It is hardly imaginable that hints of spring are everywhere, and it is only mid-February. Out at the Science and Innovation Center, the middle school students are charged up and excited to finish the year strong!



8th Grade Science and Engineering
Last month, our eighth grade students wrapped up their study of physics with a unit on waves and sound. We have since dusted off our bunsen burners and immersed ourselves in the study of chemistry! This week we will wrap up our unit: Introduction to Matter and begin looking at atoms and the periodic table of elements.












7th Grade Science and Engineering
Last month, the seventh grade students continued their study of genetics by looking closely at DNA replication, transcription and translation. Moving forward this month, the students are grappling with how populations change, specifically evolution. This week we began looking at evolutionary adaptations in plants and will continue next week with a focused study of comparative anatomy in animals.









The seventh grade class has begun their final challenge in PLTW. They will put their design skills to work by designing, testing, and building a toy to be used in a therapeutic setting.

6th Grade Science and Engineering
The sixth grade students changed gears this month, delving into the theory of plate tectonics, continental drift, and the rock cycle. Next week we will move into the processes that shape the Earth’s exterior, weathering and erosion.
Watch Dimitri demonstrate heat transfer by convection:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYWsKv6NPec








This month in Flight and Space, the students have learned bout the forces of flight, Newton’s laws, and Bernoulli’s principle. They are now applying these principles to designing and building a glider.
The students enjoyed a visit from Australian educators who shared a bit of culture and boomerang aeronautics.



Check these mad boomerang skills! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuqDEwLhWbc