April Recap and IMSAlloqium

Campfire & S'mores Night

During the school day on April 9^th, those who had done an SIR project gave a practice presentation in preparation for the upcoming IMSAlloqium. A lot of work went into these independent research endeavors and therefore the practice presentation was a stressful day for many of them. And so, later that night, the Wing took advantage of a beautiful night to start a campfire, play some Frisbee, and make some S’mores after 10-check. It was a big hit and the guys really enjoyed being able to relax and just be kids. 

Michael Wang '15 prepping his S'mores. 

Justin Orr '16, Cam Hudgins '16, Josh Burke '16, Richard Noriega '14, &
Evan Derse '14 enjoying the glow of the fire. 

Daniel Collins '15 & Joshua Rodriguez '16 toasting their marshmallows.

The young men of 1504D Wing.

IMSAlloqium 2014

IMSAlloqium was a day full of our Juniors and Seniors presenting the research that they had been doing for the past year (or two). Many of our guys presented and it was quite evident that they had put in a great deal of work into some high-quality research. It was definitely one of those days that made you appreciate just how talented these students are. It was also a pleasure to see many of you, the parents, that day as you went to see your son present. Below are some photos from the day of those who gave presentations. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the SIR presentation of Daniel Collins '15. He did research on musical sonatas. 

Evan Derse' 14 did an SIR on making air turbines more
energy efficient, while also reducing noise pollution.

David Lisk '14 did an SIR on creating a water filter that
kills bacteria more effectively. 

Ziang (Leon) Wang '15 did an SIR on cost-saving and
environmental benefits of green roofs that collect
rain runoff.

Mateusz Wojtaszek '14 did an SIR on reducing toxic silver runoff
in common water filters and thereby water-borne illnesses.

Wenhan (Michael) Wang '15 did an SIR on stem cell research
and its application towards Parkinson's disease.

Rajiv Trehan '15 did an SIR on the use of fluorescence in order to better identify
and locate cancerous cells and tumors prior to surgery.

All and all, it was a very impressive set of presentations and I'm very proud of the work these talented, young men have done.

Dessert Date

On the 22^nd, we had our final Dinner Date of the year. We did it potluck style and thank you to all the parents who sent their kids back with some truly delicious treats. It was an impressive spread and I know our students enjoyed the chance to get out of the halls, enjoy some desserts, and socialize. This is truly one of those great events where your sons have a chance to just be a teenager. This night was also marked by some impromptu toasting and roasting by one of our well-known Seniors, Nick Golinvaux ’14. 

The spread of desserts, including root beer floats.

Dessert dates are a great opportunity to socialize and have fun!

"Tough Guise" Program

The final major event we had in April was titled “Tough Guise”. I made this event mandatory for our guys because I believe it holds an important message. This event lasted roughly 2.5 hours, was put on by the male RCs, and had over 150 of IMSA’s young men in attendance. Students rotated through 3 breakout sessions that dealt with masculinity & language, what it means to be a guy at IMSA, and the importance of consent and communication in romantic relationships and dealings. All and all, this event provided a great space for our guys to think about and critically discuss what it means to be a young man in our society and how this influences our understandings of sex and consent. It was a very well-regarded program and I have had countless conversations with your sons since then that have included references to what was discussed that night. It clearly got through to them.