Local Paper Features Maharishi School Seniors

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Southeast Iowa Union “All Union Class of 2022”

The local paper has featured Maharishi School’s top two seniors for the class of 2022 to highlight for their accomplishments in the classroom, actives and the community. Lily Fenton and Dominic Dupoux were nominated and filled out a questionnaire that is attached below. Congratulations Lily and Dominic for all of your great successes!

Dominic Dupoux

maharishi school senior

Dominic Magnus Dupoux

 

Parents: Xavier Dupoux and Katie Eller

GPA: 3.92

Co-curricular activities: Robotics Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, Varsity Tennis Team

Community activities: Interact, Come to Supper

Future plans and goals: Administrator/sales executive for sustainable business

How will your high school experiences help you in the coming years? The experiences I’ve had with an academic and intellectually demanding curriculum have taught how to think critically and deal with dynamic workloads

Fondest memory of high school: My final year of robotics when my team spent the entire day at the district competition and got the highest score of the day.

Which teachers have had the biggest impact on you and why? The influence of my freshman year English and homeroom teacher, Mr. Corbett, gave mesenior robotics great insights into the kind of life I want to lead (intellectually stimulating, respectful of others, and filled with silent reflection and gratitude). My robotics teacher, Mr. Jones, has taught me what truly great leadership looks like, and encouraged me to challenge myself with new, albeit intimidating, opportunities.

Who is your role model and how did they influence you? Shristi Sharma. The hardest working person I’ve ever known, and yet always seemed to be in a positive mood. She was extraordinarily ambitious and yet also one of the most humble people I’ve known.

What is special about your high school? My high school is very attentive to the needs of its students. Not only is there a constant effort to communicate and improve, but there is an insightful understanding of what skills and qualities will matter the most when we are released into the world as adult citizens.

If you go back to when you were a freshman, what advice would you give yourself? Fail big. If you think you can just sit and wait and expect things to happen, you’re wrong. You must try. Even if it means you fall a mile short of your goals, by truly putting in the effort you will go so much further.

Lily Fenton

senior photo

Lily Fenton

Parents: Peter Fenton and Trish Fenton

GPA: 3.99

Co-curricular activities: President of Student Council, Captain of the Girl’s Tennis Team, National Honor Society, Yearbook creator, Maharishi School Beautification, Speech.

Community activities: Competitive dance at High Temperature Dance Academy, Interact, Big Fish Shark Tank Contest, TM for Girls Internship, National Society of High School Scholars, organizing Fairfield High School and Maharishi School to write letters to the nursing home during COVID

Future plans and goals: I would like to major in biology and double minor in dance and business. I would like to attend dentistry school and later do a residency in orthodontics to open my own business.

How will your high school experiences help you in the coming years? High school has been a time where I have been able to face and overcome my fears which have prepared me for college because I am now able to leave knowing what I am able to do and who I want to become.

Fondest memory of high school: On our annual camping trip, we started the tradition of the “Senior Prank.” As sophomores, we returned from a walk to find our tent missing. Our senior year, we put someone’s tent on top of our school bus.

Which teachers have had the biggest impact on you and why? Dr. Beall has shown that he has the biggest heart and truly cares about every one of his students.

Who is your role model and how did they influence you? My parents have set examples for me, provided a safe space and everything I need, and have created a solid foundation that I can now build upon in college.

What is special about your high school? My high school is remarkable due to the community. I have grown up at Maharishi School since I was three years old, and I have met and got to know amazing people.

If you go back to when you were a freshman, what advice would you give yourself? I would tell myself that everyone goes through their ups and downs, especially during high school. High school is a time to find out who you are as a person and who you want to become.

senior prom

Lily and Dominic at their senior prom

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Newsletter Team Introductions

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Meet the team

While the entire CCLS class contributes to the newsletter there are three main editors who decide the content for the newsletter—for example, the funnies, puzzles, and articles.

Faeven Gebremariam

My name is Faeven Gebremariam, and I am a sixth-grader at Maharishi School. I have been at Maharishi School all my life, and I learned Transcendental Meditation in fifth grade. I love to dance, sing, bake, draw, read, hang out with friends, and play the violin too. We worked hard on this newsletter, so I hope you enjoy reading it!

Antariksha Sharma

My name is Antariksha Sharma, and I’m in 7th grade. I like to read, dance, cook, and have fun. I want to become an Emergency Surgeon and an Oncologist when I grow up. One of my favorite quotes is: “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” – Winne the Pooh.

Dharma Sumithran

dharma newsletterMy name is Dharma Sumithran, and my family and I moved to Fairfield a few months ago. I learned Transcendental Meditation and joined

the seventh grade in Maharishi School. I like to dance, bake, read, and play the flute. I have enjoyed making this newsletter, so I hope you like it!

 

 

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Middle School CCLS Newsletter: Quilt Tales; Warming Ourselves with Positives of 2020

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By Dharma

dharma newsletterDid we ever think there were many positives in 2020? Probably not. Well, in our classes for CCLS, we realized that there actually were: 2020 was an extraordinary and positive year in many ways for all of us. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders came together and started to work on a quilt. The purpose of the quilt was to show that even though 2020 was tough, because of Covid 19 and other events such as the wildfires in Australia, the US elections, and the stock market crash, we learned and grew a lot.

The process of making the quilt had many steps. First, everyone was given a square, and we needed to think deeply about what was important and meaningful to us, and what positive experiences we got out of 2020. Then we drew and colored a picture that represented our experiences on the fabric.

Next, an accomplished quilter, Roseline Woods, and a proud parent of a middle school child, Danielle Wallace volunteered to help us quilt the cloth squares. We got to use regular sewing machines and a special sewing machine to write our name, grade, and where we were from, on the cloth. Then Ms. Woods took all the squares and put them together to form one coherent quilt. The quilt now hangs in our school corridor, available for people to see and reflect upon.

Making the quilt helped us understand 2020 more deeply and find joy in it. We learned that everything has a plus side; it just takes a little time, effort, and intention to find it.

Poem inspired by the Quilt by Dharmanewsletter quilt middle school

Twenty-twenty is now long gone,

And in all of us, new qualities were born.

In the pandemic, the new “out was in”,

Giving us time to learn, and be with kin.

At home where we had to be,

Our creativity we could see.

We did and we discovered

Things that had to be uncovered.

We tried and we failed,

But each time, determination prevailed.

In the ups and downs, we were crafting history,

And when this time ends, we can share the victory.

The principle Dharma chose to represent in her quilt piece and poem is

Harmony exists in diversity

 

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Middle School CCLS Newsletter: Better Sleep, Better Life Part 2

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By Kate, Kyran, Poojita

newsletter middle school

When you don’t sleep it can make your attitude change. For example, you could get frustrated or mad. It doesn’t only affect you, but it affects other people. For instance, if you don’t sleep enough, you can get lazy and get on other people’s nerves. For example, if someone asks you a simple question or is trying to talk to you, you might answer in a rude or unmannerly way.

To read part one of this feature click here.

 

 

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Middle School CCLS Newsletter: Better Sleep, Better Life

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By Rahini, Yo, and Faeven

Sleep is an important function of the body that helps us rest and recharge for activities ahead. Enough sleep also wards off chronic diseases.middle school newsletter Your lifestyle could damage your body.

Many people take sleep for granted. Sure, you might need to stay up a little later to study for important schoolwork, but if you can, try to avoid staying up all night by not using your electronics or watching TV. It can seriously impact your health, both physical and mental, in the long term.

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Middle School CCLS Newsletter: Gratitude

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By Phoenix, Antariksha, Max, and Makayla

A simple “Thank you” can mean much more to someone than we actually think. In CCLS this year, we learned many valuable lessons, including how to clearly express our emotions, be clearer with our words, and connect with other people.

