Annual Keypal Breakfast

Annual Keypal Breakfast

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.

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