After-School Activities Cancelled Due to Severe Weather

May 8, 2024

With strong storms in the forecast this afternoon, MICDS is canceling all after-school activities today, May 8. This includes all extracurricular activities and athletic practices and games, both at home and away. The Middle School ASAP program and Lower School Extended Day program are also canceled. Please make arrangements to pick up your children at our usual dismissal time today (3 p.m. for Lower School, 3:15 p.m. for Middle and Upper School). Campus will be closed at 4:00 p.m. Please note: the Band Concert scheduled for this evening will be rescheduled for tomorrow night, Thursday, May 9, with the 6th/7th Grade Band Concert beginning at 6 p.m. and the 8th Grade/Upper School Bands performing at 7:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bernard Berry.

A Galaxy of Learning on the 5th Grade Challenger Learning Center Field Trip

The Challenger Learning Center in Saint Louis is part of the Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education, an international education organization founded in 1986 by the astronauts’ families lost in the Challenger Tragedy. The local center is one of 50 around the world that allows students to use STEM curriculum in a unique, real-world-inspired, and life-impacting application. Their mission is “to ignite a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering, and math through simulated space missions and other science education programs.”

On Wednesday, April 17, our fifth-grade students participated in two sessions at the Center: “The Great Rocket Design Challenge” and “Voyage to Mars.” In the rocket session, the students were split into teams to design, budget, build, and test air-powered rockets. After a beginning launch, students troubleshot and problem-solved any issues in their rocket designs, rebuilt them, and noted how the chances impacted their rocket’s flight success. For this STEM challenge, students got to utilize math, programming, and other skills.

Next, the Voyage to Mars is a simulation of a space mission to Mars. For both of these missions, the students experienced a role on a team (data, medical, navigation, communications, probe, remote, life support, isolation) and participated in both the work at Mission Control and on the space station simulator.

“I really enjoyed the field trip, and I learned a lot of new things: learning [a bit about] the job of astronauts and learning how to play the role of Mission Control,” reflects Angela Yang ’31. “My highlight of the field trip was when my partner and I were doing Mission Control. I enjoyed telling people what to do and I also enjoyed working on the mission as an astronaut. Overall it was a very fun experience and I would go again.”

Betsy Branca ’31 agrees. “It was a really fun experience for everyone and I enjoyed connecting more with my classmates.”

Fifth graders, way to immerse yourselves in a galaxy of deeper learning about the objects in our solar system in the context of space travel.

Houston, we have [some] problem solvers!