One big takeaway was one lesson on gratitude, for being grateful leads to your understanding of how to be a better version of yourself. One point that really stuck with us was that a “thank you” couldn’t be forced. It has to be genuine because the person receiving the “thank you” would be able to tell our emotions. Properly expressed real gratitude could really make someone’s day.

middle school kids

Other people aren’t the only ones we can express gratitude to. We can express thankfulness to ourselves, nature, and opportunities for anything that we think is deserving. Before this class, we might have thought that thanking an object was a bizarre practice. Who does that, right?

But the truth is that when we go out of our way to recognize somebody, it makes us feel good about ourselves. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an object or a person. Just that we can appreciate someone else without expecting anything in return except for the feeling of fulfillment we get.

Being grateful is a human thing, here is what some 7th graders are grateful for:

Makayla, for the new shoes she got for Christmas; Max, for his parents allowing him to build a PC; Phoenix, for being able to win level 44 of a game; and Antariksha, for the opportunities in America she has in her life.

Consider being grateful for any of these things: pets, family, education, travel, fun, sunny day, technology, laughs!

 

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

From the Desk of the CCLS Middle School Teacher

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Written by Josephine Ruffin

It was a great joy to be offered the opportunity to teach the CCLS class in Maharishi Middle School this year. You might ask: “What is CCLS?”

The Consciousness, Connections, and Life Skills course (CCLS) has grown out of the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI). All around us in Nature and in human life, we see patterns of orderliness or intelligence. Every field of knowledge studies some aspect of orderliness in Nature. Maharishi’s Science of Creative Intelligence is unique because it studies intelligence itself. Like any science, it has a practical aspect and a theoretical aspect.

First, students learn and practice the Transcendental Meditation technique.

Then they study other sciences and arts appropriate for their level of development and connect them to their experience of pure awareness.

For example, in CCLS class they studied the art of giving and receiving an apology. This raises their awareness of the importance of letting an individual know when you recognize you have done something wrong, and that you are genuinely sorry. This clears the path for moving forward, healing, and improving relationships. It shows how our words and actions can nourish the fine feeling level. This demonstrates the Life Principle: Purification leads to progress.

They also studied the life science of AyurVeda (Ayur means life, Veda means knowledge). This included selecting the appropriate diet and exercise regimen for themselves, sleep, meditation, and how to detect imbalances in their body by taking their own pulse.

We also created a colorful quilt to focus their attention on the positive aspects of 2020 when Covid-19 had such an impact on their lives. They related their experience to a principle of Creative Intelligence and illustrated it on a cloth square. These were then integrated into a quilt.

They learned the anatomy of an effective email—the receiver, subject, salutation, body, and closing—and how to connect with the consciousness of the recipient to uplift them and inspire them through communicating at a profound level.

This quarter we are working on connecting with cities and countries, to reinforce the principle: “The world is my family.” Our students have connected to those in Maharishi schools in Canada and Australia. They discovered how similar our experiences really are.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter that the students have created. Special thanks to the editors: Antariksha, Dharma, and Faeven.

Maharishi said to the press: “Watch, and report what you see.”

josephine teacher maharishi school

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter please contact Josephine Ruffin, jruffin@maharishischool.org

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Senior Pranav Chhalliyil Attending World’s Largest International Pre-College Science Competition

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On May 12th – 17th the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program of the Society for Science & the Public, and the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, will be held in Phoenix, Arizona.

Maharishi School Senior Pranav Chhalliyil will be attending Intel ISEF for his fifth consecutive year. Pranav was also recently named Honorary Grand Champion at the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa, and received an award for 6 years of participation. A total of 5 students are representing the State of Iowa as finalists at Intel ISEF.

