Outreach in the schools

Above, from left, Benjamin Nichols, Cornell professor emeritus and Ithaca school board member; Alec Wright, mechanical engineering consultant; and Michel Louge, Cornell professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, judge DeWitt Middle School eighth-grader Ira Edelman's entry in the Junior Solar Sprint competition in the DeWitt gym May 20. Fifth-to-eighth graders from five upstate schools vied for a place in the regional championship for miniature solar cars. The event was hosted by DeWitt's technology education program, with help from CU aerospace engineering undergrads. Charles Harrington/University Photography

At left, Ithaca High School students, from left, Ammu Ajit and Lily Cavanaugh prepare for their poetry readings June 6 in the Johnson Museum of Art. The students were among a group of drama and creative writing students from the high school giving year-end performances based on their studies of portraiture. The program was funded by an Empire State Partnership for the Arts grant, which teamed the Ithaca school district with the Hangar Theatre and the Johnson Museum. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography