Mar 14

Sophomore Magnetos Win App Competition!

Our very own students Alyssa Wong, Chloe Luo, and Liya Zhao recently won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for the 3rd Congressional District with Can-Screen, an app that helps users screen for cancer and explore educational resources. The competition is provided by U.S. House of Representatives to encourage students to pursue computer science, and practical technology solution building  for the community.

Can-Screen was developed as the trio’s freshman year research project. They were inspired to pursue the topic in order to increase accessibility to cancer screenings. “Everybody has a story to tell, a personal connection about cancer,” Alyssa said. “Cancer screening is so important, but people don’t even know that they’re supposed to be getting this screening and that they’re eligible.”

The trio acknowledged their AP biology teacher Brianna Abraham and Banny Wong, Alyssa Wong’s dad, who is a gastroenterologist at Vancouver Clinic, for supporting them through the process and providing guidance based on their expertise. Chloe reflects on the experience, emphasizing that “If even one more person gets cancer screening because of our app, it would mean so much to us, and all the late-night debugging will have been worth it.”

Over 13,800 students from across the country submitted 4,600 original apps focused that on different world challenges.  As winners, Wong, Luo and Zhao have the opportunity to showcase their projects to Congress, staff and industry leaders in April on Capitol Hill.

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/03/sophomore-magnetos-win-app-competition/

Mar 07

Magneto Sophomores Compete in Greene Survival Island!

Recently, our sophomore students have been busy reading Lord of the Flies (LOTF) in their MST Honors English class. This debut novel by British writer William Golding follows a group of schoolboys who are stranded on an island after a plane crash. With the progression of the story, civilization crumbles and chaos reigns.

As students analyzed the themes of the novel, Mr. Greene gave them a chance to experience island competition with a survival challenge (where luckily, no lives are at stake). Over the course of 3 weeks, groups participated in a series of LOTF themed challenges that included songwriting, PSAs, and choreographing interpretive dances, all while competing for extra credit and glory. Congratulations to the winning group! Their final challenge performance is linked below.

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/03/magneto-sophomores-compete-for-extra-credit-in-greene-survival-island/

Feb 14

2nd Semester MST Lunch a Great Success!

Last Wednesday, Magnetos of all grades gathered in the North Commons for a shared early release lunch of socializing and great food.  Thank you to all the parents who provided refreshments and helped to organize and clean up. Your help makes these events possible!

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/02/2nd-semester-mst-lunch-a-great-success/

Feb 01

Junior Magneto Inspires on Radio!

On January 15th, Dana Sparling gave a radio broadcast recital on All Classical Radio, a station with over 250,000 listeners across the world. Dana is a rising flutist and All Classical Radio’s current young artist in residence. She has been playing the flute since 6th grade band, when she started taking lessons at Beacock Music. She now plays in MYS’s Symphony Orchestra and PYP, and studies with Zach Galatis. Dana recalls that while she was initially nervous about being on radio, the staff at All Classical Radio were very supportive, and helped her feel more comfortable with performing.

Dana will be appearing on the station again later this year, so keep an eye out on the All Classical Radio website for any updates!

 

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/02/junior-magneto-inspires-on-radio/

Jan 18

MIT Beaverworks Spring Opportunity for 9th and 10th Graders

Registration is now open for the Beaverworks Spring Yes You Can! program for 9th and 10th grade students! This is a Completely FREE program designed for students with little to no prior STEM experience, allowing them to explore a hands-on, confidence-building introduction to STEM

Beverworks is also launching for the Spring Yes! You Can Do Computational Problem Solving, a new program for students who have a strong math background, some programming experience, and are interested in tackling more advanced, logic-based challenges

The application deadline is February 20!! Register here:  https://mitbwsi.formstack.com/forms/bwsi_spring_2026

 

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/01/mit-beaverworks-spring-opportunity-for-9th-and-10th-graders/

Jan 17

MST Admissions Timeline and Webinar

Calling all students planning to apply to the CHS MST Magnet program! Here’s an overview of the admissions timeline. Our first first event of the year will be the Parent & Student Magnet Info Night / Webinar (4/14) where our current students and staff will talk the program’s benefits and opportunities. In the meantime, please visit our Admissions Portal to learn about how to apply, sign up for email updates on our website, and follow the official Magnet Instagram for the latest news.

