Students have fun with science at Blessed Sacrament School’s Family Science Night

As published in the Savannah Morning News February 25, 2009

(SAVANNAH) Feb. 12, 2009 – Blessed Sacrament School students gasped and giggled as they investigated the wonders of science at Family Science Night with the help of Benedictine Military School Cadets. Students got to see balloons inflate on top of a beaker and aluminum cans crushed by rapid temperature changes. 

This hands-on workshop for kids and parents was created to spur interest in – and excitement about – science. It was designed for kindergarten, first and second grades, with Benedictine students overseeing the experiments and explaining the scientific concepts behind them.

“I love this age group being introduced to the wonder of science,” said Ethel Tuttle, middle school science teacher at Blessed Sacrament. “We want that excitement to carry on.”

In one experiment, the carbon dioxide from a mixture of baking soda and vinegar inflated a balloon placed on the mouth of a beaker, said Carl Moore, chemistry teacher at Benedictine Military School. Another experiment showed how rapidly changing temperature will create a vacuum, causing an aluminum can to be crushed. Students were also able to mix Elmer’s glue with a Borax solution that causes the glue to have a consistency similar to Silly Putty. And the children were able to make ice cream, learning that salt and ice create a situation that draws heat out of the liquid, which then freezes. As a grand finale (outside), Moore dropped a Mentos candy into a bottle of soda. The surface of the candy caused carbon dioxide to be released suddenly, causing a tremendous soda fountain.

Will Lynch, an Armstrong Atlantic State University chemistry professor whose children attend Blessed Sacrament, is a fan of these workshops and experiments

“They really energize the children’s interest in science at a young age,” Lynch said. “The more they see of science, the more likely they are to maintain interest. It’s always amazing to watch how excited they get. And the scientific concepts that are being demonstrated and explained are fairly complex.”
 
Blessed Sacrament School was founded in 1939 with two classrooms and three sisters of Mercy as the first faculty. Today there are two sections of each grade level from Pre-K through 8th grades with a current enrollment of approximately 425 students. The school offers a rigorous, faith-based academic program and maintains small class sizes. Blessed Sacrament is part of the Catholic Diocese of Savannah and has received accreditation by both SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and FCC (Florida Catholic Conference).