Dutch Fork High News & Celebrations

April Students of the Months at Dutch Fork Highs School were given their certificates of recognition and treated to a Chick-Fil-A lunch complements of our PBIS committee and the faculty and staff of Dutch Fork High School. We appreciate this group of students and how well they represent themselves as well as our school. Each of these students was nominated by faculty or staff at Dutch Fork High School for their contributions inside and outside of the classroom. We want to make sure that we recognize how unique and special each one of them is and, in addition, acknowledge their going above and beyond what is expected of them on a daily basis.

Shown from left to right:

Graylyn Lukowski, Norah Evans, Matrice Clark, Trenton Brooks, Aliam Appler, Dr. Gerald Gary, Hope Mitchell, Stephen Gwaltney, Luke Reeves, Ebony Pough

Not shown:Charlie Rogers

Dutch Fork High School baseball coach Casey Waites has been selected as a coach for the SCBCA All-Star games. Coach Waites will coach the 5A-2A-1A South team. During his nine years as Dutch Fork High School's baseball coach, the Silver Foxes have won three region titles (2015, 2016, 2021) and three district championships (2017, 2018, 2019). The Dutch Fork Silver Foxes won the 5A State Championship in 2019. Coach Waites was also named SCBCA Coach of the Year in 2019.

Fifteen students from Dutch Fork High School were recently named the winners of the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity of the University of South Carolina Rube Goldberg Invention Competition.

The contest was developed from the creative cartoons of William Heath Robinson and Pulitzer Prize winning Ruben Lucious Goldberg. Both of these artists from the early 1900s created cartoons of simple tasks that were made into overly complicated machines by using everyday items. Goldberg’s cartoons sparked students’ interest nationwide to replicate and in turn compete to design machines that use the most complex processes to complete the simplest of tasks.

The 2022 Theta Tau Rube Goldberg Invention Competition asked students to create a machine with an end goal to “Crush a can”. The machine had to have a minimum of 15 steps and a run time of at least 2 minutes. Themes were encouraged to be incorporated into the design as part of the judging criteria, along with creativity and presentation. Dutch Fork High’s Rube Goldberg team chose an “Avengers” theme and each person or pair chose a section of the device and a character.

Engineering teacher and team advisor Robin Amick shared the importance of the competition for her students, “Activities like this one provide real-world experiences that not only bring in STEM skills, but also promote 21st-Century skills. It is so important for the growth of students, and the STEM program, to connect our content to the world outside of our classroom.”

The students worked after school for several days to put together the device, find creative ways to design each section and problem solve.

“This project required hours of hard work outside of school to make it the best it could possibly be. Every member of our team was dedicated, worked hard, and put in tons of effort in order to get this project done in time,” said Dutch Fork High School senior William Wei.

Members of the Dutch Fork High Rube Goldberg team included: Aamina Azhar, Trenton Brooks, Connor Dampier, Robert Faison, Sullivan French, Langston Ginn, Favian Gutierrez, August Horton, AJ Johnson, Jennifer Liu, Emma Meihofer, Olivia Meihofer, Annalise Turner, William Wei, and Jeffrey Zheng. Advisor Patrick Hunter, a member of the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity, also joined the team to assist with the machine design.

“It was just an amazing feeling to win this competition in my final year at Dutch Fork with my teammates and Mrs. Amick,” said Wei. “Mrs. Amick dedicated countless hours in assisting us, suggesting ideas, and making sure our project flowed correctly. Without her, we would not have been able to accomplish this feat. Even though there were many, many times of extreme frustration, we were able to power through and solve the problem together. It was truly just incredible to see everyone’s hard work on this project come to fruition and win first place.”

(Communications Office, 4.22.22)

Just a friendly reminder your Chromebook must be in a case in order to receive a loaner should you need yours repaired.

As we enter into the testing season for AP, EOC, and School exams, don't forget the school still has free before school and after school tutoring. Stay focused as we approach the end of the school year. Good luck!

• Test Book Trove -- Need help studying for the SAT , ACT, or an AP test? Borrow a study guide from our Test Book Trove Book Locker, located across the hall from Room 255. Email Mrs. Thur (jgthur@lexrich5.org) with questions.
• Service Hours - Seniors should turn in their service hours by May 2nd, 2022. Juniors may turn in their hours by the end of the year.
• Graduation Stoles - Stoles will be available to seniors who have completed their service hours.

http://vipdecals.com/

Parents of Dutch Fork seniors, the deadline for the final order of graduation yard signs is today! Celebrate your senior’s big day and get a sign for your home or that of a family member. Place your order by today, April 29th, to receive a sign.

Students are allowed ten unexcused absences in a year-long class and five for a semester class. Students who go beyond these unexcused absences must present accepted excuses (medical e.g.). Those who do not have proper excuses will need to participate in the DFHS Student Attendance Makeup Program (SAMP) to receive credit for the class. SAMP will start on April 25th and go through May 28th. Please contact attendance at (803) 476-3326 if you have any questions.

Senior Celebration will be Tuesday, May 31 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. More information will come soon. Please email Mrs. Erin Rivers at earivers@lexrich5.org with any questions.

Student Registration Open Now!

Virtual Job Fair for Graduating High School Students in the Midlands

May 5, 2022

MEBA has partnered with Midlands SC Works to host a virtual job fair for graduating high school seniors seeking employment after graduation on May 5, 2022, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Students will need to set up an account by using the "login" button at the link below. They will be prompted to enter their name, email address and create a password. Once the account is set up, the student will upload their resume, answer questions about their education, experience, and background. The student can then search and learn more about participating employers, chat with an employer representative, and reserve a spot to interview with an employer of their choice.

MEBA encourages all educators and students participating to watch the tutorial located at the link below to get a full understanding of how the virtual event platform works and how communication will take place. It is very user friendly.

Virtual Site Link: Registration for Midlands HS Class of 2022 Virtual Job Fair

May 20, 2022, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (tentative time)

Terminix Services, Inc. has several career opportunities at various branch locations in the Midlands. High school seniors seeking full-time work after graduation in June are encouraged to participate in this opportunity. There are many technical and innovative career pathways at Terminix including pest control tech/route manager, customer care specialist, termite tech, and accounts payable clerk/specialist. All job openings are listed on https://www.workforterminix.com/apply. Last week we had 39 job openings, pest control tech/route manager, customer care specialist, termite tech and an accounts payable clerk/specialist. An updated list of job openings will be provided the week prior to the day of interviews, along with additional details and information regarding the online application process. Interviews will take place at their main office located at 3612 Fernandina Rd, Columbia, SC 29210. To learn more about Terminix, visit their website at www.terminix.com.

IMPORTANT: If you are interested in scheduling an interview, or have any questions, please contact Mrs. Erler at nerler@lexrich5.org. Students have to be registered through the school in order to participate in the interview process.

SENIORS: If you are planning on attending Midlands Technical College after graduation, the ACCUPLACER placement test will be given on campus during the below dates. If you need to take the placement test, please contact Mrs. Erler at nerler@lexrich5.org or stop by room 202 to sign up. All test times will begin at 8:20am. Students are responsible for any missed class work.

*May 12th

If you are thinking about joining the military after high school or interested in learning more about what career path might be for you, the following are the ASVAB test dates for this school year. Please email Mrs. Erler at nerler@lexrich5.org or stop by room 202 to sign up. All test times will begin at 8:20am. Students are responsible for any missed class work.

* May 10th