Schools across the nation are working diligently to increase the educational test scores after most school districts saw a decrease in scores after the Covid pandemic when schools were closed.
Winside Public Schools is actively working to increase students' science knowledge while demonstrating the enjoyable aspects of learning science.
On April 26, the school held a science camp for third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders with 24 students in attendance.
Angie Peck, Winside High School science teacher, visualized the idea of a camp to develop a love of science and at the same time educate them about the subject.
Peck is also the National Honor Society (NHS) sponsor. Nine NHS students came together and brought their leadership skills to the table and created science stations for the students to rotate through.
Peck wanted every student to have the opportunity to attend the camp. The affordable camp cost $5 to cover snacks and supplies.
During the three-hour camp students learned about gyroscopes, the center of gravity, rockets, drones, color reflection, circuits, crime scene investigations, lava lamps made out of light bulbs, plasma balls, periscopes, and many other science experiments.
Savannah Bowers said, “ Building Lava lamps was the most fun.” Mackenzie Jeffery said, “It was so much fun. I liked making crafts and learning about science.”
The NHS students teamed up in groups of two and three and taught all of the science sessions. Emily Jaeger said she learned a lot about teaching and talking to students. She enjoyed explaining periscopes and how they worked.
The first Winside Science camp was a success as shown by the students’ smiles and excitement as they moved through each science station.
Peck said the students all enjoyed the camp and the NHS students had a great time. The camp gave the NHS students leadership opportunities while providing a service project to the school. She said they plan to make this an annual event for students with different science ideas each year.
