St. Luke's Seniors Shine At Scholars Symposium

Each year, St. Luke’s Senior Scholars stand up before parents, teachers and friends to present the results of year-long research projects. The topics and presentations are as different as the students themselves, but one thing is true across the board: St. Luke’s Scholars develop expertise in their areas of study and the ability to present their knowledge in public.

On April 24, 20 seniors shared 17 thoughtful, thorough presentations during the Scholars Symposium. The evening began with the keynote speaker J.G. Manning, Classics and History professor at Yale University and Senior Research Scholar at Yale Law School. Manning confessed a lifelong interest in Egyptology and expressed gratitude that his passion has become his career.

There are three categories of Scholars: Global Issues, Classical Studies (Latin and Greek), and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). This year’s Scholars and topics included:  

Sebastian Bates, Classical Scholar:

A Wolf Among Many Hounds: Poetry. Politics, and Reform in Solon’s Athens

Amanda Benoliel, Global Scholar:

What Makes a Story? How Social and Political Values Shape Myths

Will Bloomer, STEM Scholar:

Predicting the Future with Futures

Doug Butman, Global Scholar:

Socially Responsible Investing for St. Luke’s School (with Ben Sagalyn)

Chloe Comas, Global Scholar:

The Poaching of Elephants and Rhinos in Africa

Ian Corbet, Classical Scholar:

Hera and Juno: Understanding the Overlooked Complexity of Religious Transformation

Sean Cullinane, Global Scholar:

PeacePlayers International and Its Effects on Children in Northern Ireland 

Wyett Dalton, Global Scholar:

Mining Bitcoins: Uncovering the Global Decentralized Currency of Tomorrow (with Christian Duncan)

Ben Decatur, Classical Scholar:

Actian Propaganda in Latin Literature

Christian Duncan, Global Scholar:

Mining Bitcoins: Uncovering the Global Decentralized Currency of Tomorrow (with Wyett Dalton)

Paul Freeman, STEM Scholar:

Quadcopter Design, Construction, and Flight

Maddie Jodka, Global Scholar:

Cameroon: A Prescription for Growth

Drew Lord, Classical Scholar:

Public Disasters in Ancient Literature: The Literary Attitudes of Tacitus and Cassius Dio

Meagan Maguire, Global Scholar:

The Complex Unraveling of Child Labor in India

Emma O’Brien, STEM Scholar:

The Separation of Homogeneous Mixtures: A Study of Liquid Chromatography (with Molly Pivirotto)

Molly Pivirotto, STEM Scholar:

The Separation of Homogeneous Mixtures: A Study of Liquid Chromatography (with Emma O’Brien)

Ben Sagalyn, Global Scholar:

Socially Responsible Investing for St. Luke’s School (with Doug Butman)

Tim Steckler, Global Scholar:

The Truth Behind the Middle Eastern Crisis: The Sunni-Shia Divide and Potential Solutions

James Watson, Global Scholar:

The Italian Recession and Its Possible Effects on the European Union

Mac Zech, Classical Scholar:

None Like Him in the Stranger’s World: the Rise and Reign of Ptolemy I Soter

The Scholars Symposium is part of SpringFest, St. Luke’s annual celebration of the arts, academics and athletics.