Technovation Challenge, by Sruti Ramaswamy

The many Dana Hall teams participating in the Technovation Challenge are in their final stages as the competition swiftly approaches on May 14. Each team has been tasked with a mighty challenge: creating a mobile app that presents a solution to a problem facing their communities. However, Dana’s teams, such as Team SEA, welcome this trial with open arms as they check over their final plans with excitement. Team SEA, composed of Annie Xu ’20, Ella Williams ’20, and Skylar Gilfeather ’20, are aiming to solve the problem of food waste on a consumer level by creating a food tracker app. When rotten food is thrown in the dump, it decomposes in trash landfills and releases methane gas into the atmosphere, as well as other harmful effects. Team SEA’s app is designed to act as a daily “wake-up call” for those who are too busy to remember when certain food items will spoil. Upon entering the names of foods that an individual is storing, this app will send notifications that detail when said items are about to go to waste. According to Gilfeather, “about 40% of food in America is thrown out, going bad before being eaten.” The team hopes that this app will significantly reduce the amount of waste that occurs within the Wellesley community by encouraging mindfulness about food usage. They are working hard to finalize the prototype and hopefully add some new features before the submission deadline.

Model UN, by Hannah Robinson

The Model UN team won Best Large Delegation (1st Place) in Dartmouth College’s annual Model UN Conference April 7-9. It was the team’s sixth year in a row to win the award. The team also won individual awards in 12 out of the 16 rooms in which they debated. Social Studies teacher Ms. Heather Panahi, coach of the team, said that the delegation award is a “testament to the hard work, focus and integrity that every member of the team” displayed during the conference. Girls debated topics ranging from the refugee crisis and climate change to space exploration. The conference was filled with hours of lively debate, but the girls also enjoyed some fun at the delegate dance. This is the final major conference of the year and the last conference for the nine seniors on the team.