Tag Archives: MMA Middle School

Middle School Science Fair Winners

 

MMA Science Fair
Middle school students took on a variety of projects.

The annual MMA Middle School Science Fair took place April 19-21, coinciding with the Spring Family Weekend. Under the direction of science teacher LTC Willis Kleinsorge, students conducted experiments and explained their findings. The winners were announced during the weekend:

1st Place Overall 2013 Science Fair Winner:
Eugenio Barrera and Carlos Ramos – “Getting A Bang Out Of Breath Spray”

 3-Way Tie: 2nd Place Overall 2013 Winners:
Juan A. Hernandez, Rodrigo Marroquin and Antonio Montes – “Producing Hydrogen Gas”
Daniel Perez & Ricardo Salido  – “Dancing Fire”
TaJae Blue – “Thermal Insulation”

 

 

 

 

 

 

8th Grade Science Fair Winners:

8th grade winner

1st Place and Medal:
Eugenio Barrera and Carlos Ramos – “Getting A Bang Out Of Breath Spray”

2nd Place and Medal:  (Tie)
Juan Antonio Hernandez, Rodrigo Marroquin and Antonio Montes – “Producing Hydrogen Gas”
Daniel Perez and Ricardo Salido – “Dancing Fire”
TaJae Blue – “Thermal Insulation”

3rd Place and Medal:
Sean Fitzgerald, YiHeng Hu, Julien Mugabo and Tan Pongsuea – “The Color of Flames”

Honorable Mention:
Jorge Aduna, Raul Escarcega and Sergio Mayer – “Elephant Toothpaste”

 

 

 

 

7th Grade Science Fair Winners:

IMG_9057

1st Place & Medal: (Tie)
Santiago Sada and Ivan Salinas – “Smoking”

1st Place & Medal: (Tie)
Juan Carlos Guerra and Juan Pablo Leal – “The Glowing Penny”

2nd Place & Medal:  (Tie)
Charlie Norman and Mason Scott – “The Fire Tornado”

2nd Place & Medal:  (Tie)
Jean-Luc Shyaka – “Which Popcorn Brand Pops The Best?”

3rd Place & Medal:
Samer Doumit and Juan Diego Gonzalez – “Nail Bed”

 

 

 

 

6th Grade Science Fair Winners:

 

sixth grade science fair winners1st Place & Medal:
Pablo Garza – “The First Turbine Ever Made”

2nd Place:  (Tie)
Chandler Bolinger and Braulio Garcia – “The Big Volcano”

2nd Place:  (Tie)
Yanni Le – “Colored Milk”

Junior Colonels Victorious in Overtime Thriller

There may be a new cross-town rivalry in the making in Mexico.  Missouri Military Academy‘s Junior Fighting Colonels basketball team defeated the St. Brendan’s Irish for the second time this season, the latest being a 32-26 overtime victory for the Jr. Colonels at the Centennial Gymtorium.

Juan Hernandez ’17 topped the scoresheet with 17 points and Juan Leal ’18 added eight points.

Head coach MAJ Mike Pemberton said the game was very physical and the Jr. Colonels came out sluggish, having trouble converting chances.  Help from the bench came in the form of Eugenio Barrera ’17, Tan Pongsuea ’17, and Tajae Blue ’17, who all provided a much-needed spark.  Pemberton said the story of the second half ended up being the MMA defense.

“They did an outstanding job and really kept us in the ball game,” Pemberton said.

The Jr. Colonels forced a couple of timely turnovers that turned into fast break opportunities in the extra frame, giving them the six-point victory.  MMA posted a 32-28 win over the Irish December 11.

Middle School Replicates Ancient Roman Aqueduct

One Missouri Military Academy instructor introduced a project to Middle School cadets this spring, and their hard word has finally shown.  LT Marc Wilson and his sixth and seventh grade Ancient World History and Geography classes constructed a 45-foot long working model of a Roman aqueduct.

The Romans engineered these structures to move water throughout the ancient city.  Wilson says the project helped cadets understand the basics of carpentry and masonry skills, and how people back then used those skills to improve their cities.

PHOTOS:  Cadets construct a replica of a Roman aqueduct

“I thought it was important for them to understand how people committed to this type of construction and what a feat it was for those cultures to build structures as grand and well-engineered as they did. Working together and learning the basics of some carpentry, masonry and engineering skills can do nothing but benefit our boys.”

Unlike the Ancient Romans, Wilson says cadets were allowed to use modern tools including drill and hammer drill, reciprocating saw, circular saw, jig saw, and others.  They learned how to measure, cut, level and support structures and mix, and lay mortar. Then they completed aqueduct runs water not just down a trough, but though a junction box with baffles to divert water to multiple places, just as Rome transferred water throughout the city from one source to many.

Overall, Wilson says the project took approximately 100 man hours to build and develop.  Cadets used a half-ton of reclaimed stone, a quarter-ton of mortar, and 6,000 board feet of lumber.

2012 Spring Sports Banquet

Missouri Military Academy honored its spring sports teams at a special banquet on campus.  MMA’s baseball, tennis, track and field, golf, Raiders, and Middle School track teams convened in Barnard Hall for Friday night’s dinner.  Athletic Director LT John Noel began the night with a few comments recapping the season, including MMA’s unprecedented season sweep over Wentworth Military Academy in all competitive events in 2011-2012.

Coaches of their respective sports recognized players who contributed the most on the field and on the track this spring.  Most Valuable Player, Best Sportsmanship, and Most Improved Player were just some of the honors bestowed on the athletes.  Varsity athletes were also given their letters.

Noel also presented the yearly awards to the most outstanding athletic cadets.

Photos from Friday night’s banquet can be seen by clicking here.

