The Longfellow Activity Room was a buzz on Tuesday, February 4th as
the Kennedy-Longfellow fifth grade hosted the annual KeyPal breakfast.
The room was packed with students, staff, and parents along with the
adult KeyPal volunteers from IBM, MIT, and Draper Laboratory. The group
was served a hot breakfast that was coordinated between Nancy Wyse, KLO
Family Liaison and Mellissa Honeywood, Food and Nutrition Services. The
students thoroughly enjoyed this special treat and truly appreciated the
efforts of the KLO Food Service Staff that went above and beyond as
usual.
This is always a great opportunity for parents and
families to meet the adult KeyPal that their child has been matched
with. Students shared their work and school with families and KeyPals.
Grade 5 students shared pictures and videos of their in-class activities
and of their field trips to the Maynard Ecology Center, Museum of
Natural History, and the Museum of Science so that the KeyPals and
parents could make connections to the students' learning experiences.
Students,
KeyPals, and parents worked in groups on a design challenge to create
Ping Pong Ball Tower. This challenge was provided by our KeyPal site
coordinator from Draper Laboratory, Denise Mytko, who recently joined
Draper as their Community Relations & K-12 STEM Manager. Each team
received a gallon Ziploc bag that included the following: 1 ping pong
ball, 1.5 feet of painters’ tape, 5 index cards, 4 paperclips, 3 straws,
and one pipe cleaner. Students used the items provided to them to
design the tallest tower with the ping pong ball highest from the
surface of the table. The room was energized as teams worked on this
task. There were many extraordinary designs that showed how creative
each group was.
The team with the highest tower included:
Jaylen McCarthy along with his father and his KeyPal Heather
Kasanovich of Draper along with Nikoliss McGuffie and his KeyPal Mike
Dolan of IBM.
Runners up: Abdul Eddaiff and his KeyPal Steve Lanou of MIT.
A
great time was had by all. Students are looking forward to their next
KeyPal visit which will be held at Draper, MIT, and IBM in March.
The
KeyPal program here at KLO is currently in its 20th year. The KLO staff
truly appreciates their partnership with Cambridge School, MIT, Draper,
and IBM. This longstanding partnership credits its success from the
commitment of dedicated volunteers that collaborate with our students
that opens a unique window for students to develop career awareness and
see what these institutions due for our local community.