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/01/mst-admissions-timeline-and-webinar-2/

Jan 02

Celebrating December with 1st Semester MST Breakfast!

As a Magnet tradition, we usually have a program-wide breakfast every semester. Our first semester breakfast, held on the Friday before winter break in the North Commons, was a great success. Students of all grades along with alumni bonded over a variety of breakfast (and not so breakfast-y) foods while making new friends. Thank you to all the parents and teachers who lent a hand in organizing, bringing food, and cleaning up!

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/01/celebrating-december-with-1st-semester-mst-breakfast/

Jan 01

December to Remember: 2025 Grad Panel

In early December, our freshmen and sophomore students present their 1rst semester research progress their research to their peers and a panel of MST staff and graduates. Our returning MST alumni come from all over the country over the holiday season to spend time with family and friends while returning to the program to share their wisdom with our youngsters.

The number of research groups across 9th and 10th reached a record high this year, with over 20 groups presenting across three classrooms. We also adopted a new slideshow format of presenting that allowed students to go more in-depth on their topics.

After the formal student presentations, our alumni formed grad panels where they answered questions and gave school advice ranging from testing to choosing college classes. You can view the panels here (make sure to turn on captions!): Room 710 panel, Room 712 panel, Room 902 panel.

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2026/01/december-to-remember-2025-grad-panel/

Dec 14

MST Senior Symposium 2025

On December 8th, the MST Senior Symposium was held at the Zellerbach administration center. Seniors presented the internship projects that they completed over the summer to the Camas School District community as well as MST students of other grade levels who gained insight on the opportunities awaiting them. After the poster fair, a school board meeting was held where Sophie Jacobs and Lena Ruddy had the opportunity to formally present their internships to the CSD Board and community.

Ms. Ruddy completed her internship with Fircrest Behavioral Health, where she conducted research on the relationship between screen use and self-regulation in teens with ADHD. Her study examined whether technology affects adolescents with ADHD differently than their neurotypical peers, using surveys and interviews to assess screen time habits, mental health effects, and the role of parental involvement. Her findings indicate that while excessive screen use negatively impacts all teens, those with ADHD face greater difficulty regulating screen time independently and benefit significantly from parental limits and guidance. As someone with an ADHD family member, Ms. Ruddy found that this project allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of the varied perspectives and experiences of individuals with ADHD. You can view her poster here: Technology’s Impacts on Regulation in Children with ADHD.

Ms. Jacobs interned with the Office of the Public Legal Assistant (OPLA). Although she began her internship without a predefined research focus, her early experiences and observations within the office allowed her to identify a practical need and independently shape the direction of her project. Her project focused on the potential use of RFID technology to improve file tracking within immigration law systems. Her research explored how passive RFID tags and portable scanners could streamline the location and management of legal case files, reducing inefficiencies and minimizing reliance on manual processes. By designing and evaluating a prototype RFID tagging system, Ms. Jacobs demonstrated how emerging technologies could be effectively adapted for legal settings to improve accuracy, accessibility, and operational efficiency. You can view her poster here: Potential Applications of RFID Technology in Immigration Law.

Congratulations to the seniors for completing their final year of MST research! We are all inspired by your amazing work.

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2025/12/mst-senior-symposium-2025/

Dec 08

Celebrating Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar!

Since the beginning of the school year, sophomore Magnetos have been reading and analyzing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. After studying the play, the students were challenged to create their own short movie retellings of key scenes within just 2 weeks. This year’s “productions” ranged from murder mysteries to ancient Chinese adaptations!

The annual “Hail Caesar Fest” was held the Friday before Thanksgiving break to celebrate the hard work that went into filming and editing. Students watched the completed movies and voted for their favorites (while feasting on Caesar salads, of course, in honor of Julius Caesar himself).

Thank you to all the families who provided refreshments!

Permanent link to this article: https://chsmstmagnet.com/2025/12/celebrating-shakespeares-julius-caesar/