Claymont High School Newsletter

December/ January 2025

December was a busy month with so many things happening

at the high school!

SNOW DAY ANNOUNCEMENT-Thursday, January 16th was our 4th Snow Day❄️

On Snow Days 6-8, students will be REQUIRED to attend their classes using their Chromebook and Zoom links provided by their teachers. On these days we will utilize this 2 Hour Delay schedule. Attendance WILL be taken and absences will count against them. Students should plan to take their Chromebooks home every night and be able to charge them. Please contact the high school office if you have any questions. Thank you!

Community Service Projects

The week of December 9th-13th, all of the high school students were involved in Community Service projects. The schedule was adjusted and a Community Service time was built into three different days. Students participated in activities including: decorating stockings, making various types of ornaments, making hats and scarves, tying blankets, decorating cookies, creating holiday cards for the military members, nursing home patients, and kids in the hospital, gift wrapping, and making dog toys and treats. These items were then packaged and delivered to local nursing homes, Stepping Stone, Claymont Primary (by Rudolph and Mustang), and the Humane Society. It was a great way to give back to the community!

Mrs. Reynolds and her class won the door decorating contest. They were treated to ice cream sundaes!

So many people from across the district and community helped to make the holiday season better for some of our Claymont families. Thousands of dollars of money, toys, gift certificates, and food donated by staff members, teachers, students, community members, and local businesses were given out. The district held a hygiene and food drive and all of those items were delivered by the high school student council. We are proud of the work and dedication of everyone who contributed to this year's success!

Rudolph and Mustang visit Claymont Primary Building

December Students of the Month🎄

Senior

Maximus Fellows

Senior

Jacqualyn Petry

Junior

Mason Bailey

Junior

Ethan Fair

Sophomore

Brody Cameron

Sophomore

Josslynn Lillie

Freshman

Kegan Countryman

Freshman

Emmalee Cameron

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Winners- December

Attendance

Nile Abbuhl

Attendance

Dustin Rose

Positive Office Referral Winner

Remy Bowe

CARE Winner

Lucas Toland

News from the Science Department

Mr. Meiser’s Enriched Chemistry classes investigated the structure of atoms while completing the Flame Test Lab. If you excite an atom or an ion by strong heating, electrons can be promoted from their normal unexcited state into higher orbitals. As they fall back down to lower levels, energy is released as light. Each of these jumps involves a specific amount of energy being released as light energy, and each corresponds to a particular wavelength (or frequency). The color you see will be a combination of all these individual colors. The exact sizes of the possible jumps in energy terms vary from one metal to another. That means that each different metal will have a different pattern of spectral lines, and so a different flame color. Flame colors are produced from the movement of the electrons in the metal ions present in the compounds.

Mr. Houghton’s Bio II class is finishing their evolution and adaptation projects by creating a new species of fish to survive different oceanic levels and thrive, or fail, in their environment. Students researched environmental factors, food webs of their respective oceanic zones, and determined which traits best fit their individual species parameters. From Apex predators to detritivores, their fish were given roles, regions, and a success rate currently seen in the wild.

Ms. DeLaney’s Anatomy and Physiology just finished their study of the muscular system. They will be following the development of a fetus through pregnancy and the impacts on the mother throughout the entire school year. They are currently at 18 weeks and just did gender reveals for the “class babies." 2nd period is having a girl and 3rd period is having a boy! Ms. DeLaney's Biology classes have been working on their microscope skills as they analyze the different phases of mitosis in onion root cells and other prepared slides.

Mr. Rausch’s Physical Science Classes have been learning about different classifications of matter including something called a solution. A solution is a mixture of two or more pure substances that is uniform throughout. Solubility is the amount of solute that will dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a particular temperature. Solubility generally increases with increasing temperature when dissolving solids into liquids. Solubility also depends on the substance being dissolved. Some salts are very soluble in water, while others are only slightly soluble. A solution is said to be unsaturated if its solute concentration is less than its solubility. When a solute’s concentration is equal to its solubility, the solution is said to be saturated. At that temperature, no more solid can be dissolved in the solution. However, if a saturated solution is heated, the solubility of the solute may increase, making it possible to dissolve more solid in that same solution. If an additional solid is added to the hot solution and then cooled, often the extra solid will precipitate or crystallize out of the solution. These principles were used to make sodium borate decahydrate (borax) crystal ornaments.

Science Club

CHS Science Club recently completed an activity where they created silver-lined bulb ornaments. In 1835, the German chemist Justus von Liebig invented a silvering process to plate a sheet of glass with a thin layer of silver metal by reducing silver ions with dextrose. This chemical method of lining glass with a “silver mirror” ushered in the modern era of producing mirrors for common household uses. The silver mirror reaction invented by Liebig was used in this lab to make a silver-lined holiday ornament. The overall reaction is a classic oxidation-reduction reaction between silver complex ions and dextrose in an ammonia solution. Our Science Club members replicated this process resulting in their own ornaments!

News from the Counselors

The Claymont Foundation Scholarship Application opened Saturday, December 1st. This is open to all seniors planning to go to college and graduates who are already attending college.
- Applications are due by Feb. 13th at 3:00 pm
The Claymont Foundation also awards scholarships to students who attend Buckeye Career Center.
- Applications are due by March 7th at 3:00 pm
These applications can be found on the Claymont Foundation Website

Mock Trial Team

Claymont's Mock Trial team competed in the 15th annual University of Cincinnati High School Mock Trial Invitational tournament on Saturday, January 4, 2025. Claymont fielded two teams of 17 students. Juniors Cora Dotts and Tyler Fewkes, along with sophomore Braxtyn Myers, earned Outstanding Attorney awards. While sophomore Grace Canfield brought home an Outstanding Witness Award. Congratulations to the entire team, and good luck at your district competition on January 17th.