Chanukah is here! Jews all around the world are lighting their chanukiah and frying their latkes. In Spanish class we have been learning about Latin American Chanukah traditions such as eating sufganiot with guava jelly and latkes with dulce de leche. We also learned to sing the popular Ladino tune Ocho Kandelikas Para Mi (Eight Candles For Me). We watched Youtube clips of the chanukiah lighting ceremony in Boca Stadium in Argentina and we read the story of the Macabees in Spanish.

Chanukah isn’t the only celebration we have been learning about! The quinceañera, which is very similar to the celebration of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony marking a 15-year old girl’s transition from childhood to adulthood in many Hispanic countries. Students learned about some of the traditions at a quinceañer: the vals (waltz) performed by the quinceañera and her court, the last doll the quinceañera brings to her party symbolizing the end of her childhood and the padrinos (godparents or close relatives) who present the quinceañera with a present. The quinceañera celebration is a time during which a young girl begins to think about her future. Spanish students studied the future tense and created a poster which illustrated what they want to do in the future.

Feliz Januka
~Rebecca Weinstein
Spanish Instructor

Students in physics are pictured here firing their trebuchet’s into army of plastic soldiers. This is a continuation in their study of projectile motion and the culminating activity for their first trimester in physics. Next they will be studying forces and their application to objects in motion.

If you’re interested in doing your own building or learning more about the art of siege warfare there are a lot of trebuchet and catapult shows and competitions today.

Two of my favorite sites for pumpkin throwing and competition are: http://science.discovery.com/tv/punkin-chunkin/ and http://punkinchunkin.com/

Hurling pumpkins after Halloween is just good recycling!

~Dean Whitfield
Mathematics & Science Chair

Understanding the Atom

Here at Cardin, our chemistry students are exploring how the idea of the atom has changed over time. Aside from learning about protons, neutrons, and electrons, we have been learning about the important scientists that contributed to our modern understanding of the atom. Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus believed that all matter was composed of tiny blocks called “atomos” which were indivisible. Although he was on the right track, most people didn’t believe it! It wasn’t until John Dalton developed the basis for modern atomic theory, that people believed that matter was made of atoms. Now the challenge was to create a model of the atom. Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, and Werner Heisenberg all contributed to our understanding of atomic models. With a lot of experiments and a lot of complicated math (see below) we finally had an idea of what the atom looks like! At the Solvay Conference in 1927, the great minds of chemistry and physics came together to develop a model of the atom. The result is basis for modern quantum physics and chemistry. The picture below is from the Solvay conference. You can see some familiar names and faces, including Marie Curie and Albert Einstein.

~Ms. Sloane
Science Instructor