Gorham Middle School SAIL

On Saturday, April 4th, Gorham had eight teams compete at the Odyssey of the Mind Tournament. All of our teams performed exceptionally well, with three teams placing 1st and two teams placing 3rd! The 5th-grade Narragansett team took 1st place in the performance problem and also received the Dube Award. This award is given to the team that achieves the highest score in all three categories—long-term, style, and spontaneous—when competing against six or more teams. We also had two 7th-grade teams compete in the Division 2 performance problem. The 5th-grade Great Falls team also placed 1st, competing in the technical problem .  Additionally, the 4th-grade Great Falls team secured 1st place in the structure problem. The 6th-grade Vehicle team placed 3rd. An 8th-grade team that competed in the Classics problem also placed 3rd. Another 8th-grade team competed in the Classics problem and placed 4th. 

6th graders used  the Edison robots and experimented with bar-code programming to use the "Sumo Wrestle" mode.   They built onto their robots with LEGOs and competed with each other, attempting to be the last robot standing. 6th graders broke into 2 teams to compete in an obstacle course competition.  They measured distances and angles, then coded their Edison robots to navigate the plastic "gates" to the end of the course.  The winning team had to make their robot drive through each gate first. 7th grade: Working as a group, the students taped a marker to the back of the Edison robot and used coding to program the robot to mark a line through each box on the paper grid taped to the tabletop.  This challenge was timed, including brainstorming and coding time, to compete with the 2 other grade levels.  The 7th-grade team won!

Amelia Pennell, a 6th grader at Gorham Middle School, has had her bird pin design selected as this year's Odyssey of the Mind bird pin! Each year, Odyssey of the Mind invites students to create new pins that represent their region, and we are excited to announce that Amelia's design will represent Maine. This bird pin is particularly meaningful as it will be sold at the World Finals, where teams from around the globe participate in pin collecting and trading. Amelia's design will proudly showcase our state to the entire world this year!

Over the past few months, students have immersed themselves in a hands-on, performance-based restaurant project that brought real-world concepts to life. They explored important topics such as sales tax, bulk purchasing, and the strategic application of 30% markups, all while gaining a deep understanding of restaurant profitability. Putting this knowledge into practice, they created their own unique restaurant concepts, developing original recipes, sourcing ingredients, and carefully pricing each meal to ensure profitability. The highlight of the project was inviting their fellow 5th-graders to experience their culinary creations firsthand and "place orders" from the menus. This project provided an exceptional opportunity for students to apply a variety of math skills in a meaningful context, as they calculated profits and discovered the impact of their decisions in a vibrant, real-life setting! A Dream Come True Restaurant                ...

  Fourth-grade SAIL-Math students at Great Falls had a fantastic experience creating their own pets to sell in our Pet Shop. As part of this hands-on project, they crafted models of their pets and all the necessary supplies to care for them. We welcomed their fellow fourth graders to our pet shop, allowing them to browse and purchase their favorite pets and supplies. This project served as an excellent opportunity for students to apply a wide range of math skills while engaging in real-life scenarios related to pet ownership. It was a truly enjoyable and interactive experience, and I was truly impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm displayed by all the students! 😊

 To kick off the start of a new school year, students in the SAIL-ELA program created  Autobiographical Life Islands, where students represent their lives metaphorically through symbols. This project aims to promote affective skills such as self-awareness, identity, and creative expression. I truly enjoy starting the year with this project because it provides a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know each other on a deeper level.

The CubeSAT team participated in a high-altitude balloon launch for the USM CubeSat Challenge at the University of Maine in Farmington. Their mission was to send an isopod into space inside a terrarium, hoping to keep it alive throughout the journey. Despite their tremendous efforts—including the use of hand warmers, insulation, a pressurized jar, and moss for oxygen—the isopod unfortunately did not survive. However, the team gained valuable insights from this experience and has already begun brainstorming ideas for their mission in next year's CubeSAT challenge.

 The CubeSAT team visited the  University of Southern Maine’s Maker Innovation Studio (MIST) and the USM CubeSat Design Laboratory and worked with Dr. Eaton to construct, program, test, and certify the operation of their CubeSat prior to launch. The CubeSAT needed to pass all tests to get approved to launch on May 29th, and it did!  The different tests were:   1. Weight & Size Must meet the 1.5U CubeSat design volume form factor of 10cm X 10cm X 15cm (91.5 in 3 ) Must weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) 2. Drop Test  Must survive a fall from 3 feet (0.91 m) in Earth’s gravity 3. Pressure Test Must be capable of operating in conditions up to 90,000 feet (27.7 km)

We had an incredible STEAM Night at the Middle School last night, filled with creativity and innovation! Two talented Odyssey of the Mind teams showcased their imaginative skits, which not only entertained the audience but also highlighted their problem-solving skills and teamwork. Additionally, our CubeSAT team presented an exciting overview of their upcoming mission, detailing the objectives and scientific exploration their satellite will undertake. The night served as a fantastic opportunity for students to demonstrate their passions and for families to appreciate the value of STEAM education in a fun and interactive environment.

Throughout the year, SAIL-math students dedicated themselves to a collaborative project with the Gorham Recreational Department focused on designing a new playground as part of the Robie Park Project. They had the opportunity to meet with Cindy Hazelton, the Director of the Gorham Parks and Recreation Department, where they learned about the expansion plans for Robie Park. The students were challenged to design and research various play structures for this new playground, which significantly enhanced their problem-solving and creative skills. They discovered that meticulous planning is essential for creating a new playground that is accessible to everyone. This involved calculating the usage size for their equipment, developing blueprints that adhered to the town's approved square footage, and researching ground surfacing options, ultimately choosing between wood chips and unitary surfaces. Additionally, they contacted companies to obtain sales prices for their selected playgroun...

Our 7th grade USM CubeSAT team (The Ramonauts) has been working hard all year to create a mission proposal for USM's high-altitude CubeSAT balloon launch. They needed to conceptualize and plan a mission proposal that was evaluated and scored by a team of judges. Their proposal scored high enough to advance them to phase 2 of the competition, which involves building an original payload design that meets the UCDC mission objectives and competing for the “Maine Cube Cup” trophy. This competition is designed to challenge student teams to collaboratively perform complex engineering tasks, spur creativity, and gain hands-on engineering experience.  The next step for the team is to build and test their device. USM has purchased the specific hardware and supplies necessary for their design package. During this phase, finalists will be invited to the University of Southern Maine’s Maker Innovation Studio (MIST) and the USM CubeSat Design Laboratory to work directly with USM personnel to con...

  Gorham's  Odyssey of the Mind teams had great success at the tournament last Saturday! This was the largest tournament in over 14 years, with nearly 100 teams competing from Maine, NH, and Mass. Great Falls 4th-grade team placed 1st in the Division 1 technical problem: Village 5th-grade team placed 1st in the Division 1 vehicle problem: Narragansett 4th-grade team placed 2nd in the Division 1 performance problem: Narragansett 5th-grade team placed 2nd in the Division 1 technical problem: Gorham Middle School's 6th grade team placed 3rd in the Division 2 Classicis problem: Gorham Middle School's 7th grade team placed 1st in the Division 2 Vehicle problem: Gorham Middle School's 8th grade team placed 3rd in the Division 2 Performance problem: