This is the blog I did not want to have to write. The end, the finish, the buck stops here. But in all sadness and ending comes newness and bright futures. It is with a heavy heart I say that the Lionville Middle School did not take first place at regional’s, but they did place 3 rd , and if you think about it, first year for the school, for the teacher and for myself, the mentor…..that’s pretty impressive. There were 52 schools...

As I write this, this students may be working on the model. I don't know for sure, and I won't know until Saturday. As far as I am involved, it is all up to them now. They are no longer meeting during class time, and even if they meet after school, I get out of the office much later than they get done class. The last thing I saw on Monday, was a bunch of buildings that needed to be placed, electrical connections that need tape and solder,...

Lionville Middle School has a unique way of adding things up. Special thanks to Principal Ross for making it all possible!. When you add 1 teacher and 1 mentor and multiply their efforts by 16 students. Then take that total and divide it across 6 hours, divide 6 pizzas among these people, what does that give you? Besides 4 pairs of Uggs getting painted and a lot of laughing? A very productive day!! That's what. Let me explain, this past Friday...

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jon Ross, the principal of Lionville Middle School this past week. I must say, the reason the students are excited, is because the teachers are excited, and the teachers are excited, is because Jon is excited. Although a few minutes late, I walked in to the class where all of the Future Cities engineering has been happening and Jon was at the front of the room speaking to the students. It was evident from the first...

The weekend came and went, and Monday found me back in class. The students wanted to ensure they could successfully copy their city to CD, so it can be submitted in the coming days. With a successful copy and test of the file to CD, it was on to the next phase. Mr. Raine assigned the students a brainstorming task. It was a series of 6 questions about their Future City. Questions like; What is the name of your city, What is the most distinctive feature...

Fridays are electric. Smiles are bigger, excitement is higher, and weekend fun is just moments away. So, imagine the surprise on my face, as I walk in to a dark, barely lit classroom full of eighth graders that is calm, hushed and reserved. Then I saw it, the Sim City model on the big screen! The students were all in their seats fully focused on the projector screen as Mr. Raines went through the list of requirements. In order to get the students...