Dukes make connections through Expo projects

Published 10:46 pm Friday, January 31, 2020

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WINDSOR

As a famous writer in a famous book once wrote: “Only connect.”

That’s just what Windsor High School students accomplished through their individual projects for the winter Expo of Learning this past Monday evening. The Dukes demonstrated what they’ve learned in projects ranging from roller-coasters designed by using algebra to cubes intended to teach a different language.

An example of the former included SKRT, a ride calculated by Sewani Allen, Kaleigh Brisson, Ryan Knight and T.J. Luter. The thrills had to include a high point, low point and end where the ride began. Nearby, Alyssa Stepp, Tori Tomlin, Bailey Stephenson and Samantha Hollis came up with “The Great White” which looked as terrifying as an encounter with a shark.

In their Spanish classes, Kylie Sharpe and Kaydence Delgado had co-created cubes with images and words in the other language. Alexandra Mendiola explained a display that featured brief interviews with students in Vitoria Spain. The first two young ladies said the people in that part of the country actually speak a dialect different from other Spaniards.

Making art is more closely aligned to other disciplines than one might think on first glance. Stained-glass panels can be pretty to see, but need a knowledge of chemistry and math to bring everything together. A light table that illuminated the latest projects, Taylor Doxie, a junior, said that the larger panels were harder to break, but also more difficult to make.

Recycling old books gave literature new life. Students such as Samantha Wellman, Katie Anderson, Brett Endrusick, Philip Feldt and Dalton Hagood were able to fold the pages into geometrically precise ornaments suitable for a Christmas tree.

In the realm of science, Nadia Smith and Myasia Seaborn were among students who experimented to determine whether Davis seeds would grow better using water from Suffolk or Windsor. They determined that the latter was better for the grass seed variety.

Elsewhere, freshman Grace Hall operated a robot for parents and other guest. She said this is her first year in the program, and is considering a career in robotics or engineering.

Over in cosmetology, the students practiced washing, cutting and styling hair on one another and willing volunteers.

If people finally decide to colonize the moon, what will there be to eat? Perhaps hot dogs? Or, in that case, moon dogs. For their part, Melissa Carr, Abby O’Brien, David Wooten, Preston Davis and Caison Pierce had to create a way to cook on the moon using handmade solar ovens.

Students in English and European history classes focused on the theme of “Making Connections.” They had to answer the questions of why it’s important to make connection with the past, what can artifacts reveal about a culture and why is it important to communicate one’s story.

Sarah McCoy made a little hockey mask that represented the movie character of Jason in the “Friday the 13th” series. This is connected to one of her favorite writers, Edgar Allen Poe. Mattie Carter made a shortened pencil that represented her interest in writing and Stephen King’s stories. Morgie Lovett, who is originally from Key West, Florida, made a tiny house that represented one of that island’s well-known writers, Elizabeth Bishop.