Events+Beyond+MTES

= = ** Wordmasters Challenge ** WM is a national competition including over three thousands teams, drawing from all fifty states. Occurring three times each year, the official Challenge tests are 20 questions in analogy format; our top students typically score 17 or better. MTES students have won numerous honors in the Wordmasters Challenge: every year, several MTES students are recognized with National Honorable Mention (top 10% nationally), and National High Honors (top 2% nationally). Two MTES students have been awarded National Highest Honors, one in 2003 and one (twice) in 2011 and 2012.
 * Events beyond our school…**

= = ** Continental Mathematics League ** CML is a national challenge; our focus at MTES is on local competition. CML Meets are sets of 6 questions, combining grade-level math content with advanced reasoning skills. Our top students usually score 4 or better. CML Meets occur monthly November - March for grades 4-6, and January - March for grades 2 - 3. Students at all grades compete against one another, each using grade-appropriate materials. As many students prefer to work with partners, we offer a Solo Division and a Partners Division. Only the Solo division is eligible for national recognition. One of our Solo mathletes won Highest National Honors, twice, in 2010 and again in 2013, with consistently perfect scores all year.

** BASF Science Education Grant ** Our 2015 sixth graders contributed to our proposal **//Solar Energy: The Bright Choice//**, winning a $5000 grant for the study of alternative energy sources. They investigated how solar energy functions at both the molecular and practical levels,and developed lesson materials which they presented to fourth and fifth graders, recording this instruction on video for use by future classes.

** The Year Game by Drexel University ** We have been participating annually since 2009; several MTES students have had solutions selected by Drexel for online publication. Several other local schools have joined us in this quest to combine calculation and creativity. Please see our Year Game wikis for 2010 and 2011. One of our MTES students solved every single value for the 2012 Year Game - an incredible accomplishment! We are now joined by several other Warren County schools, who compete via our wikis. //In 2015, two MTES students worked with Drexel University to open our wiki to the broader Year Game community.// //Teams competed from Canada, UK, Germany, and Switzerland!// For the 2017 Year Game, a MTES alumni is developing video lessons to expand our wiki as an instructional resource.

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** Warren County Consortium for Student Enrichment ** Mansfield Twp. Elementary is a long-time member of the **//WCCSE//**. Ms. Baker is currently the Chair of the organization, and coordinates several events (see below*). Scheduled events vary from year to year; many of these events allow only a limited number of participants from each school. Transportation for events is typically provided by parents; event registration fees are covered by MTES.

//Here are some of the events in which we participated over the past few years://

** WCCSE Annual Debate Tournament: grade 6 ** //2007: Resolved: The government should restrict food that students may eat during school. 1st place & Champions.// //2008: Resolved: Students spend too much time on computers. 1st place & Champions.// //2009-10: Resolved: The school year in New Jersey should be lengthened.1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.// //2010-11: Resolved: English should be the official language of the United States. 2nd and 3rd place.// //2011-12: Resolved: September 11th should be a national holiday. 1st place.// //2012-13: The US Space Program should be turned over to private industry. 2nd and 3rd place.// //2013-14: Resolved: Children should be taught to write in cursive handwriting.1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.// //2014-15: Resolved: Students in the US are assigned too much homework. 1st and 2nd place.// //2015-16: Resolved: Students in NJ are tested too much. 3rd place, 1st place & Champions.// //2016-17: Resolved: Modern technology has improved verbal communication. 2nd and 3rd place.//

__** WCCSE Convocation for grades 6 & 7 **__ **Convocation is an annual capstone experience for students in grade 6 & 7,** **emphasizing creativity, critical thinking, and advanced levels of challenge.**

*2010 Convocation Architecture: Ten Principles of Livable Communities Principles of Community Planning with Stacey Kliesch, former president of NJ/AIA

*2011 Convocation Expressive Arts with the Pushcart Players Student workshops on Improvisation, Stage Combat, and Interpretation of Song and Scene

*2012 Convocation Infrastructure Student workshops: Community analysis, planning for sustainability, and physics and construction of suspension bridges

*2013 Convocation Expressive Arts with Shakespeare NJ Student workshops with Shakespeare scripts; live performance by ShakespeareNJ from Drew University

*2014 Convocation Making Metaphors: Poetry meets Engineering  Student workshops with professors from Norwich College and Drew University

2015 Convocation Day of the Arts: Drama, Creative Writing, Music  Student workshops and performance coordinated by Maggie Devine of Warren Hills and the National Writing Project 2016 Convocation Day of STEM: MakerSpace, MiniBots, and 3-D Printing Student workshops by Liberty Science Center, da Vinci Center, and Enrich Science 2017 Convocation: Power of Word and Deed: Writing, Speaking, and Improvisational Comedy  Student workshops by Eight is Enough Improv, ReadyAimWrite, and NJAMLE ToY Joe Pizzo

** *Phabulous Physics Tourney, held every year here at MTES ** 2008-2015 Rollercoaster Derby, grades 3&4 Magic of Flight, grades 5&6 **2015 - present** //(program revised due to consistently high enrollment)// CRASH! Consumer Safety Tests, grade 3  Rollercoaster Derby, grade 4 ** Battle of the Books ** Grades 3&4 - Coordinated by Ms. Kline and Ms. Agnor Grades 5&6 - Coordinated by Mrs. Baggerly //These teams have collectively read hundreds of titles,// //and had numerous wins in the WCCSE competitions!// ** Marvelous Math Day ** Grade 2, every year

** Warren County Chess Tournament, grades 2-6, every year ** 2009, 3rd place. 2010, 2nd place 2011, 1st place 2012, 3rd place 2013, 1st place 2014, 5th place 2015, 3rd place

** Warren County Spelling Bee, grades 5&6, every year ** 2009, 3rd place 2012, 1st place 2013, 1st place 2015, 1st place

** Strategic Thinking Day, grade 5 ** Workshops on Game Design, various no-cost strategy games, and a Rubik's Cube Tournament As we have had winners in one or more divisions of the tournament each year, // the Rubik's Cube Tourney is now run by the MTES 6th graders. //

Pringle Project, grade 3 (2011 - 2014) Engineering Challenge: design and construction of a container to safely ship a single Pringle chip