Earth Jubilee celebrates science

By Abe Nelson

Published: May 28, 2008

A gaggle of first graders sprinted across the Osbourn Park High School football field Wednesday, chasing a miniature rocket parachuting to the ground.

The rocket demonstration was part of the annual Biotechnology Earth Jubilee Day at the high school, where elementary school pupils visited to learn about subjects ranging from anatomy to rocket science.

Larry Nemerow, the biotechnology coordinator at Osbourn Park—Prince William County's biotechnology speciality school—said the program was as much for the high school students as it was for the younger pupils.

"We're trying to get kids to work in a year-long project, in a group, to reach a consensus about what to do, how they're going to do it, how they're going to research it and so on," Nemerow said. He said he hoped the project taught the high school students to work as a team.

Roughly 500 elementary school pupils attended the jubilee, where they were able to visit 65 booths on the school's driving range to learn about subjects as diverse as the five senses, carnivorous plants, stars and galaxies, elephants and venomous animals.

Nemerow said the mini-classes and demonstrations were tailored to the elementary school pupils.

"We're matching what we're teaching to their curricula ... and we're picking something from their standards of learning, or something like that, and then we're trying to make it come alive," Nemerow said of the presentations geared to first- and second graders from Signal Hill, Westgate and Sinclair elementary schools.

Camella Hardinger, a first-grade teacher at Westgate, said she thought the program was successful.

"It's just a good experience for them to get out here and learn," she said of her pupils.

She also said the lessons from the high school students were relevant.

"I think they're doing a great job of giving them a wide variety of information that they can use," Hardinger said.

Karla Lilley, a second-grade teacher at Sinclair Elementary School, agreed.

"The kids are really breaking it down to a nice level for elementary school kids," Lilley said, adding the program would engender a "great appreciation for science" in the elementary school pupils.

"We need that," Lilley said.

Westgate teaching assistant Karen Wardle said the first- and second-graders looked up to the Osbourn Park fresh-men and sophomores who presented the demonstrations. "They're more apt to open up and ask ques-tions," Wardle said of the pupils.

Osbourn Park High School students Kevin Weachter, Vick Boparai and Andrew Redlinger said they benefitted from preparing for the elementary school pupils.

"You get more knowledge about what you're studying," the 17-year-old Redlinger said.

"I feel it's going to be really useful in college," the 17-year-old Boparai said.

Weachter said the project just pleased him.

"Helping the kids out is a lot of fun," the 16-year-old said "It just kind of gives you a good feeling inside knowing you're teaching little kids stuff."

Austin Peters, a first-grader at Westgate Elementary School, said he had fun the whole day.

"There are a lot of fun things to see since I first got off that bus," said Austin, who also learned that pizza, French fries and nugget pieces weren't as nutritious as fruits and vegetables.

But he was more interested in anything kinetic.

"When I first saw those rockets," he said, "I'm like 'Can we come over her and go to that first?' "

"I was all excited, so now I'm sitting here waiting until it's our turn," Austin said as his class waited to in line to see the rockets fire.

Austin and the other pupils eventually got the chance to see a lift-off.

"It was a very good time being here and what I learned so far is that you'll always have to have a grown-up with you when you fire a rocket. It's very dangerous with the gunpowder. It might come back at you and hurt you," he said.

Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.