February

 STEAM was introduced this year as part of our curriculum in middle and high school. The projects presented were about electricity. These reflect progress within the established program.

In The Learning Box Project students made interchangeable slides that fit on a cardboard surface connected with copper plates wired to LED’s. Correct answers to specific questions resulted in a lit led light. All the work was made collaboratively on the Office 365 license students use at school.

Other students completed the Planetarium Project. They measured, cut, and joined cardboard triangles to form an icosahedron (20 sides!). Students chose a constellation to display. They wired (with LEDs) the inside of the icosahedron and joined it to the Arduino board. This, when fed with the proper code, could turn the lights on and off in specific time intervals.

Certainly, the experience was challenging, but the result was undoubtably a rewarding experience for all.

Undoubtedly, one key feature of the Science Fair was the enthusiasm demonstrated by students of all grades of middle and high school. Presentations in the three areas of science manifest the students working knowledge in biology, physics, and chemistry. 

 Students impressed their parents with their confidence in the correct use of microscopes. They discussed various aspects of cells and asexual reproduction in yeast. Also presented were eukaryotic and prokaryote cells, as well as cellular organelles, their functions within animal and plant cells, and their differences.  

 Students presented two different topics, some exhibited models of the atom, a molecule, or subatomic particles. Others explained challenging topics such as Matter, the Behavior of Particles, Density, and Chemical Changes. Parents were invited to interact with presentations on the Three Newtonian Laws.  

 The marvels of science were displayed, in part, by ninth grade as they made evident their understanding of chemistry. They shared several diverse chemical reactions in which a wide array of substances was used. Some of the results caused quite a stir among the parents who witnessed these transformations. Also very visually attractive was the Flame Test where a specific characteristic of several elements was exhibited (did you know copper burns blue-green?)

The difference between a chemical change and a physical change was observed under a microscope. The same team also distilled a mixture of alcoholic beverages using a Bunson burner and collected the liquid as an example of using chemical processes to separate liquids.  

 High school chemistry students presented information entitled "About Matter," "How Particles Behave," and "States of Matter" among others. They applied their knowledge in a practical yet delicious manner – making ice cream! Parents were invited to balance an equation and observe how hydraulics can facilitate movements as diverse as that of a model bridge or our jaw. 

 Parents came to witness the scientific prowess of their students and learned while playing with magnets, balancing equations, and demonstrating Newton’s laws. It is said that optimal learning occurs when one is having fun – parents and students shared significant knowledge acquisition during the Science Fair.