Charter school brightens final round of energy contest
If you're looking for ways to help the environment, you should take some notes from a team of local students.
A group of eighth-graders at the Cambridge Lakes Charter School has advanced to the final round of the iDesign competition at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
The competition, sponsored by BP, challenges students to design exhibits that showcase sustainable energy solutions.
The charter school team has designed an exhibit on how LED lights can be a lower-energy alternative to incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lights.
The Cambridge Lakes team's essay, storyboard and model won the group a spot in the "final four" of the competition.
The team will present its exhibit proposal to a panel of judges on May 9. The museum will announce the winning team later this month.
The winning team's exhibit will become a part of a larger energy solution showcase at the museum, and the team will be recognized when the full energy exhibit opens.
The winning team also gets a $3,000 grant for science-related materials, a laptop for the team's teacher and a $50 Target gift card for each student on the team.
Students view modern art: Another group of students at the charter school got a rare opportunity to learn about contemporary art last month.
About 100 students from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades took a trip to the Rockford Art Museum to view an exhibit of work by the Zhou brothers.
The artists collaborate on sculptures and paintings that have been exhibited in cities around the world -- including Chicago, where they now reside.
Their paintings look like a cross between cave art and a Rorschach inkblot test, and no doubt provided plenty of food for discussion.
The Cambridge Lakes group also created a work of art with the help of the Rockford museum's artist in residence.
The students were able to visit the museum because their teacher, Holly Blair-Cascio, applied for and won a $900 Target field trip grant.
Thespian troupe at Jacobs: The players at Jacobs High School are always up to something.
Last month, I wrote about the high school staging "Guys and Dolls." I also met the Jacobs Film Club, and watched as four young actors auditioned for a role in the club's first movie.
This month, the Drama Club is at it again with two productions: "The Father of the Bride" and the club's annual One-Act Festival.
"Father of the Bride" will be staged at 7:30 p.m. May 30 and 31 and at 2:30 p.m. June 1. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors, and $8 for adults. The One-Act Festival will be May 8. Tickets are $3.
Tickets are available for the play or the festival at the door or by calling the school at (847) 658-2500.