November 2014 Spotlight: Academics in Action

Observing a Live Open-Heart Surgery

Fifteen of our Honors Biology II students visited Allegheny General Hospital to view a live open-heart surgery. This was an incredible opportunity for our students to observe health care professionals on the job and to learn about the complicated structure of the human heart.

Honoring our QCHS Military Family on Veterans' Day

Students, faculty, and staff helped to honor the many veterans of the Quigley Catholic family by sharing the names of close friends and family who have served or currently serve in the United States military. These names were put on stars and placed on the bulletin board outside the main office in remembrance of their many sacrifices. Students in Miss Myron's classes also wrote letters to veterans through Operation Gratitude. Mr. Waxenfelter also made a special guest appearance in Miss Myron's classes to talk about his time in the service as well as the service of members of his family. Quigley Catholic High School thanks all of our veterans and those currently serving in the U.S. military. May God bless them!

Enlightenment Salon

The students in Mrs. Miller's Advanced Placement European History class recently participated in an "Enlightenment Salon." During the Enlightenment period, philosophical thinkers like Voltaire and Montesquieu, as well as Enlightened monarchs such as Catherine the Great and Frederick II, changed the very face of European politics and society. They would often discuss their ideas at gatherings called "salons." Their views on government, class structure, and social mobility would go on to resonate for centuries, inspiring revolutions from France to the Americas. The AP students had the opportunity to heavily research and "become" an Enlightenment thinker. They had to be prepared to discuss relevant topics and answer questions in the persona of their chosen figure. This project was very involved, but the students had a great time getting into character and participating. Everyone learned a lot!

Art Activities with a Local Artist

On Tuesday, October 28, 2014, Mrs. O'Bryan and the art department once again welcomed our dear friend, Joe Sendek, noted potter and teacher, back to QCHS. It was an opportunity for Joe to critique previous work and demo and refine new shapes. Four students participated in this session: Josh Chinchilla and Gabrielle Ingros, both in the CHS Ceramics class and Maura Farkas and Ellen Kruczek, both in the Ceramics III & IV classes. The day began with critiques, moved to the hands-on work and culminated in a hot lunch of Mrs. O'Bryan's famous chili, various breads and a pumpkin cake... thus proving that art and food go hand in hand. It was a great session!!!

Applying Statistics to the Real World

CEO's of a new fast food chain, researchers conducting a sleep study, marketing directors at a popular coffee shop...these are just some of the fictional roles the students in Miss Coley's Statistics and Honors Statistics classes assumed to complete a recent project dealing with descriptive statistics. Students created surveys, distributed them to a sample of their classmates, analyzed the data, then presented it in a professional report. Each group presented their data to the class as if they were presenting to a board of directors interested in their product/company. The results were a firsthand look at how companies use data gathered from their consumers in order to make decisions.