Virginia State Sen. George Barker (D-39th), spoke to more than 150 Hayfield middle school students. Eighth grade students study civics, including how the state legislature works in Virginia, and how it differs from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Sen. Barker talked to students about what it's like to be a state senator, how he got elected (by visiting more than 17,000 homes), and the major issues they are addressing at the state level--including school funding.
At the recent Virginia State Science Fair at George Mason University, Samantha Dodbele won first place in Environment Management with her project titled "Saprophytic Bacteria." She also was selected as a Grand Prize Nominee, was chosen for the Virginia Dental Association Award and the "Maximum Sustainable Development" award. Her paper will be published in the June edition of Conservation Currents. Of the 204 qualifiers at the state meet, seven were from Hayfield Secondary.
The Hayfield Science Olympiad Team, led by Mary Anne Jefferson, participated in the Virginia State Science Olympiad which is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. The meet included 19 teams from around Virginia that participated in 23 state-level competitions. Some of the notable awards given were:
1st Place, Ecology — Kelsey O’Hara and Cole Eskridge
2nd Place, Astronomy — Josh Trebach and Ploy Vontongsalee
2nd Place, Write It Do It — Josh Trebach and Emily Eastlake
3rd Place, Boomilever — Kelsey O’Hara
3rd Place, Cell Biology — Josh Trebach and Rachel Brisson
Two Cosmetology II students competed in the Skills USA State Competition. Stephanie Cao was the nail artist and Giovanna Herbas was the model. The scope of the contest involved sculpture and silk wrap nails. Stephanie told a beautiful story of two young people that fell in love and got married through the art on Giovanna's nails. These two students will represent the State of Virginia at the National level later in June.