Pranav’s project is titled:  “DNA Sequencing of Soil Microbiota From Mulching – A Novel Rotational Fragment Farming for Efficient Agriculture”

“The idea for this project came from my previous research experience on the oral microbiota,” Pranav said,  “which triggered a curiosity on the soil microbiota when I had interesting observations while gardening. I found a higher yield of flowers and vegetables, as well as a higher tolerance to winter frost in perennials after introducing mulching in my home garden.”His project uses DNA sequencing to look at the thousands of bacteria and fungi species which brought diversity in the soil and increased soil fertility.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) unites the top young scientific minds, showcasing their talents on an international stage, where doctoral-level scientists review and judge their work.

Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for on average $5 million in prizes at Intel ISEF. The competition focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the world’s next STEM generation.

Millions of students in grades 9-12 worldwide compete each year in local and school-sponsored science fairs. The winners of these events go on to participate in 420 Society-affiliated regional and state fairs, from which the top projects are selected and receive opportunity to attend Intel ISEF. Each affiliated fair may send a pre-determined number of projects to Intel ISEF to compete in 22 different categories.

Intel ISEF alumni have gone on to receive some of the world’s most esteemed academic honors, including the Nobel Prize, Breakthrough Prize, three National Medals of Science, and six MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and have been involved in some of the most groundbreaking scientific research.

Congratulations to Pranav and we wish him the best of luck!

To learn more about what makes Maharishi School students like Pranav so successful click here.

For more information and updates on Maharishi School and our students follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Culture Project

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Culture Project

This week in the classroom…

Our 5th and 6th graders presented their Culture Projects this week. Each student or team chose a country and researched the religious and cultural traditions.

Russia, The Philippines, and Costa Rica

Countries researched included Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, The Phillipines, Switzerland, Russia, Egypt, Argentina and many more!

Adrien Daller and Eli Lieb Give Maharishi School Assembly

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Two dazzling alumni visited the school to share their vocation ventures and give us guidance. The first speaker was Adrien Daller. Adrien calls herself a speech nerd who was always shushing people when they interrupted the teacher. She is grateful for the School’s theatre program because that was where she understood that she wanted to perform. She went out with certainty and met change. Adrien says, “The moral of my story is that sometimes on the way to your dreams, you find better ones.”

She went overseas to study acting in England and sang “God Save the Queen” to Queen Elizabeth. From there she ended up singing and performing in Italy. She says that it was a great experience doing “what I said I wanted, but I wasn’t happy.” Something was missing.

Back in Fairfield she reconnected with friends and family and realized that she needed to do something else. She started writing her own music, and was in, and helped to start, several bands. The album The Endless Prom came out of that. She says, “I’m doing what I love, even though it’s not what I expect. I’m making music with people who inspire me, and being close to people I love.”

Her advice to the students is, “Keep trying things; it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, just keep trying.” She also says, “Keep an open mind to what dream you might have. Work really hard on what you love, and see what happens.”

Her link is: www.facebook.com/TroubleLights

Eli Lieb started writing music when he was 16. His youthful experience was charmed—he says that he didn’t overthink things but just dove in. He went to New York to advance his career and sang in endless Open Mics. He remembers once when his turn to sing came at 3 am. “Use your energy for what you want without stopping,” he says. “ Look at every experience as a tool to find out who you are and what you want. There is no bad experience.”

Success came with an agent and a contract. This seemed ideal. He loved the city that never sleeps; however, he found himself bowing to power and giving up his voice. Returning to Fairfield was his time to re-tune. “The second I committed to being happy and moved back to Fairfield, that’s when my career took off.” When he exchanged cards with a dog-walking companion, he saw the job description “Sony Records.” Support of Nature. Eli’s underwater song on YouTube (shot by fellow graduate Geoff Boothby) has had 5.5 million hits. He calls this his calling card.

His advice is, “Be happy; do what makes you happy. Be yourself. The more authentic you are, the more people respond to you. You can’t please everyone; if you try to do that you lose yourself.” Eli says he would not have this mindset without TM and the Fairfield community. “People like that part of you. What you have is a unique tool for achieving happiness.” Regarding his knowledge of Sanskrit he says, “When you tell people that you understand Sanskrit they will think it’s amazing.”

His link is: www.elilieb.com