FSA Robotics Team Won Innovative Solution Award and Advanced to Super-Regionals

On December 7th robotics team StormRadars has done a great job at FLL Georgia Official Qualifying Tournament. StormRadars won Innovative Solution Award as a team and advanced to Super-Regionals. This award recognizes a team’s solution that is exceptionally well-considered and creative, with good potential to solve the problem research. Our team includes Kevin Lee, Zeynep Ozdemir, Aditi Srivastava, Celil Teber, Shivan Patel, Jacob Grisgsby, Muskaan Gupta, Mario Machado, and Calum O'Sullivan. Congratulations to these students, their parents and coach Mr. Kaya. We wish them success at their future competition.

FSA Science Olympiad Team Won 1st Place as a Team

On Saturday, November 16, 2013,  three Fulton Science Academy Private School Science Olympiad Teams competed in the Chattahoochee Invitational in Johns Creek. This was the first tournament of the season and included teams from Alabama, Tennessee and the Atlanta area, including rival Dodgen Middle School who placed second in last year’s state tournament and twelfth at Nationals. The FSA teams brought home the 1^st place and 5^th place plaques as a team.

Head Coaches Pam Walsh and Gloria Stathos were pleased with the team’s performance. “This was the first year Chattahoochee has hosted an invitational and you never know what to expect at a new tournament, but our students performed well and we’re very satisfied with the results,” said Mrs. Walsh.

The competition was a reunion of sorts for many former FSA students. Colin Walsh, Stephanie Stathos, Suryabratta Dutta, and Sunny Chen, all members of the 2010 FSA National Science Olympiad Team, and Beyza Akgun, 2012 FSA National Team member, assisted with the tournament by proctoring exams.

Congratulations to all of these students, parents and our wonderful coaches. 

Individual awards were earned by the following students:

Anatomy – coached by Mrs. Ambari

3^rd Place – Hasan Unal and Araneesh Pratap

5^th Place – Sanjeev Uppalari and Avnee Naik

Boomilever – coached by Mr. Seker

5^th Place Sule Anik and Kian Najaf

Disease Detectives – coached by Mrs. Lewis

5th Place Sree Sanku and Suraj Chatrathi

Dynamic Planet – coached by Mrs. Walsh

5^th Place - Aditya Choudhari and Simon Wang

Entomology – coached by Mrs. Butler

2nd Place – Faith Lucas and Aditya Choudhari

Experimental Design – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Simon Wang, Mira Mutnick, and Sule Anik

2^nd Place – Maryam Unal, Sruthi Chatrathi, and Sophie Richardson

Heredity – coached by Ms. Doraiswami

4^th Place – Sruthi Chatrathi and Karuna Kumar

Meteorology – coached by Mr. Ambardekar

4^th Place – Neel Ambardekar and Sule Anik

Metric Mastery – coached by Ms. Fichter

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Road Scholar – coached by Mrs. Stathos

3rd Place – Neel Ambardekar and Mira Mutnick

Robo-Cross – coached by Mr. Kaya

4^th Place – Yusuf Tas

Rocks and Minerals – coached by Mrs. Walsh

1^st Place – Brian Shoffeitt and Jean Moorman

3^rd Place – Callie Webster and Soleil Moffitt

Rotor Egg Drop – coached by Mr. Seker

1^st Place – Hasan Unal and Kian Najaf

3^rd Place – Akash Bhatt and Nadine Haddad

Shock Value – coached by Mr. Wang

2^nd Place – Simon Wang and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Simple Machines – coached by Mr. Near

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Brian Shoffeitt

3^rd Place – Julian Hamelberg and Josh White

Solar System – coached by Mrs. Walsh

2^nd Place –Jean Moorman and Aditya Choudhari

Sounds of Music – coached by Mr. Yanasak

5^th Place – Mira Mutnick and Faith Lucas

Water Quality – coached by Mrs. Butler

1^st Place – Jennifer Near and Elaine Wen

2^nd Place – Sophie Richardson and Akash Bhatt

3^rd Place – Vikram Ruppa-Kasani and Sule Anik

Write It, Do It – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Sophie Richardson and Karuna Kumar

FSA Students Loved IRobot Demonstration

We had a wonderful day at FSA on December 16, 2013. Mr. Gray Stair from IROBOT company was with us. Mr. Stair talked about robots and demonstrated five different robots. At the end of presentation, students had a chance to use  the robots themselves. We thank Mr. Stair for this wonderful presentation. Mr. Stair said that he will be back during spring time with 15 more robots including a helicopter :)

Please see some pictures and a brief video from today's event below:

Elementary Students Enjoyed Atlanta Zoo Field Trip

3^rd through 5^th grade students had a wonderful time on their field trip to the Atlanta Zoo! Students began the morning with a tour of the zoo.  Science skills were put to work as students observed animals in their natural habitats.  They walked through the African Savannah to see elephants and giraffes, strolled through rain forest jungles to see a variety of snakes and frogs, peeked at the sleeping pandas in the bamboo forest and crawled through the dens of naked mole rats! After the tour, students visited the petting zoo where they brushed and said hello to a few friendly goats.  The morning excitement was concluded with a pleasant picnic lunch in Grant Park. Our fun filled day was completed with an educational program discussing the different types and characteristics of habitats. This interactive program had students onstage as they discussed producers and consumers within an ecosystem. The program ended with an alligator encounter! Student got to pet a 2 year old alligator and reflect on an awesome and educational experience at the zoo! 

CMP Speaker Series Hosted Mr. Mike Sutton

As part of Fulton Science Academy College Mentorship Program Speaker Series, we have hosted Mr. Mike Sutton, President at Pinnacle Performers,  to talk about "Presentation Skills." Mr. Sutton, being an expert in this area, has done an amazing job teaching our students presentation skills. It was a dynamic presentation with many useful information. We thank Mr. Sutton for making himself available and covering this very important topic for our students.

U.S. Representative Tom Price Recognized FSA Math Team

To the Fulton Science Academy Math Team:

I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on occasion of your recent successes at the Rockdale Math Competition in Conyers, Georgia. To place first in both your division and overall, is truly a remarkable achievement of which you should be incredibly proud.

As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I understand the need for our nation's students to excel in mathematics. It is through the efforts of dedicated teachers and coaches like Mr. Davut Seker and Mr. Salih Tuzen, that our country will produce the next great leaders, scientists, and scholars in a globalized economy. I am especially proud of Hasan Unal, Araneesh Pratap, Brian Shoffeitt, Jean Moorman, Julian Hamelberg, Aditya Choudhari, Vikram Ruppa-Kasani, Mira Mutnick, Elaine Wen, Katherine Li, Charlie Furniss and Karuna Kumar, for practice, diligence, and dedication to academic excellence.

The Fulton Science Academy Math Team has undoubtedly made a profound impact on the Sixth Congressional District by earning this victory.  You have unequivocally demonstrated that cooperation and involvement from faculty, parents, and the community at-large are the ultimate keys to the successful education of our precious youth. I urge each of you to take stock of this tremendous accomplishment. Your classroom success will undoubtedly serve as a shining example for generations of students to come.

Again, congratulations upon receiving this distinguished honor. I believe I echo the sentiments of the citizens of the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia by expressing how proud we are of you. I wish each of you the best of luck moving forward, and please let me know if I may ever be of service to you in the future.

 

Great Job at Centennial High School Model United Nations Tournament

Before the Thanksgiving holiday break, on Friday, November 22^nd, the FSAPS Model United Nations team went to Centennial High School for their second competition of the year against students from other county schools.

Students had a great time, with each student representing a country individually in one of five councils.

Though all of our team members did great research and made a strong effort, six students recognized for their hard work:

·       In the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Kian Najaf, representing Togo, was named outstanding delegate, the highest award possible.

·       In the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) we had several students recognized: for best position paper, Omar Kayyali (Ghana); distinguished delegate, Clare Merideth-Webb (India); and outstanding delegate, Elaine Wen (Sweden).

·       In General Assembly, Aditya Choudhari (United Arab Emirates) had the best position paper.

·       In the Security Council, Brian Shoffeitt (France) was given an honorable mention.

More than a quarter of our students won recognition this year, and all participated strongly.  We are very proud of everyone on the team, particularly since they only had a week to prepare their papers for submission following the GSU conference.  This was a great learning experience for our team, most of which are experiencing Model UN for the first year.  Excellent work!

How Does Genetics Affect Our Lives?

Kate Garber, PhD, Director of Education, Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine visited with 7^th Grade Life Science students on Tuesday, November 19^th.   Seventh grade had just completed studying genetics and this was a good opportunity to hear about current research and how genetics affects our lives.  Dr. Garber discussed stem cells, how genetic engineering is used to help people with certain disorders, and how it can be used to engineer a crop to produce a vitamin in areas where deficiency in that vitamin has had health consequences.  Other topics included how genes can be inserted and used as markers to provide research tools and genetic testing.  Some students participated in a genetic testing exercise which helped them see how genetic mutations can be uncovered.  Thanks to Dr. Garber for sharing her knowledge and helping our students learn more about this important topic.

DISCOVERING FOSSILS WITH PRESIDENT OF GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, MR. BILL WAGGENER

On Monday, November 18, 2013, Mr. Bill Waggener, President of the Georgia Mineral Society, visited with 7^th grade Life Science students to discuss fossils.   Past climates and environmental changes were discussed as well as how those changes affected evolutionary changes in life.  Fossil formation and what constitutes a fossil was also covered.   Students were then invited to observe various rocks looking for fossils and then trying to identify them.  Fossils included whale rib bone, petrified wood, fossil clams and brachiopods, corals, sea stars, crinoids, and many others that were millions of years old.  Thanks to Mr. Waggener for sharing his expertise and his fossil collection with us!

