Today in Tri-Sci we designed chairs out of newspaper and tape. Above, EMILY tests her group's design. Congrats to EMILY, for also earning 7th grade student of the month! Below, EMMA, MEGAN, and JESSY show off their creation. We are very lucky to have this Cornell-sponsored club here at Groton Middle School. Check out their website here. CHANGE OF PLAN: The frog dissection is now TOMORROW (Thursday).

Jordan, nice Worm!

TYLER P. squares off against his opponent in last night's wrestling tournament...right before he pinned him!

Well I couldn't find that video clip of the BBC's Planet Earth program but here is another set to the music of Iceland's Sigur ros. This is from Microcosmos. We watched that earlier this year. You'll need high speed access and not be at school.

Today Mr. Wiech (HS Earth Science) and I constructed the first of six compost bins for "Rot-in-Groton". Stop by Mr. Davis's room to check it out! We estimate that it'll take about a month of cafeteria scraps to fill one bin. More pictures and info here.

Oh, I got you guys good! Pretty soon I will no longer be handing out extra papers for those that lose them. Soon I will just say: "Well...go to the blog and DOWNLOAD it."

Muhahaha.

In other news, several middle school students showed up to support the boys varsity basketball team in their playoff game Wed. night.

I hope everyone is having a nice break! My high school science club is looking for several 5-gallon buckets for our school-wide compost project. However, they must be empty in the inside and have a lid (and a handle would be awesome). We will be recycling these buckets for compost containers...they typically accumulate in basements, garages, and attics but don't take them without permission. You can bring these to my room in the morning, where I will store them. Thanks guys!

Today we talked about arthropods and particularly insects in relation to pesticide resistance. Here, JENNA gets a closer look at a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Also, congrats to JENNA and NICK S. for winning a free week of summer camp through the essay contest.

NO SCHOOL THURSDAY! Looks like there'll be a science take-home test over break.

Today we dissected earthworms (from the phylum Annelida). It was our first dissection of the year and everyone did a nice job. Here, LEVI and ZACH display their craftmanship.
NICOLE, MIKAELA, SIERRA, and TASIA get serious with their dissections.
You can find more information to help with your labs here and here. These labs will be due FRIDAY. ALSO..Alen found this site, which is really good too.

Today we got a sneak preview of Groton Middle/High School's school-wide composting project. You may notice some changes around the school as we move forward with this project. You will receive information within the next few months as to what food scraps can be added to the pile. Together we will help save the world, one banana peel at a time. Ongoing coverage can be found here and the powerpoint we saw today is available in the Shared Folder.

Hey Everyone. Just a reminder that we should try to keep our last names off the blog. Please just sign it with your first name OR first name with last initial. As you can see from the map, people all over the world read our posts...which is pretty cool by the way! Thank You.

-Management

Today in 5th period, STEPHANIE B. and her mom did a very cool demonstration for us. They showed us how they test goat droppings for parasites. We only found a couple (which is a good thing). I've learned that there are many parasites out there which infect goats, sheep, etc. so it's a constant battle to keep them healthy.

JESSE S. contemplates whether or not she wants to devour the foot and visceral mass of a clam during the section on Mullusks today in class.
Mollusca madness with 5th period!
CHRIS G. and his new bivalve friend.

Here is a picture of the male Satin Bowerbird of tropical Australia that we talked a little about today. This particular fella looks like he did a good job decorating his front yard. I'm sure all the girls dig him.

Today everyone got to take home a pet planaria as a necklace. Here, some members of 8th period get a closer look at their new pets.

Here is some pretty cool bacterial growth after nearly 2 weeks in an agar-filled petri dish. I got the original sample by swabbing the inside of the drinking fountain spout. Don't worry though. I'd be more concerned if you don't wash your hands before lunch!

Thursday night the girls modified basketball team beat, bitter rival, Dryden in an exciting finish. There was excellent effort throughout our whole team. Everyone was very agressive (diving after balls, falling on the ground, etc), which leads me to wonder why some ask, during class, if they can go to the nurse because their "leg hurts". And was that Mr. Lott on the Dryden side??
The Boys showed up to support the Girls.