Photo by Claudia McWhorter

Barton Creek Elementary kindergartners, from left, Nina Velacheri, Susanna Talbert, Mia Broyles and Caroline Clopton, get an interactive introduction to a new friend during Science Day on Jan. 27.

It was a week full of science magic for the students at Barton Creek Elementary School last week. Scientists and science enthusiasts took over the elementary school Jan. 27, eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm through 30 different science laboratories.
Presenters included volunteers from the University of Texas, Austin Energy, Ce-Bar Fire Department, doctors, veterinarians and musicians.
“This year, the kids were delighted to experience what it was like to be a vet or a surgeon or a geologist or learn about a race car, a solar car, a rocket ship or the science of fire,” said Daniel Rose, a Barton Creek parent and one of the Science Day organizations. “They have mended bones, glowed in the dark, held exotic snakes, played in a band and built volcanoes. The idea was to get kids excited about all kinds of science – from robotics to making their own ice cream.”
All 530 Barton Creek students got the chance to wander through a selection of exhibits – four 45-minute presentations.
Following right on the heels of Science Day this year was the school’s Science Fair, where fourth- and fifth-graders conducted scientific experiments and pulled together their results for examination and for a class grade. All students at the school were given the opportunity to participate if they wanted to delve in. Projects by third- through fifth-graders were judged, and the winners went on to a regional science competition.
The goal of the two science events is to increase awareness and interest in science throughout the whole student body, said co-chairs Terri Frost and Laurie Duncan.
“Science Day gives kids the chance to take their particular interest and plug it into science – see where it fits,” Duncan said. “If they like animals, they can watch a veterinarian in action.”
“Science is very creative,” Frost said. “Science Day shows science as a part of everyday life, not just something in a lab. It shows everyday people doing interesting things through science.”
Hundreds of parents and interested members of the elementary school community mulled around exhibits at the Barton Creek Science Fair last week. The excitement in the room was contagious.
“Science Fair is a chance for [students] to show their own work,” Frost said. “They see what it is like to put a project together, to do the research and follow the scientific process. Having the whole community involved just raises the level.”
Fourth-grader Chloe Oliver was at Science Fair with her project, an experiment to see which dissolves faster in saltwater, an eraser, gum or clay.
“I decided clay dissolves faster,” she said confidently. “After two-weeks, the clay had begun to kind of melt. Both the eraser and the gum just started to grow mold.”
Frost and Duncan credit the success for the school’s science events in large part to parents, who showed up in droves to help support their students. It took hundreds of volunteer and staff hours to pull off the two events, but Barton Creek Principal Bryan Shippey thinks it is worth the effort.
“The kids thoroughly enjoyed their morning and the hands-on, minds-on activities really sparked an interest in science for many of them,” he said. “I am constantly amazed at the incredible contributions our parents and community give to Science Day each year, they are key to making this happen.”

BELOW: Ce-Bar firefighter Brandon Burns helps students learn more about the dangers of fire during the school’s Science Day on Feb. 2.

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