FSA Won 1st Place in 2013 Chattahoochee Science Olympiad Competition

On Saturday, November 16, 2013,  three Fulton Science Academy Private School Science Olympiad Teams competed in the Chattahoochee Invitational in Johns Creek. This was the first tournament of the season and included teams from Alabama, Tennessee and the Atlanta area, including rival Dodgen Middle School who placed second in last year’s state tournament and twelfth at Nationals. The FSA teams brought home the 1^st place and 5^th place plaques as a team.

Head Coaches Pam Walsh and Gloria Stathos were pleased with the team’s performance. “This was the first year Chattahoochee has hosted an invitational and you never know what to expect at a new tournament, but our students performed well and we’re very satisfied with the results,” said Mrs. Walsh.

The competition was a reunion of sorts for many former FSA students. Colin Walsh, Stephanie Stathos, Suryabratta Dutta, and Sunny Chen, all members of the 2010 FSA National Science Olympiad Team, and Beyza Akgun, 2012 FSA National Team member, assisted with the tournament by proctoring exams.

Congratulations to all of these students, parents and our wonderful coaches. 

Individual awards were earned by the following students:

Anatomy – coached by Mrs. Ambari

3^rd Place – Hasan Unal and Araneesh Pratap

5^th Place – Sanjeev Uppalari and Avnee Naik

Boomilever – coached by Mr. Seker

5^th Place Sule Anik and Kian Najaf

Disease Detectives – coached by Mrs. Lewis

5th Place Sree Sanku and Suraj Chatrathi

Dynamic Planet – coached by Mrs. Walsh

5^th Place - Aditya Choudhari and Simon Wang

Entomology – coached by Mrs. Butler

2nd Place – Faith Lucas and Aditya Choudhari

Experimental Design – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Simon Wang, Mira Mutnick, and Sule Anik

2^nd Place – Maryam Unal, Sruthi Chatrathi, and Sophie Richardson

Heredity – coached by Ms. Doraiswami

4^th Place – Sruthi Chatrathi and Karuna Kumar

Meteorology – coached by Mr. Ambardekar

4^th Place – Neel Ambardekar and Sule Anik

Metric Mastery – coached by Ms. Fichter

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Road Scholar – coached by Mrs. Stathos

3rd Place – Neel Ambardekar and Mira Mutnick

Robo-Cross – coached by Mr. Kaya

4^th Place – Yusuf Tas

Rocks and Minerals – coached by Mrs. Walsh

1^st Place – Brian Shoffeitt and Jean Moorman

3^rd Place – Callie Webster and Soleil Moffitt

Rotor Egg Drop – coached by Mr. Seker

1^st Place – Hasan Unal and Kian Najaf

3^rd Place – Akash Bhatt and Nadine Haddad

Shock Value – coached by Mr. Wang

2^nd Place – Simon Wang and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Simple Machines – coached by Mr. Near

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Brian Shoffeitt

3^rd Place – Julian Hamelberg and Josh White

Solar System – coached by Mrs. Walsh

2^nd Place –Jean Moorman and Aditya Choudhari

Sounds of Music – coached by Mr. Yanasak

5^th Place – Mira Mutnick and Faith Lucas

Water Quality – coached by Mrs. Butler

1^st Place – Jennifer Near and Elaine Wen

2^nd Place – Sophie Richardson and Akash Bhatt

3^rd Place – Vikram Ruppa-Kasani and Sule Anik

Write It, Do It – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Sophie Richardson and Karuna Kumar

Fulton Science Academy Math Whizzes Win First Place in 3 Competitions

How does a Math Olympiad team win two competitions held at the exact same time in different locations? For the Fulton Science Academy (FSA) Private School Math Olympiad Team, it meant splitting the team into two groups.

The FSA math team was faced with the logistical feat of competing in two different math competitions at once on Saturday, Nov. 9. So the team divided into two groups and competed in two different math competitions on the same day  and took home first place awards from both competitions.

The first group attended 2013 Luella High School Math Competition and they not only won first place as a team, but took the top three placements individually.

The second group attended the War Eagle Middle School Math Tournament and they won first place as a team in the accelerated division.

The year started out just as strongly, with the FSA Math Olympiad Team students competing at the  Rockdale Math Competition in Conyers on Oct. 26. They won first place not only in their division, but also overall among all middle schools.

In his letter to Fulton Science Academy Private School, Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle said "Congratulations on placing 1st overall in the Rockdale Mathematics Competition. Your preparation and hard wok is reflected in this achievement. This is truly an outstanding accomplishment and I am proud to have you represent the city of Alpharetta."

