Category: Upper School

Debbie Landry, PhD, founder of iXplore STEM, recently dropped in to Katrina St. John’s virtual biology class. Debbie discussed the structure of viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). She reviewed how viruses infect cells and what vaccines are currently in development. Debbie collaborated with Waynflete’s science department earlier this year on the dog gene project.

Watch a recording of the class

iXplore is a nonprofit organization formed to build science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) literacy and proficiency; to encourage students to pursue STEM degrees; to promote STEM awareness in Maine; and to expand the skilled workforce supporting STEM-dependent business sectors.

Visit the iXplore website

Elliot Nye ’15 led the company of A Midsummer Night’s Dream through a puppetry handling and building workshop. Come see giant butterflies, big birds, fairy alter egos, and the faces of Titania and Oberon for this production on April 30- May 2!

Dax Penney ’21 envisions low-cost computers for the resettled refugee community

Junior Dax Penney’s interest in computers, programming, and robotics was sparked by his experiences as a sixth-grader attending Waynflete summer camp. It was here where he first encountered open-source components and microcontrollers like the Raspberry Pi.

In the world of computing, the Pi is a blank slate. The compact, low-cost device can load any number of operating systems from a standard SD card, which also serves as the computer’s internal memory. It was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a United Kingdom-based charity. According to its website, the foundation seeks to help more people harness the power of computing and digital technologies for project work, to solve problems that matter to them, and to express themselves creatively. “The Pi is a malleable platform,” says Dax. “I realized that it had a lot of potential.”

At the time, Dax was also involved with a Catholic Charities initiative called The Backpack Project, which raised funds to purchase school supplies for recently resettled refugees in Portland. He recalls attending an event where a father from Anbar Province, Iraq, described the impact of the Catholic Charities initiative on his family. “His comments really spoke to me,” Dax recalls. In his freshman year at Waynflete, Dax’s mother suggested that he consider how he might use his computer skills to help others.

Continue reading “Peace of Pi”

On March 7, two teams of Upper School students competed against 20 schools from around Maine—including neighbors Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, and Yarmouth—in the Maine Regional Science Bowl Competition. The tournament is a round robin-style STEM trivia competition and is sponsored by the Department of Energy. Question categories include Earth and Space Science, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, and Energy.  

Continue reading “Waynflete Wins Maine Science Bowl”