Statistics show that science is a subject that students can struggle the most with in standardized testing. But a Desert Vista teacher knows that kids can not only succeed in science, but enjoy it as well.
Not only are the students in Birgit Musheno's Biotechnology program scoring well on standardized tests such as the SAT, but they are showing younger students that science can be fun as well as informative.
At Kyrene de la Estrella Elementary on Sept. 23, eight DV students brought several experiments to be put on display at the school's Family Science Night. One experiment, involving a hair dryer and ping-pong balls, made the students think about air pressure and gravity while testing their hand-eye coordination.
"It was really fun to see high school kids explain what was happening," Musheno said. "And the younger kids love the hands on stuff. We're getting them jazzed about science."
Also on display at science night was an electric car presentation, an environmental cleanup demonstration and more.
Musheno said her student's excitement to teach younger kids reflected the communal feeling regarding science.
"Interest in science in our community is really strong and we have one of the strongest science programs around," she said. "It's hard to find a kid that wants to be a teacher and most of my students - that is what they want to do."
As a reward for their interest and hard work the DV biotechnology program received a PCR Machine, which is used to study and copy DNA.
"It's really cutting edge science," Musheno said. "We've gotten grants that you don't usually see at the high school level."
