2022-2023 WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Lots to Celebrate

ACE Center at Highland Springs has a new front entrance under construction at our renovation site scheduled to open August 2023. Over the past few months, students have participated in hands on activities daily, explored social emotional wellness sessions and celebrated their successes!

Mr. Enroughty, Computer Systems Teacher, is our ACE@HS Teacher of the Year and Mr. Jason Wynne is the Henrico County House Foundation Person of the Year!

Thank you for a wonderful year - we will see returning students in August and wish all our seniors continued success in all that life has to offer! Have a safe summer break.

See you June 5th for our ACE Center Completion Ceremony!

STATE WINNERS

High Tech Academy (HTA) students have the opportunity to participate in the Technology Student Association (TSA) each year with their teammates. In March, HTA students participated in the TSA regional competition held in Chesterfield County and placed in the top three for all of their events!

Then last weekend the TSA state competition was held and once again students made a great showing. They placed in the top ten in four events. Hersch placed second in the Prepared Presentation category and is eligible to attend the national competition!

What a great showing from all participants! There is lots of excitement about what next year will bring!

SEEING A STATION

Recently, both Radio 1 and Radio 2 classes visited VPM Media Corporation. On their tour of the facility, one of the main focal points was the equipment - especially since we just wrapped up our Radio Engineering chapter. Students got to see the newly learned information come to life outside of the classroom and witness the real workings of a station and the individuals who work together to create media content.

THe Life of a Ball

Recently our Day 2 students visited Top Golf Richmond. After expressing what we teach, they accommodated our class and gave us an amazing tour which they call, "The Life of a Ball".

In class we talk about the hardware and sensors being used commercially to measure and track assets, software, usage etc. Well Top Golf is one of the most unique examples of this idea.

The progression of pictures shows you the ball with a sensor embedded in it, the in-house tracking and conveyor system that washes and checks the ball sensors to make sure they function properly. And finally the balls get distributed to the tee box to hit and tracks your gameplay performance.

WHat does a magistrate do?

Students in criminal justice 1 are learning the job of the magistrate. They are listening for probable cause and filling out arrest warrants if they believe a valid criminal complaint exists.

Construction, MVP Days, Class Experiences

ACE Students explored a variety of experiences on our first time trying a MVP Day - Motivation, Vision, & Positive Thinking. MVP days are intended to build community, positive experiences and inclusion in our school.

Our classes make learning practical by having students experience job sites (shown with Electricity visiting our renovation site) and practice real world scenarios (Early Childhood students worked on family budgets).

Construction continues at the ACE Center at Highland Springs renovation site. The Hudson gym has been cleared and the main building is geting windows, doors, and mechanicals put in.

UNIT CIRCLE PROJECT

The High Tech Day 1 Precalculus students have been immersed in trigonometry this quarter! Check out some of their themed unit circle projects.

"Bop" or "Flop"?

Earlier in the week, Radio 2 students played "Bop or Flop" - a music based game where students rely on their recently developed critical listening skills and analyze the beat, lyrics, and overall appeal of a newly released song. They then estimate whether or not it will be successful on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Using their whiteboards, students voice their professional opinon using the terms "bop" or "flop". This week, they examined a total of 38 new songs from a variety of artists and genres. Students ventured outside of their listening comfort zone, expanded their music and artist knowledge, and determined that 26 out of the 38 latest releases they studied have a good chance of seeing success on the charts.

WHAT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

Recently we had "Henrico Learning Today" visit our Day 1 classroom. Mr. Johnson demonstrated how to install a Windows 10 Operating System to a computer using a Virtual Machine application. These computer programs are ideal for learning and practicing without harming the main computer. We hope to post this video to a later Spotlight post.

Also our Day 2 students have been putting in twice the effort learning new content in Network Security (AKA Cybersecurity) as well as studying for their official CompTIA A+ Certification. We've been reviewing and quizzing in class. Discussing important areas of focus, study and test taking skills. They'll show us what they've got in April!

Community involvement

Students in criminal justice 1 designed flyers for an upcoming 5k for victims of crime. S.O.S. (Show Of Support), requested help to get involvement for this important community event.

A busy Month

Around the ACE Center at Highland Springs this past month, you will see students in the lab, students competing in competitions, teachers engaged in professional learning and renovations continuing at our original building. We are excited to see all the progress in teaching and learning!

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Year 2 HTA students participated in Henrico's CTE Rodeo Event on Thursday, February 23, 2023. Students were sent into the Zombie Apocalypse, and one of them was bitten by a zombie! So each group engineered a prosthetic leg from knee to foot and had to travel 10 feet using the prosthetic as their real leg! Check out our pictures of our students working their way through the Engineering Design Process to create their prosthetic legs.

radio plays

the "game of life"

This past week Radio 2 students played "The Game Of Life" ahead of the Career Rodeo next week! The goal was to further prepare them for what comes after high school and after their completion of the program with their new knowledge and experience in Radio Broadcasting and Journalism. They picked a city they'd eventually like to relocate to, had to find employment in which they had the proper qualifications for, calculate student loan payments, scout out potential apartments, create a balanced work/school schedule, budget/meal plan, and reflect on their journey at the end! As a class, we discussed both the obstacles they may have encountered and things the students were really excited about in their future!

