The girls are a close-knit group and have a great work ethic. Led by seniors Danielle Langston, Estee Arts, Rachel Allen, Jenna Higgins, Muzna Bukhari, and Kahee Shin, the team has already accomplished their goals for the season and still have games left to play.

Coach Madsen stated that the girls started the season with 2 goals, to win their region and to win a game at the State Tournament. The girls achieved both goals in impressive fashion. The team went undefeated in Region 18 and came into the State Tournament as the #1 seed. Then in the first round of the 2010 Utah State 1A Girls Basketball Championship Tournament, Meridian was paired against the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs. The Mongooses were able to overcome a halftime deficit against the heavily favored Mustangs to win the game – the first Girls Basketball State Tournament win in school history.

These girls are special.  They work hard and produce results – and have fun in the process.

They have a chance to do it again.  Against Duchesne – tonight at 8:30 – in the winners bracket of the 2010 Girls Basketball State Tournament.

The team, coached by Travis Madsen were undefeated in Region play and entered the tournament as the Region 18 #1 Seed. The Meridian team is anchored by 4 starting seniors (Danielle Langston, Estee Arts, Jenna Higgins, and Rachel Allen) with freshman Jenna Crowther filling the final starting position.

The win was sweet revenge for the Mongooses who lost to the Lady Mustangs in the 1A Preseason Preview on the same court.

During the state tournament game, the Mongoose started with a quick basket to lead 2-0, but then went on a first quarter dry spell to end the first quarter behind 12-4. The second quarter Meridian outscored the Lady Mustangs by one point and went into the locker room at halftime behind by 7 points.

The Meridian team fought their way back into the game and tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Estee Arts scored two consecutive layups with under a minute to go in the game to give the Mongoose a 4 point lead and then the team held on to win the game 41-39.

The Lady Mustangs had a chance to win the game or tie with 1.7 seconds left to play but missed a three pointer at the buzzer.

Estee Arts led all players with 19 points including her two huge baskets in the final minute of play to seal the win.

For the second round, Meridian plays the Duchesne Eagles Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 8:30pm MST.

Check out the replay of the game…

February 9 and 24, 6-8pm

For a personal tour, please contact the Head of School, Dan Smith, at: 801-374-5480

Call today (801-374-5480) to get more information.

Contact Dan Smith, Head of School, to schedule a personal tour for you and your family.

We are so excited about this year’s school science fair!  We hope that you have been working on your projects and look forward to seeing the things you’ve done.  Students in grades 3-9 are required to complete a science fair project.   Students in other grades are encouraged to participate.

Registration Form Grades K-4
Registration Form Grades 5-6
Registration Form Grades 7-8
Registration Form Grades 9-12

Information Sheet Grades K-4
Information Sheet Grades 5-6
Information Sheet Grades 7-8
Information Sheet Grades 9-12

Projects: Projects must be chosen from one of the categories below.

Elementary Categories (grades 5-6)
Earth Science
Engineering & Computer Science
Life Science
Physical Science – Chemistry
Physical Science – Physics
Product Testing & Consumer Science

Secondary Categories (grade 7-12)
Behavioral & Social Science
Biochemistry & Chemistry
Computer Science
Earth & Planetary Science
Energy & Transportation
Engineering
Environmental Science
Mathematics
Medicine & Health
Microbiology
Physics & Astronomy
Plant Science

Projects should follow the scientific method.  This means they identify the Question, Hypothesis, Research, Procedure, Data, Results and Conclusion.  These areas should be identified in the research paper and on the display board.

Registration: Complete all four pages of the attached registration form and turn in to Mrs. Crowther by February 19^th.  This form must be completed in order to participate in the science fair.

Display: Display board and accompanying research paper should be brought to the school by 8:30am on Friday, February 26^th.  Check in with Mrs. Crowther in the gym.

Judging: Projects will be judged by three different judges.  Judging is based on the Central Utah Science and Engineering Fair 2010 judging rubric.  Parents are not allowed in the fair during judging.

Judging Rubric

Open Display: Projects are available for viewing by parents and the public from 12:00 – 2:30.

Awards: The awards ceremony will begin at 2:30pm.  Awards will be given for 1^st – 3^rd place, Best Display, and any other awards the judges think appropriate. Parents are encouraged to come!  1^st – 3^rd place projects in grades 5-12 will be sent on to compete at the Central Utah Science and Engineering Fair at BYU March 22nd – 25th.  A $10 fee paid by the student is required to compete at the BYU fair.

If you have any questions or would like more information on how to put together a science fair project, contact your child’s science teacher or Kris Crowther at (801) 374-5480 or kris.crowther@meridianschool.org.

Kris Crowther
Science Fair Organizer

New director Julianna Boulter prepared her students well for the festive performance which featured traditional carols and new arrangements of favorite tunes.

