Silver Creek High School - June 2011

BY KAREY ROBINSON

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Robotics Club Strong Influence On Gates Scholarship Recipient

Toby Hammond, one of this year’s recipients of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, credits his involvement in the Up-a-Creek Robotics team for much of his success and outlook on the future. “Robotics changed my entire outlook on academia,” said Hammond.

After a rough start his freshman year, Hammond’s mother made him join the robotics team. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do or what I was interested in so I made little effort in class. Initially I was rather skeptical about [robotics], but eventually I realized that it was what I enjoyed doing but on a much more advanced and professional level.

“We were learning about how to not only design things, but then go into the shop and fabricate it so we could walk away with a finished part. After overcoming the initial hesitation, I loved it so I kept coming back until this year I ended up serving as the team president. I would have never imagined myself here three years ago.”

Hammond began to focus his class load on courses that would help him create a strong engineering foundation. He became an exchange student in Barcelona, Spain, to take advantage of their advanced math and science programs.

He has spent the past two summers at Purdue University in Indiana participating in summer engineering programs. As a result of receiving the Gates Scholarship, Hammond now plans to attend Purdue after he graduates. He will study mechanical engineering and wants to go into robotics as a career.

The youngest of five children who have all gone to college, Hammond knew that his options to afford higher education were limited. The Gates Scholarship is a minority scholarship based on academic achievement and financial need. Hammond spent a month writing, rewriting and editing his essays for the extensive application.

“I was checking my email during a break in my AP physics class and I saw the email from Gates,” said Hammond. “The subject only said ‘Gates’ so I was somewhat nervous to open it. I reluctantly opened it, read congratulations, and asked my teacher if I could make a call. I tried calling my mom, but she was at the grocery store and didn’t answer so I just sent out a short text, ‘got Gates,’ and went back to class. During the passing period when my mom did answer my call, she screamed.”

Hammond was the student lead of chassis design and fabrication as well as the primary driver for this year’s robotics challenge. He described the results as very successful.

“We were scrambling a bit at the end of the build season, but in the end we came out with a highly effective, efficient, and attractive robot. Our team motto is: ‘It’s not done ‘til it’s overdone,’ and this year we accomplished that for sure.”

The team took second place at the FIRST Robotics Competition at Denver University in April. They also received the Engineering Inspiration Award for “robust and innovative design and our sleek and professional robot,” said Hammond.

For more information on the Up-a-Creek Robotics team, see www.team1619.org.

Yellow Brick Road Trip

Somewhere over the rainbow and on the Silver Creek stage, exceptional talent and tremendous effort on the part of the cast and crew of this year’s musical production, “Wizard of Oz” came together to deliver another enjoyable evening of theatre.

Emma Rose Connolly played a sweet and determined Dorothy Gale, whose efforts to protect her canine companion Toto (played very convincingly by a real dog named Rascal) and return to Kansas were continually thwarted by the Wicked Witch, played by Rachel Cooper, who cackled and screeched much like Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 movie version.

Photo courtesy of Silver Creek yearbook

The Cowardly Lion (Doug Elgar), the Tin Man (Aaron Lathrop-Melting) and the Scarecrow (Connor Maygar) plot how to outsmart the Wicked Witch's guards in order to rescue Dorothy in the recent production of The Wizard of Oz.

Most of the actors received much of their inspiration for their parts from their movie counterparts, but most added their own personalities to their roles.

Especially delightful were the performances by Dorothy’s three companions on the yellow brick road, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.

Connor Maygar, in his role as the Scarecrow, played his part with an affable quality and a strong voice that allowed the viewer to see why crows preferred flocking towards him rather than fleeing from him. His dancing was athletic and impressive, convincing the audience that he was made out of straw.

The Tin Man, portrayed by Aaron Lathrop-Melting, added a vitality to his character with songs spoken as much as sung, which added to the lively mood of the production.

Doug Elgar as the Cowardly Lion took the best of Bert Lahr’s affectations from the movie version of the story and brought to the role a wide-eyed innocence and energy that kept the audience laughing. His robust singing voice delighted and entertained the audience.

The combined chemistry of the four companions on the Yellow Brick Road was the highlight of the production. Together with the brightness of the Munchkins and the rest of the large cast, the performers managed to outshine an unfortunate deficiency in set decorations and props.

This was Les Dweir’s first time directing a musical at Silver Creek, and he was joined by veteran music director Jeremy Skelton and his exceptional orchestra, and technical director Jay Clanin. Margaret Heffernan was the assistant director.