Education Week at Whitecourt Central School featured books, science projects, and historic Canadians

 

Students at Whitecourt Central School took part in Education Week from April 30 to May 4. Each day featured something different giving each grade the opportunity to shine. On Wednesday, May 2, the grade three students held a book fair where they showcased in front of an audience the books they had read. On Thursday, May 3, grade four students put on a massive science fair. All 126 students took part with some pairing up which filled the gym with roughly 100 different projects. There were permanent smiles everywhere as children showcased their projects to their parents, peers, and the public.

Nadia Massey’s science project on ocean pollution and how pollution can affect humans. “I learned that 70 per cent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants and 97 per cent of the earth’s water supply is contained in the ocean. The worst kind of pollution in the ocean, which affects our oxygen, is plastic.” She had examples on her board which showed how pollution has hurt the Great Barrier Reef and how marine life is affected. Nadia also provided ways that humans can help reverse the trend and keep pollution from the oceans. “To help reduce pollution, we need to recycle, avoid using disposable items, compost, and avoid harsh chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides.”

Devon Peterson’s project was about lemon seeds. “I wanted to know which would grow faster, organic seeds or non-organic seeds.” His hypothesis was that both types of seeds would grow at the same rate but was intrigued to find out that things went a little differently. “The organic seeds grew faster than the non-organic ones did. I have four containers. Two with organic seeds and two with non-organic seeds. After 20 days was of the organic containers had four sprouts and the other one had seven sprouts. The non-organic containers didn’t have any.”

Grade four teachers, Sylvia Martell and Kerry Mytrunec, organized the week-long event and said the entire staff is very proud of the students and that they all have gone above and beyond. “We have approximately 390 students in our school and every single grade has participated in some form of learning during Education Week. They had been working hard for the last month in preparation. It’s the first time we’ve done this at a school-wide level. Parents and community members were invited, and we’ve had an amazing response,” explained Martell.

For the science projects, students worked both at school and at home. “We gave them class time to choose a question and we went over the basic science inquiry steps they would have to do. They did their question and purpose at school and the rest of it was done at home,” said Mytrunec.

“In a lot of ways, it’s an introduction to the scientific process for students at this age,” said Martell. “It provides a safe environment for them to learn the steps they will be using for the rest of their education and the rest of their lives. It’s also about having fun.”

The science fair was self-directed for students as they chose their own topics, form their own hypothesis, research it, and come to their own conclusions. “It gives them a sense of pride, accomplishment, and ownership of their learning. When they research something that they are interested in as opposed to being told what they need to learn, it sticks with them for the rest of their lives,” said Martell.

Rounding out the week, on Friday, May 4, the grade five students performed wax museum presentations. The neat event had students dressed up as famous Canadians, giving a speech about their lives and upon the push of a button they would come to life. “It allows them to recreate a part of Canadian history,” said Martell.