While many students are just returning from much-needed winter breaks, Taylor Utz is completing volunteer work in Africa. The Madison County High School ninth grader and BRVGS student is spending the first two weeks of 2013 in Kampala, Uganda. She went with other members of The Summit Church in Madison, who partner with a Ugandan church, and also support an orphanage and widows’ center there.
Before she left on her trip, Taylor said, “I sponsor a student named Joy [at the orphanage]...I receive regular pictures of Joy, and we have written to each other a little...so I can’t wait to actually hug her in person.”
Part of Taylor’s time in Uganda is devoted to helping with eyeglass clinics, training and equipping teachers, conducting church visitations, and teaching life skills. She is also getting a first-hand look at the role of women in that culture. Taylor’s mother, Debbie, is the administrative liaison for this ministry. It is her initial meeting with the African partners, and it is Taylor’s first trip out of the United States.
New Year Brings New Activities for BRVGS Students and Staff
With the turn of the New Year, BRVGS stdents and staff are in the process of getting ready for a host of new activities for Spring 2013. World History students will feature their 1st sesmeter project websites in a "Website Contest" later this week, and will embark on visits to UVa and Washington DC in Winter and Spring of 2013. BRVGS AP Biology students will continue their preparation for the Spring AP Bio exam, and will participate in a "Bioethics" project, as well as canoe trips with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation later this spring. Juniors in most schools will problem-solve creative programming solutions as part of BRVGS Computer Science, and BRVGS Seniors will present the results of their "Internship, Research and Community Service" Projects over the spring. Parents and students can check project websites and student work by going to the drop-down menu on the "Academics" tab of the BRVGS Home Page. Stay tuned for updates on these and other activities as Spring progresses!
BRVGS Students Engage in Research with Va. Tech Biotechnology Center
“What are the differences between the wild-type and genetically modified Arabidopsis plants?” “How do the possible effects of the stressors compare with the data we’ve collected?”
These are some of the questions students enrolled in biotechnology classes at BRVGS asked themselves during the fall semester. Students conducted research under the tutelage of their BRVGS AP Biology teachers and Dr. David Lally from the Fralin Biotechnology Center at Virginia Tech. “This was pretty cool because I had never done an experiment that I already didn’t know the answer to,” said Emily Butterworth, a student at Madison County High School.
Data such as rosette width, bolt height, and reproductive yield was collected on wild and mutant experimental and control groups. Students conducted the experiments, collected data, and analyzed and published their findings. The culminating event was presentation of their work at a seven-county forum for peers, parents, educators, guests, and a panel of judges on November 22.
Upcoming Events for BRVGS
BRVGS students in 9th, 10th and 11th grades have a number of big events coming up in late November and early December. On November 20th, BRVGS 10th grade AP Biology students will present the results of their semester-long Arabidopsis experiments to scientists from Virgina Tech at the Best Western Zion Crossroads. BRVGS 9th grade history students will journey to Washington, D.C., to visit the National Cathedral and National Art Gallery on November 27th and 29th. Students in the BRVGS/UVa "Explorations in Engineering" course will present their "design and build" projects at UVa on December 14th, and BRVGS Computer Science classes from Louisa and Fluvanna will present their final exam projects at the Best Western Zion Crossroads on December 18th.
As always, parents, school officials and members of the community are invited to all BRVGS presentations. Please contact BRVGS Director Marc Carraway at mcarraway@brvgs.k12.va.us for more information.
BRVGS Students Participate in Tech Tour
Junior students in the Blue Ridge Virtual Governor's School took part in the Charlottesville Area Tech Tour on Thursday, October 18th. The Tech Tour began with an Engineering Challenge and orientation at Piedmont Va. Community College, then students boarded buses to visit technology-centeredt businesses and orgainzations in the Charlottesville area. Destinations for BRVGS students included online publishing companies Lexis Nexis and Silverchair, local music studios, the Music Resource Center, local laboratories and science companies, UVa facilities and Sperry Marine. Students heard first hand from company and organization representatives about career opportunities and necessary skills for the workplace. To see a slide show of some of our students participating in the Engineering Challenge and at Lexis Nexis and Silverchair, go to: Tech Tour Slideshow.