Island Park Elementary second grade student Sri Vadlamannati took home three awards at the recent 2023 Washington State Science and Engineering Fair.

Sri notched first place in the physics category for her project titled “Experimental Analysis of Blood Viscosity and Artery Size in Blood Flow and Cardiovascular Health,” which was awarded the Best of Grade award across all categories. She also received a special award in the health and fitness category.

While working on her project, which measures the impact of narrower arteries and thicker blood on the rate of blood flow, she used glycerine and water to simulate blood, developed an experimental setup with various sized tubes, and conducted the experiments and recorded results.

School district recognizes religious and cultural celebrations

In a recent letter to the school community, Superintendent Fred Rundle said that during April the school district will recognize a host of religious and cultural celebrations.

They are: Autism Awareness Month, Passover (April 5-13), Good Friday and Easter (April 7 and 9), Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 18), Eid al-Fitr, Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan (April 20-21) and Earth Day (April 22).

‘Island Space’ social marketing campaign comes to MIHS

Also this month, the Mercer Island Healthy Youth Initiative and Mercer Island Youth and Family Services are unveiling “Island Space,” a social marketing campaign aimed at improving student mental health and decreasing their substance use, at Mercer Island High School (MIHS).

The “Lunch Jam” kickoff event will take place during the MIHS lunch hour from 11 a.m. to noon on April 19. Depending on the weather, the event will occur either outside in the MIHS amphitheater or in the MIHS Commons.

“The good news is that MOST Mercer Island youth do not use alcohol or other substances; however, the MIHS 2022 Healthy Youth Survey results indicate that Mercer Island students who do use alcohol are more likely than most Washington youth to binge drink,” the campaign document reads.

Based on the survey’s findings, the campaign messages will include: Understanding the impact of alcohol and other drug use on teens; increasing healthy skills to address the pressure around perfection and performance; encouraging peer-to-peer conversations and interventions around alcohol and other drug use; and evolving the definition of success.

MI Culture Night on tap for April 23

The MIHS Leadership class is planning a Mercer Island Culture Night from 6-8 p.m. on April 23 in the MIHS Commons. There will be booths set up in the Commons celebrating the diverse cultures at MIHS.

Breakfast of Champions set for April 25

The Mercer Island Schools Foundation will present its fundraising Breakfast of Champions from 7:30-8:30 a.m. on April 25 in the MIHS gymnasium. The spirited event will focus on celebrating “the wonderful things happening within our schools,” reads the site’s page.

To register, visit https://mercerislandschoolsfoundation.com/events/breakfast-champions-2023/