COnnectivity is Key

ACE Center students in Computer Systems made Ethernet cables this week.

Typically Ethernet is designed to connect 2 devices together to connect a computer, laptop or server to a larger physical network together for scalable connectivity solutions. OR it can be used to create a connection or network solely between 2 devices.

Impressions collection

ACE Center students in criminal justice collected impression evidence in class. Some shoe evidence is as valuable as a fingerprint if collected properly.

Oak Complex Open House

ACE Center students hosted several tables at the Oak Complex Open House to showcase the opportunities for students. We had lots of participation from the community!

MOUSE TRAP CARS

First year High Tech students constructed their own mouse trap cars. Since the students followed directions from an engineering kit, they made theirs unique in other ways. Check out these designs!

The Guitar In american art

Radio 2 students took a field trip the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, where they explored the featured exhibit - Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art. They were able to view a model recording studio from the 1960's, revisit how guitar has influenced music over generations, and participated in the interactive portion of the exhibit, which allowed them to learn how to actually play the instrument! After the trip to the VMFA, Radio 2 students then scripted, voiced, and produced an art review on their favorite part of the museum to air on their station and share their experience with listeners!

Wired Up!

This week our second year CST students visited Regency Square Mall Project where our newest Henrico Adult Education Center is being built. With the help of Community partners, county personnel and students, we've managed to make great strides in the construction and completion of the project.

Students were assigned groups and worked alongside Henrico County Personnel to wire new classrooms with phones, data for wired connected devices and a Wireless Access point for wireless network accessibility.

Students showed excitement around knowing they will have a hand in constructing the future educational spaces for adults for years to come.

HANDS ON EVERYWHERE

One of the best aspects of the ACE Center is how learning comes to life through hands-on application. Check out the admin highlights from HTA learning about extrema and graphing examples to using a grinder in Auto Body to facials in Cosmetology. Even teachers were hands-on this past week competing in a STEM Wreath Pringles Challenge!

To catch a killer

First year criminal justice students are learning how the FBI investigated instances of serial killing incidents and how to possibly track them. They discovered that profiling these incidents are difficult and investigating them is very challenging. Attention to detail is a must.

Exploring Engineering

In the Field

Day 1 High Tech students visited two engineering firms in Henrico. It turned into quite an interesting day involving pizza and a tornado watch, but most importantly, the students got to see what engineers do daily to help our county!

Building Connections

This week our second year CST students got to visit the new Regency Square Mall Project. A portion of it has been designed to be a new Henrico Adult Education Center. We toured the space our class would be responsible for networking. Students showed excitement around knowing they will have experience constructing the future educational spaces for adult students for years to come.

Drama in the studio!

First and second year Radio Broadcasting students are learning to combine their newly acquired production and recording skills by crafting a 4-minute mini drama skit with their groups- complete with voice recordings, music, sound effects, and clever, original scripts! Not only does this project enhance and utilize the skills they've gained in class, but it also gives them a chance to to execute creative story-telling which is very important (and fun!) in any media industry!

District SkillsUSA Reporter!

Congratulations to Meredith Fincke who won the District SkillsUSA Reporter position at the Fall Rally this past month! We are thrilled to have her continue to represent ACE & Henrico Schools in upcoming events!

Suspicious subject?

Students in Criminal Justice 1 are learning how to conduct a pat down of suspicious persons. They must follow legal and safety protocols while doing so.

Limits & Continuity

HTA Calculus students worked on a Limits Matching Activity to culminate our unit about Limits and Continuity.

Laptops Assemble

In today's society there are more laptops than desktops being used by the average user. So this week the first year Computer Systems students worked in groups to use their diagramming and documenting skills to disassemble and reassemble a laptop. The attention to detail is crucial to making sure you can successfully piece the laptop back together. This practical experience will help make connections with the theory we discuss in class. Bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Since 1892...

Forensic scientists have using fingerprint technology to solve crimes. In criminal justice class we are learning how to collect latent fingerprints at a crime scene.

flying into the new school year

High Tech Academy students built Delta Dart airplanes & flew them in the baseball field. Welcome to all of our students this year, both new and returning! Ms. Buschy and Ms. Dulmage are excited to have a wonderful year with all of you.

HTA is now on Instagram! Follow us @hightechacademy23

BASKETbALL & Learning

Our teachers took a break during planning to play a modified game of basketball. Congratulations to our winning teacher teams:

Mr. Johnson (CST) & Ms. Childress (Cosmetology - HS)
Ms. Williams (Cosmetology - HS) & Mr. Person (Masonry)

In the classroom, we are jumping into hands-on learning with skills that will last a lifetime. For example, in automotive tech classes they were learning to patch tires and auto body was learning how to use the sprayer.

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