School has only been in session for one month and the High School students have already become immersed in their science courses through hands-on labs. In Biology, 9th Graders Aidan and Matthew tested the effects of salt on the boiling point of water. Aidan, who enjoyed wearing the special science lab goggles over his own glasses, summarized his findings from the experiment, “We found that the more salt you add to water, the lower the boiling point temperature of water. So, water will boil faster if you add salt.”
“You can memorize facts from a book, but you’ll never understand those facts until you see and experience those concepts in a hands-on environment.” ~ Abby Miller
The 9th Graders most recently conducted an experiment to test for the presence of the enzyme catalase in a cow liver, an onion, and a potato. “We covered small parts of the cow liver in hydrogen peroxide. The enzymes in the cow liver broke down the chemical bonds of hydrogen peroxide, creating lots of small bubbles. We did not find the same effects when testing the potato or the onion,” recalled Matthew who enjoying the hands on experience of touching a real cow’s liver.
In 11th Grade Chemistry, Abby and Stephen’s first experiment focused on finding the density of various objects. “Once you determine an object’s density, you can predict what material that object consists of. It’s a nice change to get out of the classroom learn through hands-on ,” said Stephen. Abby agreed, “You can memorize facts from a book, but you’ll never understand those facts until you see and experience those concepts in a handson environment.” ~ Julie Reagan
