenson alumnus from the Class of 1985, Hicks attributes much of his educational and career success to his years at Stevenson. "Stevenson is where my academic curiosity developed and my intellectual boundaries expanded," Hicks said in a statement. "Becoming president will be a true homecoming for me."

 Joe Wandke served as Stevenson's president for 32 years. For more information about Kevin Hicks and the presidential transition at Stevenson School, click here.

Kevin Hicks (center), with Stevenson Board Chair Mark Hornberger '68 and President Joe Wandke, at the 2011 Pebble Beach commencement. (Provided photo)

Stevenson's Chapman Caddell makes impression at national cancer surgeon's gathering

Chapman Caddell, a junior at Stevenson School, had the unprecedented opportunity as a high school student to present at the national Musculoskeletal Tumor Society’s Annual Meeting and speak before a room of roughly 200 of the country’s best cancer surgeons.

While interning at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas in 2013, Chap attended multiple surgeries and clinics every week, and commenced research regarding the best surgical approach to address metastatic femur fractures as a consequence of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

“This was my first time conducting clinical research,” Chapman said. “I obviously learned a lot about clinical research in general and the topic at hand, but the best thing I got out of it was knowing that my research would have a real-world impact. I want patients to benefit from my conclusions, and I really think they will.”

Following his retrospective analysis of more than 10 years of surgical records and follow-up for 56 patients, Chapman took the lead in drafting a paper summarizing the results and proposing the best surgical method. In early 2014, Chapman completed the paper, entitled The Treatment of Diaphyseal Femur Fractures in the Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma. The paper, co-written with MD Anderson Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Valerae Lewis, and several other MDA surgeons, was submitted for podium presentation to the 2014 Musculoskeletal Tumor Society’s (MSTS) Annual Meeting.

This spring, Chapman learned that out of 160 abstracts, his paper was one of 30 selected for podium presentation. And last month, Chapman delivered his team’s presentation at the 2014 National MSTS Annual Meeting -- and underwent questioning on the dais.

According to Dr. Lewis, while it was probably the first time a 16-year old had ever made a podium presentation at a national surgical conference, Chapman’s presentation and handling of difficult questions were excellent.

“Chapman did an excellent job working with the Department of Orthopedic Oncology at M.D. Anderson. It was commented that his composure and maturity far exceeded his chronologic age. His intelligence and hard work was noted by several of the faculty members with whom he had the opportunity to work. Not only was his presentation well received, but he did an excellent job of fielding questions from the audience," said Dr. Lewis.

Congratulations, Chapman. Very impressive accomplishments for such a young man.

story contributed by Stevenson School public information office.

Stevenson students grow, harvest, and barter their own foods

Stevenson School hosted a Harvest Festival and Farmers’ Market this week at its Carmel Campus to celebrate the arrival of fall. Students harvested vegetables and herbs from the school’s organic garden and then prepared breads, salsas and homemade treats to share with their friends and families. Instead of using money, students traded seeds, sticks and leaves for treats and crafts.

“By harvesting their own food and sharing it with our community, the kids are learning about sustainability and the many benefits of using locally sourced, fresh foods, “ said Molly Bozzo, head of the Carmel Campus. “The garden is also used an important educational tool throughout the year, and across all grades.”

From planting the seeds to nurturing the plants as they grow to turning the soil after the harvest, students care for and maintain the school’s garden. Under the instruction of the school’s garden coordinator, the garden is incorporated into the curriculum and is often used in science experiments and nature observations.

The school plans to create a cookbook, Goodies from the Garden, from the recipes created and shared from this week’s festival.

Antartica researcher Stacy Kim visits Stevenson's STEM program

Researcher and Remotely operated underwater vehicle developer Stacy Kim paid a visit to Stevenson’s Grade 6 STEM class to talk about her adventures in Antarctica's McMurdo Sound, ROVs, and her current research.