LT Noel presents Santiago Bou ’12 with the Most Valuable Player award for golf.

Middle School Track Finishes 2012 Season

It was a year of widespread improvement for the Missouri Military Academy Middle School track team.  LTC Willis Kleinsorge led the squad that competed in three meets this spring – at Centralia, at Mexico, and at Moberly.

Kleinsorge says the middle school athletes made impressive strides in a number of events.  David Gu ’16 brought home a bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the Centralia meet, and improved upon his time in each meet.

Jason Russell ’16 also earned a silver medal for his performance in the 800-meter run in the Centralia meet.  Russell also improved his personal best time by almost 30 seconds in the 1600-meter run at Moberly.

Byron Amidon ’16 prepares to hand off the baton to Jack Moore ’16 in the 4×100 relay event.

As for group events, the relay team of Byron Amidon ’16, Jack Moore ’16, Gu,and Rafael Lozano ’17 sprinted to a gold medal finish in the 4 X 100-meter event at Centralia.

In field events, Amidon also earned a medal for his throw in the shot put event.  His heave traveled 36 feet and 10 inches, good for a silver medal.

Overall, Kleinsorge says the middle school track team learned a lot during the spring season.  The cadets participated in a number of track and field events, perhaps preparing them for a future as a part of the MMA track team.

The team did not win any of the meets in which they participated, but Kleinsorge says the season was an excellent learning experience for his squad.

Khonaysser Earns Top Library Honor

Missouri Military Academy seventh-grader Nicolas Khonaysser ’17 has earned recognition for his love of reading.  MMA Librarian CPT Kathy Larison says Khonaysser earned the Library Bar award by reading at least 20 books and logging at least five total hours shelving in the library.  He is the first recipient of the award so far this school year, and the first middle school student to receive it since changes were made to the award’s requirements in 2009.

Khonaysser, of Brentwood, Calif., takes in one of his favorite books in the Richard White ’47 Reading Room.

Larison says Nicolas chose to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books.  She added that most of the titles he chose were at a high reading level.

Khonaysser says he enjoyed Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen, a popular non-fiction book, and Catching Fire, one of the books in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.  However, he says, his favorite book of all was Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell, a biography by Karen DeYoung.  He added he’s read through it more than once.

Khonaysser received the award after reading at least 20 books for at least five total hours in the library.

Larison says Khonaysser also needed to write a short summary about each book he read in order to obtain the award.

MMA cadets earning the ribbon in previous years include high school students Jared Roberts ’12, Eoghan Matthews ’13, and Nicholas Mabbs ’14.

Middle School Cadets Recognized for Academic Achievement

Three cadets in Missouri Military Academy’s middle school have been rewarded for their outstanding academic performance in the first trimester.  Middle School Principal MAJ Richards Boyce presented Tajae Blue ’17, Brennan Cope ’18, and Quentin Heasler ’16 with the Honor Medal and Scholarship Bar at lunch today.  The honor is awarded to those cadets who maintain a 3.7 GPA for all three months of a trimester.

Pictured (L to R):  Tajae Blue ’17, Brennan Cope ’18, Quentin Heasler ’16, MAJ Richards Boyce

December’s Teacher of the Month

CPT Craig Flynn is enjoying his third year of teaching middle school English at Missouri Military Academy. Prior to working at MMA he taught at both Mexico High School and Mexico Junior High School. He has been teaching for twelve years.  CPT Flynn brings a great background to his work. Before becoming a teacher he was a successful restaurateur in mid-Missouri. He has worked as the “boss” and manager of young people for many years and he knows what they need to learn in order to be successful outside of school.  CPT Flynn and his wife, Millie, have a daughter in St. Louis and are enjoying getting to know Finn, their first grandson.

CPT Flynn teaches Middle School English and Creative Writing

Cadets Help Feed Over 500 Mexico Children

500 Audrain Country children in need received food through a successful program sponsored by the Central Missouri Food Bank and Missouri Military Academy. On Wednesday, November 16, a large delivery headed their way as a result of MMA cadets’ volunteered hours with the “Buddy Pack” program.

Since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, MMA cadets have volunteered their Tuesday evenings to collect and pack up donated food that helps feed hungry children in Mexico, Mo. Representatives from the Central Missouri Food Bank visited the school to help put together the delivery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle School Principal MAJ Richards Boyce, who oversees the program at MMA, says it is very special to take part in the Buddy Packs program, and it is important for the cadets to learn the significance of charity and giving.

The Food Bank’s representatives assisted cadets in loading collected food into trucks to be distributed.  This is the second year the two groups have teamed up to fight hunger in Audrain County.

Colonels Wrap Up Fall Sports Season with Awards Banquet

Missouri Military Academy honored the school’s football and middle school basketball teams at a banquet Thursday night.  Cadets and a handful of parents gathered for dinner and an awards presentation in the atrium of Barnard Hall.  MajGen Robert M. Flanagan was in attendance to assist in presenting the awards.

A number of seniors, among other cadets, earned recognition for this year’s football season from coach LT Marc Wilson and Athletic Director LT John Noel:

Most outstanding offensive player – Samuel Udeh ‘12

Most outstanding defensive player – Clayton Workman ‘12

Best linemen – Reese King ‘12 and Eric Strauss ‘12

Senior Leadership Award – Clayton Workman ‘12

Best Back – Samuel Udeh ‘12

Best JV Player – Marcelo Gomez ‘14

Medals for Captainship – Landon Smalley ‘12 and Travis Skinner ‘12

Colonel’s Sportsmanship Award – Landon Smalley ‘12

Most improved player – Nathan Hollinger ‘12

Best newcomer – Luke Lowry ‘14