Message from the Superintendent |
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Dear Mahopac Community,
As I celebrate my first Thanksgiving in Mahopac, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent. Our bright, engaged, and talented students amaze me every day. They excel in so many areas, in the classroom and beyond, while exhibiting kindness and respect.
Their success is made possible by our dedicated faculty and staff as well as the Mahopac community--individuals, families, and businesses who strive to support our students and each other. I am also grateful for the Board of Education members, who truly have the best interests of our students in mind with every decision they make.
We are all lucky to be part of the Mahopac family! I wish everyone in the Mahopac community a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Christine A. Tona
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Student Uses Machine Learning to Improve Energy Infrastructure |
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How much energy should the United States produce?
The nation has been grappling with that question since the dawn of electricity. Aalyaan Ali, a Mahopac High School junior, hopes to help answer it using machine learning.
A form of artificial intelligence, machine learning “trains” computers to make humanlike decisions without being explicitly programmed for them. Examples of machine learning include facial recognition, language translation, and self-driving cars.
Ali is in his second year of the high school’s Science Research program. While searching for a research topic, Ali was attracted to the use of machine learning to predict energy consumption. As he delved into existing research, Ali said he found that all of the work on this subject focused on energy consumption in commercial buildings.
“Over a quarter of the energy consumed in America is consumed by residential buildings,” Ali said. “The more accurately we can predict residential energy use, the greater the odds that we will neither over produce nor under produce energy for our needs. It’s about better predicting future energy consumption.”
Ali tested two machine-learning models to determine which one could more accurately predict energy consumption. Using data compiled by the United States Energy Information Association on energy use in 5,000 homes, Ali let each model “train” on data from 3,000 of those homes. He then asked each model to predict energy consumption in the remaining homes, based on characteristics like square footage and region.
“I learned how to use machine learning models to analyze residential energy consumption in the United States,” Ali said.
There are many applications for these types of machine learning models in infrastructure. Ali is excited by how better energy production estimates could improve both infrastructure and industry, as well as life for the average American.
“Less overproduction means less waste and less burden on infrastructure. Our infrastructure will last longer if it isn’t constantly being flooded with excess power,” Ali said. “An effective model could help homeowners find inefficiencies in energy use like if they have an old refrigerator or poor insulation. It could also help determine if they are paying for more electricity than they need based on the data.”
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Thanksgiving feasts and festivities were held at all of Mahopac's Elementary Schools this week. The staff and faculty at Austin Road, Fulmar Road, and Lakeview Elementary all wish their students, parents, and the greater Mahopac community, a Happy Thanksgiving.
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Mahopac Middle School Students Have Fun While Learning After School |
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Learning does not stop when the school bell rings.
Mahopac Middle School students have had fun learning after school in workshops sponsored by the Parent Teacher Organization for years. The workshops run the gamut from archery to beauty crafts to edible science projects.
“You’re out!” a student called out across the gym as colorful foam balls flew through the air.
With Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life blaring over the gym speakers, students played “Throw, Catch and Evade,” a complex form of dodgeball that calls for participants to duck, dip, dive and dodge their way to victory.
In the “Science is Yummy” workshop, students used plastic spoons to carve out the shapes of the phases of the moon from the cream of Oreo cookies. By the end of the class, and the end of more than one package of cookies, students had an entire chart of the moon's phases in Oreo cookie form. Mint and vanilla cookies represented the earth and the sun, enabling students to depict eclipses.
“In a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun, but in a lunar eclipse, the earth’s shadow covers the moon,” a student named Sabrina explained, sliding cookies around to illustrate the relative positions of celestial bodies.
Through after-school workshops, students are able to experience fun and varied lessons outside of the usual curriculum and many even sign up in pairs or groups, enjoying the activities with their friends.
“The most important part of the workshops is for students to be able to socialize with their peers,” Kathy Cuomo, organizer for the workshops, explained, “and to do it after school while learning something new.”
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Mahopac Alumni Molly McGrinder, Matt Luczkowski, Jenna Mayer, Avery Przymylski, Pat McMahon, and Anthony DeMatteo visited Mahopac High School to speak to students about their experiences after high school. After the panel, the alumni sat down to speak with Superintendent of Schools Christine Tona and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning Michael Tromblee.
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Taking a Cue from Nature:
Austin Road Students Innovate
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Velcro. Shark Skin swimsuits. Aircraft.
These are all examples of biomimicry, the practice of devising solutions to everyday problems using strategies from nature. Austin Road fourth graders learned about biomimicry recently in a workshop with Danny Carvill, an educator from the Center for Environmental Education at PNW BOCES.
When Carvill asked for a volunteer, Thomas stepped up to the front of the class. Carvill gently placed a small cluster of burrs on the back of the student’s shirt. As burrs often do, they stuck to the fourth grader’s shirt. Next, Carvill asked the students why the plants stuck to Thomas’ shirt.
“They’re seeds!” one student called out, “Spikes!” “Hooks!” yelled others.
Carvill explained that burrs have small hooks that grab onto loops in fabric and animal fur. In fact, the inventor of Velcro fasteners took the idea from the burrs that stuck tenaciously to his dog’s fur.
After providing other examples of biomimicry, Carvill challenged the students to take inspiration from the natural world and create their own inventions. Some drew wings that could carry a man in flight. Others made multi-purpose suits that could protect wearers against extreme temperatures and camouflage them in various terrain.
A student named Zaen drew an apparatus with multiple joints and strong, arm-like braces.
“It’s a claw grabber like on a praying mantis,” Zaen said. “It has hollow parts to scoop things up in case you want to grab something round that would normally slip out.”
By teaching students about biomimicry, teachers can connect the natural world, technology, human innovation, invention and sustainability – all relevant areas of study for today’s students.
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12/2 - SEPTO Cookies with Santa
12/8 - Parent Teacher Conferences
(Elementary Schools Half-day)
12/13 - Parent Teacher Conferences
(Elementary Schools Half-day)
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Mission Statement
To prepare each and every student for college and career readiness, and
to educate all students to be responsible and productive members
of the global community.
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Mahopac Central School District
179 East Lake Boulevard, Mahopac, NY 10541-1666
Phone: 845-628-3415 Fax: 845-628-5502
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