For most adults, the concept of fairness is a complex, nuanced idea. For most children, however, fairness is simple: treat others equally, be honest in your words and actions, be open-minded and listen to others, and play by the rules.

In continuation of its year-long Christian Character Traits program, Mother Seton School has identified twenty-one students in Pre-K through grade eight who exemplify the trait of Fairness.

Recipients of the April Christian Character Trait Award for Fairness are: Mason Bowling, William Bush, Josephine Isaacson, Christina Kong, Grace Kovalcik, Rylan Manning, Shane Milbourne, Jean Pembroke, Jaime Price, Bella Rabaiotti, Bradley Reaver, Taylor Reisinger, Austin Riley, Molly Sill, Joseph Shumaker, Cody Small, Bradley Spielman, Brianna Streib, Jane Waybright, Eric Weber, and Dacosta Wivell.

The final Christian Character Trait Award of the school year will be for Perseverance. Awardees will be announced at the beginning of June.

Mother Seton School Book Club Hosts Chat with Local Author

How often do you get a chance to personally tell an author how you feel about their work? Even rarer is the opportunity to have an active discussion with an author about one of their books. At Mother Seton School, students got the opportunity to do just that. On April 10th, Mother Seton School’s Mother-Daughter Book Club hosted a Skype session with the respected children’s author Lisa Graff. Ms. Graff’s books are included on the reading lists for nine states. She currently is teaching Children’s Literature courses at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.

The mothers and daughters read Ms. Graff’s A Tangle of Knots for their April selection. The novel is set in a magical world where people are born with a special talent for something. Eleven-year-old Cady is a lonely orphan who can immediately recognize the perfect cake for each person she meets. Her recipes, included in the book, are actually family recipes from Ms. Graff.

Each of the mothers and daughters were able to personally ask questions of the author, not only about the book but about writing itself and the life of an author. The students were excited and encouraged by her advice about the writing process and where writers get their ideas. Ms. Graff was amicable and endearing, even introducing the girls to her cat, Henry! The mothers in the club even went so far as to bake several of the cake recipes from the book to share with the group. Additionally, Ms. Graff sent the girls autographed book cards.

The book club was so enthused with A Tangle of Knots that they selected another of Ms. Graff’s books, Umbrella Summer, as their May selection.

The Mother Seton School Mother-Daughter Book Club participates in a Skype chat with author Lisa Graff.

Mother Seton School Students Show Their Scientific Savvy at Annual Science Fair

Winners of the MSS Science Fair: (Front, L-R) Natalie Jacobson, Bella Rabaiotti, Brody Holz, Caitlin Marron, Natalie Bosche, Lea Roberts, Shae Archie. (Middle, L-R) Darren Byrne, Marshall Mott, Chase Stull, Gareth Moxley, Carleton Walker, Emily Longanecker, Brede Laug, Jeremy Hoschschild. (Back, L-R) Anna Eyler, Maya Hand, Edison Hatter, Olivia Sica, Steven Hochschild, Maria Torborg, Ana Hand, Caroline Mullineaux. (Not pictured: Gabby Ferraro and Hallie Mauk)

Students in grades three through eight put forth their best and most creative efforts to discover answers to some of the most challenging scientific questions of our time, such as what fruit will travel the farthest when shot from a cannon and which gum will make the largest bubble when blown, during Mother Seton School’s annual Science Fair, held on March 20th. There were projects from 116 students, including third-, fourth-, and eighth-grade students for whom participation was optional.

“With the enthusiasm and effort the students put into their projects, the hardest part of the fair is having to grade them,” said Danielle Kuykendall, the middle school science teacher at MSS. The judging panel—which was comprised of a mix of parents, alumni, and local science mentors—had an equally arduous task in deciding the winners from each grade. In fact, the seventh-grade competition resulted in a tie for first place between Maya Hand and Edison Hatter.

In addition to Maya and Edison, the other first place winners were Shae Archie (3rd grade), Natalie Bosche (4th grade), Ana Hand (5th grade), Maria Torborg (6th grade), and Anna Eyler (8th grade). 2nd place honors went to Caitlin Marron (3rd grade), Olivia Sica (4th grade), Brede Laug (5th grade), and Emily Longanecker (7th grade). In 3rd place, in grades three through seven respectively, were Bella Rabaiotti, Marshall Mott, Jeremy Hochschild, Caroline Mullineaux, and Stephen Hochschild. Brody Holz, Natalie Jacobson, Chase Stull, Darren Byrne, Lea Roberts, Carleton Walker, Gareth Moxley, Gabby Ferraro, and Hallie Mauk were all Honorable Mentions.

Please visit Mother Seton School on Facebook for pictures that you won't see anywhere else and up-to-the-minute event info. Recent posts include the first meeting of the 5th & 6th Grade Book Club and photos from Fireman Mike Rabiotti's visit to Kindergarten.