Science is Everywhere!

Science is everywhere. And as our students quickly come to learn at St. Agnes School that Science is a way of knowing and thinking about the natural and physical components of the world in which they live. Within the program we offer at St. Agnes, our students conduct science investigations and explorations which involve the use of “inquiry skills”. The development of this skill-set allows the students to experience the circular process of Science. What our students learn is that the conclusions that are discovered within any experiment can steer them back to the original question and then lead to even more questions. By formulating their own questions, by planning and conducting investigations, our young scientist’s build a new understanding and a deeper base of knowledge. This circular process of Science helps raise their critical thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills.

This year’s Second Annual Science Fair provided our middle school scholars a hands-on, minds-on experience. In “doing science”, our young people further develop their ability to ask questions, collect information, organize and test their ideas, problem-solve and apply what they have learned. Moreover, our Science program serves as a useful platform for making sense of the world that surrounds our students. I would like to congratulate the following Science Fair winners:

6th Grade: First Place: Trissy Saunar - Can plants grow with grey water?; Second Place: Chloe Bannister & Karah Rhines - How does the texture of cake change when you replace an ingredient with applesauce?; Third Place: Tristan Johnson - Mag-nificent breakfast cereal

7th Grade: First Place: Ryan Johnson - Is your water really clean?; Second Place: Katie Dunn - Battle of the senses (how are smell and taste related); Third Place: Kennedy Sharp - The densest muffin in all the land

8th Grade: First Place: Finn Smith & Brock Nicholson - Musical flavor and doggy behavior; Second Place: Jamil Conley - Air fryer vs. oven; Third Place: David Wilder & Vinny Oldfield - Which marker type lasts the longest?

As with all programs, we rely on the gift of dedicated adults to shepherd and guide our young people. To begin, I would like to extend my profound appreciation to our Science teacher, Katie White and her leadership of this event. In addition, I am grateful for the thoughtful presence of our judges: Allison White (Science teacher at Mt. St. Joe’s), Jackie Andrews (Science Teacher at Loyola Blakefield), John McCall (Loyola Blakefield Assistant Principal), Mike Doyle (Johns Hopkins Leadership Expeditions Professor and Student Ventures Director), and Joe Oleszczuk (Archdiocese of Baltimore Director of Educational Technology).

This week, we offer our prayers in thanksgiving for the inquisitive mind and curious hands of our young scientists. Science is everywhere!