On Tuesday, February 10th, and Thursday, February 12th, Mrs. Swank’s Environmental Science class visited the elementary school to assist 4th grade STEM students with their science fair projects. The goal of the partnership is to get younger students excited about science while giving high school students leadership experience.
During their visits, the high school students worked alongside the 4th graders to create project outlines and model their experiments. Over the next few weeks, the Environmental Science students will return to continue guiding the elementary students as they conduct their original experiments and prepare their final presentations.
Environmental Science student Katelynn Thornton shared, “I liked going to the 4th grade because I got to help them with their projects, and I thought it was fun for the rest of the class too.”
Elementary STEM teacher Ms. McKenna said, “This was a great opportunity for the elementary students to see the high school students in a role model capacity. My favorite part about teaming up with the high school is seeing the kids interact with each other. You can see all the students learning and enjoying science together.”
Mrs. Swank also reflected on the experience: “I believe the high school students benefited from teaching the 4th grade because it takes truly understanding a subject to teach it. It was also a great opportunity for our students to work hands-on with the younger generation. I hope the high school students inspired the younger students to continue their love for science. I love watching the high school and elementary students interact. This project allowed our high school students to step into the role of teacher.”
Overall, the collaboration has been a valuable learning experience for both the high school and elementary students, giving them the opportunity to learn from one another. The Science Fair will be held on Friday, April 24th, where students will proudly showcase their completed projects.
