Seventh grade students complete weather observations

By Lauryn Hedges

A group of students gazed up at the sky, jotting down observations about the weather around them in their science notebooks.

Seventh grade science students have been learning about weather and the water cycle. As a way to get them involved with what they are learning, the students have been going outside to take observations of the weather.

Caroline Ramsey, seventh grade, has taken observations and learned about weather before. “They were observations in third grade about the weather and the cycles of the moon,” Ramsey said. This year, seventh graders are learning about the steps in the water cycle and how to read weather maps.

“Since we’re studying weather, it’s important that you understand how to make your own observations and it ties into the other topics we’re talking about in class,” Mrs. Tracy Krause, seventh grade science teacher, said.

Krause said that students have been keeping a log in their science notebooks, as well as talking about using their observation skills during class.

The students have also learned how to find relative humidity.

“You take this meter and you dip the end that has a bulb in it in water. Then you spin it in the air for about thirty seconds and you check what temperature it’s at. You do the same thing again and subtract the temperatures and use the chart to find the relative humidity,” Sage Parikshak, seventh grade, said.

Overall, both Ramsey and Parikshak said that their favorite part of completing weather observations was going outside, and Parikshak also enjoyed using different science tools.

Krause said that learning about weather is important because everyone has to deal with it. “Weather affects everybody, everyday, everywhere, anywhere,” Krause said.

Eighth graders study chemistry, perform flame lab

Seventh graders learn about cells, use microscopes

Sixth graders study space, use telescope

Eighth grade sciences classes combine their physics knowledge to create hot air balloons

Students study, create volcanoes in seventh grade science

Students prepare for the "Super Bowl" of physics challenges

By Jaala Al-Haffar

He calls it the “Super Bowl” of all challenge labs. 

He claims it’s the biggest day of the eighth grade year. 

Mr. Andrew Simon and the other eighth grade science teachers purposely withhold important information about physics labs to see what students’ minds can come up with and create. 

“It builds up the pressure and makes it more fun,” Billy Freudenthal, eighth grade, said. 

Chase Southard, another eighth grader said, “It makes the challenge more exciting and makes us look forward to it.”

This “Super Bowl” of physics lab will be the egg drop. 

The drop is going to be roughly six meters high. All eighth grade students have to come up with a creative way to drop the egg to the ground without causing it to shatter in pieces. The egg drop will take place on Thursday, October 17 during each science class. 

The lab teaches the students about force and how to change time by not focusing on the drop but on the time it takes to get to the concrete, and how to slow that down. 

Ms. Gretchen Smiley, eighth grade science teacher, says that she loves physics labs. Her favorite egg drop structure she has seen is, of course, the one all the science teachers made together. Mrs. Susan Fulp, eighth grade science teacher, says this challenge is one of her favorites throughout the whole year. 

Science teachers have been helping the students prepare for the lab by making them do similar projects but with potato chips.The teachers are looking forward to all the creativity that will come out of the students during the lab and the willingness from the students.

Seventh grade students participate in Survival Week

Mr. Mark Weaver, seventh grade science teacher, holds a cow tongue to show to the students. Students got the chance to taste maggots, crickets and pork. Photo by Avery Werner

by Logan Sandlin and Jacob Sager

On October 8, 2014 the smell of cinnamon apples with a hint of smoke wafted through the air. The sweet smell of honey was also floating around the fire. This was the smell of Survival Week.

During the week of October 6, the seventh grade science classrooms went to the outdoor lab and participated in Survival Week. Survival Week is a week-long history lesson of  America, and other countries that influenced the New World. It covers the time period between 1492 through the 1800's.

The week was filled with interactive activities in which students learned about the countries that inhabited early America, such as Spain, England, and France. The class of 2020, current seventh graders, participated in making necklaces, cooking bread, brewing tea, tasting honey, and rain dancing.

Many of the students that participated in Survival Week enjoyed it. 

“I think it’s a good time to experience what it was like in the olden days," William Gatte, seventh grade, said.

Many other students said that they also enjoyed it.

“It’s fun to learn what it’d be like without all the things we have today,” Ella Curtis, seventh grade, said.

Mr. Mark Weaver, seventh grade science teacher, runs Survival Week with the other science teachers, Mrs. Tracy Krause, and Mr. Sean McVey.

Mr. Weaver said, “I love running the event [Survival Week] with the other teachers.

“My favorite thing about Survival Week is getting outside and the fire,” Josh Snively, seventh grade, said.

Not only did students sit around the fire, they also got the chance to taste different foods. 

“My favorite food was the cinnamon apples. They were sweet and warm,” Griffin Hall, seventh grade, said.

All of those activities led up to the last day of Survival Week, Feast Day. 

“Feast day is my favorite day of the week. Feast day is tiring, I have to get up at 2 a.m to get the food ready,” Weaver said.

Feast day was Friday October, 10. They served foods such as pork, pig, insects, and other bugs. The students didn't have to try the food items, but Weaver recommended that the students should try it. 

Overall, most everyone enjoyed Survival Week. Michael McCollum said, “Survival week is great, and everything tastes good.” McCollum also said, “I like wearing my bandanna.”