The evening opened with the middle and upper school choirs singing “Canticle of Carols” followed by performances from all of the lower school classes.  Senior Kahee Shin and sophomore Elena Van Horn were featured soloists with their lovely soprano voices.  The middle school delighted with three numbers; of special note was their version of “A Nutcracker Carol.”  The 20-member upper school choir concluded the evening with four powerful songs, ending with an original arrangement of “Silent Night” created by our own director Miss Boulter.

To Err is Human, to Fail is Tom Thompson
Phrase:  “Be all that you can be”
Objective:  To win a contest.
Synopsis:  Poor Tom Thompson struggles to find something he can be successful at; he enters a beauty pageant, tries out for a girls basketball team, and competes in a piano competition, encouraged by a local drifter who encourages him to “be all that you can be.”

Sunshine, Lollipops, & Rainbows
Phrase: “Where the beef?”
Objective: To meet a president.
Synopsis: Sweet little Molly just wants a “normal” bedtime story, but Dad can’t let go of the idea of adding zombies to every fairy tale. From “Little Red Riding Hood and the Zombies” to “Hansel and Gretel and the Zombies” to Good Night Zombie” to “President Zombie,” fearsome zombies permeate every story and  squash Molly’s hopes of a peaceful night’s sleep.

The Dress Robber
Phrase:  “We make money the old-fashioned way….we earn it.”
Objective:  To stop a robbery.
Synopsis:  A concerned dress shop owner frets over recent robberies in the area when she is asked to make a dress for the celebrity Lady Ruby.  The owner and her workers lay down plans to prevent the sneaky robber from making off with any of their creations in the nick of time.

P.R.O.M.
Phrase:  “Don’t leave home without it.”
Objective:  To become PROM king.
Synopsis:  High school couples compete in a game show to see who will become P.R.O.M. king and queen.  The jocks, the brains, the popular ones, and the regulars….all have a chance at greatness in this competition.

The Great Escape
Phrase: “It’s all inside.”
Objective: To marry a celebrity.
Synopsis: Elderly Mr. Stevenson schemes to find an escape from his rest home where the highlight of each day is bingo.

Meet the Robinsons
Phrase: “Can you hear me now?”
Objective: To teach someone a lesson.
Synopsis: The Robinsons welcome home their daughter and her fiance while trying to deal with a hard-of-hearing and paranoid elderly parent.

Live entertainment featured the talents of past alumni McKinlee Covey (2006), Kelly Hennessey (2007), and Kelly Coombs, Katelyn Gallagher, and Becca Allen (2008).  Meridian’s middle and upper school choirs performed as well, singing the well-loved school song “We Are One” with original accompaniments by sophomore Matthew Erickson.

Bombay House provided the delicious dinner and Class 3 student Katie Crowther was given the honor of cutting the 20th Anniversary cake.

Silent and live auctions featured hundreds of items donated by our community; thanks to the generosity of those in attendance and the talent of auctioneer Kevin Gallagher, close to $30,000 was raised for Meridian.

We are very excited about the wonderful start we have had to our 20th year at Meridian School and the tradition we have created in years past. We hope to strengthen this tradition through a strong Annual Giving campaign. As a graduate of Meridian, I know that the path of lessons, people, and experiences that guided me through college, graduate school, teaching at independent schools, and ultimately back here today, would never have happened without Meridian. The choices in the educational landscape seem to have broadened in recent years but Meridian still offers an education that is unique and unmatched in Utah Valley. Some of our unparalleled strengths include the following:

• Small class sizes and individualized instruction
• Greater opportunity for participation in athletics, drama, and other activities
• Subject specialists for lower school students in art, music, yoga, physical education, and science
• A tradition of strong participation and success in many programs such as the Utah Shakespearean Festival Competition, Utah Jazz Read-a-thon, BYU language fair, Science Fairs, and many others
• Outstanding teachers
• Competitive scores on ACT and SAT standardized tests and IOWA testing scores above the average of other schools in the valley
• 100% of our graduates are college bound and report great success in the many schools they attend

Meridian is truly an independent school. Free from most state and district restrictions, our teachers are able to use their knowledge and experience to create authentic learning environments that teach skills, knowledge and character for a life of meaningful learning. I am very proud of Meridian’s past and even more excited about its future. We have wonderful plans to improve our programs, increase our enrollment, and even plan to build our own campus in the years ahead. However, our continued success depends greatly on the generous contributions of parents and others friends of the school.

There are many ways to provide help to Meridian School and we hope that all will invest in the continued growth of our exceptional community through Annual Giving. I am grateful for any contribution you can make to help this happen and encourage you to consider a meaningful donation to Annual Giving this year. Many thanks,

Daniel Smith

Head of School