Parents and students find fun with backyard science at Southeast Local Schools

Boris the corn snake isn't particularly big, but the snake was a huge part of the second annual Family Science Day, held March 20 at Waynedale High School. The brainchild of the district's science teachers and specialists, the event gave families of all ages the opportunity to get a hands-on look at Boris, and other creatures found in the area.

Dave Fisher, Southeast's curriculum director, told the crowd of around 300 who gathered on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, "just your presence alone sends a message to your sons and daughters that education is important." Fisher also noted the district is now offering Advanced Placement (AP) classes and eighth-graders can take freshmen-level science courses.

For Jen George, Waynedale science teacher, and her district-wide colleagues, the event means a year of planning and preparation, for an afternoon of education and fun for all ages. "We planned a lot of fun activities…and we've had a lot of fun planning them." George added that outside experts, including The Wilderness Center, who provided Boris, come in to help run the event. About 40 high school volunteers helped set up on Saturday, March 19, then participated at the event, assisting elementary school children with activities such as face painting and science experiments. The art club made an impressive tree in the front lobby, to highlight the backyard wildlife theme.

George laughed and said it wasn't hard to get student volunteers because they really enjoyed it last year, and wanted to return. George, along with her district colleagues Carol Hauenstein, Kathy Tisher, Norene Geiser, and Amy Frantz, wanted to spend as much time as possible enjoying the fruits of their labor that day, and the expressions of the kids and their families made it worthwhile.

Tisher, the fifth-grade teacher at Fredericksburg, noted that a lot of students from her school were there, along with Holmesville, Mt. Eaton and Apple Creek. "There's a lot of hands-on things for kids to participate in here," she said. "We wanted to make sure this was a district science day, and we had a representative in each building…and we met several times to work with each other and plan," Tisher said.

She also summed up the feelings of the other teachers and specialists working for the event. "The biggest thing is that we really want to get kids excited about science," Tisher said. She added it was important "for them to take ownership" of the day and activities.

Five stations were set up, with games, plants, flying animals, knowing your neighbor (wildlife) and explorer stations, with a variety of hands-on activities and displays, including a cafeteria filled with the students' own science projects and an impressive taxidermy collection, for a close-up look at wildlife. High school students served as group guides, taking students and their families to each station.

Brianna Potts, a sixth-grader at Apple Creek Elementary, watched Boris the snake with her friends and said, "we came last year and it was really fun. It's interesting and fun," she said, as the snake curled around the arm of Joann Ballbach of The Wilderness Center.

Brian and Marsha Potts were right next to their daughter, taking it all in. "We do anything to support her," Marsha Potts said.

Hauenstein, the fifth and sixth-grade science teacher from Apple Creek, said, "We appreciated the participation of students from all of our elementary schools. There was a really great representation from all four of the Southeast communities, and when we can bring everyone together for science, we've achieved our goal."