Stevenson’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program developed a highly technical ROV project that culminated with the Grade 6 students building, wiring, and piloting their own underwater "robots" in the Pirate Pool on the Pebble Beach Campus in February.

Kim lead a presentation and shared her experience with the students to aid, guide, and inspire them as they complete their projects.

Kim is a benthic ecologist and long-time Antarctica diver who studies seafloor creatures and marine life communities in waters below freezing. Her team developed and worked with SCINI (Submersible Capable of Under Ice Navigation and Imaging) that can go to depths below those accessible to divers.

Kim is currently research faculty at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. She has been featured on the BBC’s Frozen Planet, National Geographic, and the Today Show.

Author and teacher John Hunther coming to Stevenson School

Ever since his book "World Peace and Other Fourth Grade Achievements" came out earlier this year, teacher and author John Hunter has been touring the country promoting it. Here's an interview he gave to CBS about the game, and here's his TED Talk also on the same subject.

You'll have a chance to see him Monday, when he comes to the Pebble Beach campus of Stevenson School. The event starts at 5:15 p.m. and it includes a screening of the documentary based on the World Peace Game.

The evening event is free and open to the public; space is limited and registration is required through Stevenson's website here.

And the winners of the 7th annual Japanese speech contest are...

Two students from North Monterey High and one from Stevenson emerged top three in the 7th annual Monterey County High School Japanese Speech contest:





1st Place: Ray Lantaca (North Salinas High School)
2nd Place: Alejandro Nunez (North Salinas High School)
3rd Place: Evelyn Zhai (Stevenson School)

About 250 guests took part in the March 22 event, which included visitors from Japan who spoke about their experiences with the 2011 Tsunami, Japanese language instructor Yo Azama said. There were 15 contestants from Alisal, Everett Alvarez, Stevenson School, and North Salinas High School.

The 1st place winner will compete at the National Speech Contest at UC Irvine in May. We can't wait to see how far he goes!

STEM education is highlighted at Pebble Beach Golf tournament

The golf tournament at Pebble Beach has also been turned into an opportunity to talk about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education.

For starters, watch broadcast of the tournament today and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and you'll see two 60-second promotions featuring Hartnell College work on STEM Education.

In the last couple of years, Hartnell has been making a name for itself for its emphasis on STEM education, and it looks like the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which puts on the golf tournament, was impressed enough to make a promo out of it.

Also,students can benefit from the STEM Zone at the Pebble Beach tournament. On Thursday, students from Stevenson School (photo below) navigated the exhibits at the STEM Zone, and found hands-on experiences in golf ball physics, swing analysis with technology, golf course "agro dynamics", professional videotaping with green screen and newsroom performances with teleprompt, and more.

Stevenson began a STEM program in Grades 5 and 6 this year.

I wonder if students from other schools attended the STEM Zone. Shoot me an email and let me know.

Marina resident and Stevenson School graduate wins national competition

Abigail "Abby" Hoffman, now a freshman at UC Berkeley, tweeted her way to a $5,000 scholarship for her message about the First Amendment.

On Dec. 15, Bill of Rights Day 2011, more than 17,000 contestant tweeted their praises to the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Hoffman's was one of only eight entries to be chosen in the Tweet category. There were 22 scholarship winners total in the graphics, video, essays, blogs and poetry categories.

"The 45 words remain the same, but they've certainly caused a lot of change. #FreeToTweet"

The winning entries were announced this week.

"The "Free to Tweet" competition saw students nationwide reaffirming the value of the First Amendment and expressing themselves creatively through social media," said Ken Paulson, founder of 1 for All and president of the First Amendment Center and American Society of News Editors. "We're pleased to recognize Abigail Hoffman for her thought-provoking entry in an extraordinarily competitive field."

Other winners range from 15- to 22-years-old and hail from 15 states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia . A total of $110,000 in scholarships is being awarded.

Click here to see all the winning messages.