Principal Kenan Sener said that "Success like this does not come easy. The FSA Math Olympiad Team meets not only every week during club time, but also before school and weekends to improve their math skills."

He said the students studied advanced math skills for two days at a math camp organized by the FSA math department educators in Helen.

"I am very proud of these students. They work hard, they work smart, and they work together. Winning three first place trophy in two weeks is certainly a big accomplishment. In my opinion, this is just the beginning of our FSA Math Olympiad team. Our ultimate goal is to win national and international trophies and represent our wonderful city of Alpharetta as well as we can."

The FSA Math Olympiad Team includes Hyen Jay Lee, Brian Shoffeitt, Araneesh Pratap, Sid Marupudi, Nadir Lewis, Karuna Kumar, Ananya Terala, Elaine Wen, Julian Hamelberg, Aditya Choudhari, Jean Moorman, Hasan Unal, Mira Mutnick, Gwen O'Sullivan, Charlie Furniss, Andre Hamelberg, Katherine Li, Alice Qiao, Prajwal Vedula and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani.

http://alpharetta.patch.com/groups/schools/p/fsa-math-whizzes-win-first-place-in-3-competitions

Alpharetta Mayor, David Belle Isle Recognized Fulton Science Academy Math Team

Dear Math Olympiad Team members,

Congratulations on placing 1st overall in the Rockdale Mathematics Competition. Your preparation and hard work is reflected in this achievement. This is truly an outstanding accomplishment  and I am proud to have you represent the City of Alpharetta. You, along with your family, friends and the entire Fulton Science Academy should be very proud of your success. Keep up the hard work. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future.

Your Mayor,

David Belle Isle

PRE-K STUDENTS ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY HELPERS

Pre-K students have been learning all about our community and community helpers. On Friday, we had a special visit from Dr. Lavania (Rohan's dad). Students learned about tools doctors use and got a chance to use stethoscopes to hear each other's hearts and lungs. They also got to practice putting on sanitary gloves, masks, booties, and hair caps to protect them from germs in the hospital! We had so much fun learning about how to become a doctor and are very thankful for Dr. Lavania's visit!

Kindergarten Students Love Science Fair Experiments

Both of the Kindergarten classes have been having a fantastic time collaborating on their Science Fair experiments. Today we saw a demonstration by Rylar and Abhinav on how hot water molecules and cold water molecules move at different speeds in the “Underwater Volcano” experiment. Kaya and Kerim showed how different surface materials on a ramp affect the downward acceleration ability of a plastic car. Each student enjoyed developing their own hypothesis for this experiment prior to the demonstration (you should have heard the reasoning behind why a few thought bubble wrap would make the car go faster)!

We also listened to Riley and Ian discuss the concept of their boat shape and weight experiment, and then everyone built a boat from aluminum foil to test this Friday. Orion and Jonathon’s research on the best way to sprout a potato has paid off!  The red potato under the sink in the Science Olympiad Room has sprouted and is ready to race towards sunlight in their homemade potato maze box.   Best of all- students enjoyed the free exploration centers afterward where they could experiment with different variables of acceleration using ramps and lifts and plant one of three seed types to see which sprouts the quickest.  We are so excited to show off everything we have learned as we prepare for the FSAPS Science Fair, but we will be so sad when it is over!

FSA Hosted U.S. Marine John Maltby on Veterans Day

In honor of November 11, Veterans Day, Fulton Science Academy hosted veteran John Maltby today.  The speech given and the videos shown by Mr. Maltby were very informative and exciting. Listening to historical events from a person who actually lived it is always an amazing experience. At the end of the speech Mr. Maltby tested student's knowledge and awarded the winners with posters and pens. We thank Mr. Maltby for his service and speech today. Our students learned many wonderful things from him. Thank you to all Veterans today! We honor your extraordinary work and sacrifice. 

We also thank one of our wonderful parents, Mrs. Doraiswami, for arranging this wonderful event for our students. 

1st Place in 2013 War Eagle Math Competition

On November 9 2013, the same day that Fulton Science Academy Private School Math Olympiad Team students won 1st place in 2013 Luella High School Math Competition,  the other half of our Math Olympiad team attended 2013 War Eagle Math Competition and they also won 1st place as a team in the accelerated division.

It was an amazing day for our Math Olympiad Team as they returned home with two 1st place trophies from two different math competition on the same day.

Winner students in 2013 War Eagle Competition include Katherine Lee, Vikram Ruppa-Kasani, Gwen O'Sullivan, Prajwal Vedula, Mira Mutnick, Charlie Furniss, Andre Hamelberg and Alice Qiao. 

Congratulations to all of these students, their parents, our math coaches for winning 1st place trophy in two different math competitions on the same day.  

http://alpharetta.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/fulton-science-academy-won-1st-place-in-2013-war-eagle-math-competition