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Quail Hollow Elementary Renews Focus On Science

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By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 1, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - The staff at Quail Hollow Elementary decided two years ago that an extra effort was needed to do something about the fifth-graders' low scores on the FCAT science exam.

So, the school buckled down.

The scores went up, with 45 percent of the fifth-graders scoring at the proficient level on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, compared with 38 percent in 2007.

Yet even after that improvement, those FCAT results mean most Quail Hollow fifth-graders still aren't considered proficient in science.

"So while we made a great leap, we were still not where we needed to be," Principal Michelle Berger said.

As the school entered the 2008-09 school year, Berger and her staff knew they needed to do even more.

They decided to set aside Friday afternoons - a time once known as Fun Fridays - for scientific experiments. Fun Friday became Science Friday.

The school started a science club that meets on Wednesdays after school.

Also, while fifth-graders tend to be the focus because they are the ones who take the science exam, the school decided to renew its science efforts in all grades, from kindergarten up.

It's a way, Berger said, to better lay the groundwork for those youngest students so they will be ready when they reach fifth grade.

On a recent Science Friday, two first-grade classrooms teamed up in the school's art room for an experiment on density. Leading the students were teachers Rebecca Camunas, Sharon Renberg and Carolyn Frances.

The students were given water in a plastic cup.

Here was the plan: The students would make some predictions on density. Then, one by one, they would put corn syrup, vegetable oil, a paper clip, a foam peanut and a marble into the water.

The corn syrup, paper clip and marble, all denser than the water, sank. The vegetable oil and foam peanut, less dense than the water, floated.

The students' predictions varied. For example, the majority thought both the paper clip and the foam peanut would float.

Everyone, though, thought the marble would sink.

Hands-On Approach

Those Friday afternoon experiments at Quail Hollow Elementary mesh well with the philosophy behind new science standards the state Board of Education approved last year for K-12 schools.

Those standards promote a more hands-on approach to science education, said Laura Hill, who oversees the science curriculum for the Pasco County School District.

Other schools also are trying to emphasize science more through such efforts as Science Fridays, science fairs and the use of STARLAB, a portable planetarium that visits schools. The school district used to own one STARLAB, but purchased a second one this year to make sure more students can experience the astronomy lessons.

FCAT science exams are scheduled March 12 for 11th-graders, March 16 for eighth-graders and March 16 and 17 for fifth-graders. Those are the only three grades that take the FCAT science exam.

Kelly Blaker, 10, a Quail Hollow fifth-grader, said one of his favorite Science Friday projects has been gluing together plastic bottles to create a castle as part of a recycling lesson.

Kelly said the reason he finds science interesting is that "everything in science always has an answer."

Of course, the trick - and for these children the fun - is trying to find that answer.

Helping in that endeavor is the unofficial science queen at Quail Hollow, fifth-grade teacher Lisa Decker, who sponsors the 20-member science club.

Decker decided several months ago that the school could use some microscopes, so she posted a plea on a Web site for teachers seeking classroom donations.

An organization called Florida Citizens for Science came through for Decker, and Quail Hollow now has a handful of microscopes for the students to share.

Decker's interest in science goes back to her childhood.

"I grew up in the country, so I was kicked outside all the time," she said.

Decker spent many youthful hours exploring nature and would like to see her students explore it, too.

Scientists In The Making?

That's not always easy for all of them, she said.

These days, many young people live in subdivisions where their encounters with nature are limited. They spend much of their time indoors, watching television or playing video games.

Decker would like nothing better than to give the world a few scientists, courtesy of Quail Hollow's Science Club and the school's Science Fridays.

Victoria Cannon, 10, a fifth-grader, could be one of the students who help Decker realize her goal.

Nature fascinates Victoria, just like it does her teacher. The student is toying with the idea of becoming a marine biologist.

"I like to swim and I like learning about animals, and I think it would be a good job for me because it's both," Victoria said.

One day she would like to try one of those swim-with-the-dolphins programs that SeaWorld and some other venues offer.

Victoria doesn't claim that would be solely in the interest of science.

"That would be fun," she said.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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