The Shadow
A project spearheaded by Alleghany High School students will be featured at the New Tech National Conference in Orlando, Fla.
The project deals with the role that protein plays in early development.
It was finalist for Project of the Year. The research done by the students has received national and international attention. Copies of the work has been requested from as far away as Australia.
AHS teachers Jackie Almarode and “Senor” Robert Tucker will present the mechanics of their project at the national conference in a 75-minute session. Students Gabe Miller and Mackenzie Hepler will present a 30-minute “grab and go” session on community involvement.
In the evaluation of the project by New Tech it was noted that “the collaboration between the school’s Spanish, Health/PE, and Agriculture departments and FFA (Future Farmers of America) club is very unique.”
Almarode said since it can be difficult for facilitators in rural schools to find strong adult and community connections for projects, it’s even more impressive that the students in this project facilitated connections with large, well-known businesses.
While their initial project has ended, side projects related to their protein study continue, and “Jerri,” the region’s first therapy chicken, has now become a media star.
Almarode said, “Our presentations in Orlando are designed to show other schools how we were able to put our project together and have it run as well as it did so that they can apply what we did to projects in their home districts. There were some who felt that when we went to PBL (project-based learning) that our students would never be able to do it as well as students from school districts in larger areas with more resources than we have here in the Alleghany Highlands, but our students have shown that they can compete with the best of the best.
“At first the students were very nervous about presenting their project in Orlando when they found out that there would be thousands of people there from all over the United States, but soon they were telling me that they could handle it,” Almarode added. “To say that I am proud of our students, school and community would be an understatement.”
She noted that accepting change is not easy and students, parents and staff at AHS had to adjust to project and problem based learning.
Almarode said Hepler was one of the students who did not like the change at first. Now she is a student ambassador for PBL and will be presenting in Orlando this summer.
“Being asked to represent my school at a national conference has been such an honor. This opportunity has given me more confidence in myself which is something I believe everyone should have,” Hepler said.
Miller said that he was most impressed by the amount of interest that was generated because of the project.
“This project has helped me grow exponentially in responsibility. Before this year, I would remember to do my homework and turn stuff in on time, but never really had much responsibility besides that. Now, I have grown to an entire new level in responsibility,” he said.
Tucker, who has taught at Alleghany High School for 38 years, said he has been blown away by what he has seen this year not only from the students but from the area as a whole.
“We never would be where we are without the support of our students, their parents, our school board, our community and The Alleghany Foundation.
“When I say support, it goes so far beyond anything I could have imagined. School board members, board of supervisors members and members of The Alleghany Foundation have taken an active part ensuring our students are successful. They have not only given us the financial resources needed, but they have given our students their time as well.”
Tucker added: “Leo Mulcahy from the foundation, whose children have graduated from Alleghany County Public Schools, has attended several student project presentations, is a member of our NTN implementation leadership team, and has provided our students with ideas for the next steps with their projects. After one of his visits, one of our students stated to me, that she had an answer to one of his questions. I was impressed.”
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Two students and two faculty members from Alleghany High School will give a presentation at the New Tech National Conference in Orlando, Fla. From left are student Mackenzie Hepler, faculty members Jackie Almarode and “Senor”?Robert Tucker, and student Gabe Miller. (AHS Photo)
