science – KPBSD Communications Field Notes

Celebrate Carlyn Nichols, 2018 Kenai BP Teacher of Excellence

“It’s an exciting time to be an educator. Through personalized learning and maker education I get to be a facilitator of experiences and mentor in learning rather than a conduit of information and “giver of tests”. I love watching students take ownership of their learning and pursue their curiosities. I really believe one of the greatest gifts we can bestow upon students is the ability to problem solve, innovate and collaborate. And we must find meaningful and engaging ways to develop those skills. I feel successful if my students can make connections to the science in their everyday lives through these authentic activities.” –Carlyn Nichols
Ms. Carlyn Nichols teaches science at Seward Middle School. She has been a teacher for 13 years, all in Alaska.
One of the students at Seward Middle School wrote, “When you walk into Ms. Nichols’ classroom, you feel safe and ready to learn. She loves having deep conversations with her class. If a student asks an interesting question, her face lights up with excitement, and you know she’s about to give you the best answer possible.”
Ms. Nichols is, in her own words, a goofy, enthusiastic teacher who loves to geek out on science. She showers her students with humor and energy, while also pushing them. She is tasked with getting middle schoolers ready for the more-advanced academics of high school. So, her emphasis is less on memorizing information and more on self-guided problem solving.
“I expect and teach self-reliance, initiative and grit,” she tells us. “It’s my belief that the greatest gift I can give my students is the ability to think for themselves.”
She regularly takes her classes beyond books and tests. Her students learn to experiment, think critically, ask hard questions and use evidence. Her approach to science is through inquiry and exploration. She states: “I believe students must experience and wrestle with scientific concepts and skills if they are to truly engage and internalize them.”
Ms. Nichols is a strong believer in using technology and challenge-based learning. She uses ed tech daily for a variety of purposes. Her students can often be found viewing her lectures and running simulations on their Chromebooks, recording an experiment on their phones, or producing their own digital projects with iPads.
Visit her classroom and you might find students building a zipline, extracting DNA or working with their teacher to figure out which tools they need to use.
A few years ago, Ms. Nichols began integrating more engineering into her curriculum, and now she’s infusing class with Maker components. She secured grants, used her personal professional development funds and lobbied community organizations to raise the money to stock, organize and implement the school’s new Maker Space.
“That Maker lab is my happy place,” she says, “exploring and creating with students of all abilities. Nearly every day, I ask students to create something to demonstrate their learning. We build atoms, move vehicles, make yogurt and produce movies.”
Her classroom is dynamic and diverse, and Ms. Nichols is proud that her class has the reputation of “not sitting much.”
One parent wrote: “My son had never shown a keen interest in science until he entered her classroom. Now, he can’t wait to get to her class so he can be immersed in her lessons and strike off on new adventures of discovery. When you ask your child how their day went and he replies ‘It was awesome since I had Mrs. Nichols today,’ you know that teacher is something special.”
“I believe Carlyn Nichols makes a positive impact at Seward Middle School because of the way she recognizes students as individuals,” said Jenny Martin, principal. “She wants to know their interests, their troubles, and what makes them excited. Carlyn looks to broaden the minds and lives of kids through hands-on lessons in the classroom and Elective classes she teaches. She exposes them to their surroundings through field trips in the Bay and draws their interests to careers in technology and engineering. She helps them contribute to and serve their community and is the teacher they love and remember for years.”
A graduate of the University of Denver, she received her master’s from the University of Alaska Southeast. Perhaps more important, she was born and raised–and graduated high school–in the same community where she now teaches. Seward is certainly lucky to have her at home.
“I am very proud of all our finalists for this prestigious award,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “They all embody the qualities we want all of our teachers to exhibit, especially in how they ensure a strong, positive relationship with each and every student. Each finalist is very deserving of this recognition and I look forward to their continued excellence and leadership in our district.”
Congratulations, Carlyn Nichols, BP Teacher of Excellence.

Green flag time at Kenai Alternative School #race

Every spring, Kenai Alternative School students in Wade Marcuson’s Physical Science class have the opportunity to race their cars as fast as they can. These aren’t just any car mind you. These are the CO2 cars that the students designed and built themselves. After covering the concepts of gas expansion, inertia, mass, force, and friction, students begin to design their cars. Each student then shapes their car out of wood and finishes it off with a custom paint job. When race day comes, cars from every shape, design, and color that mind could image are lined up. With this event taking place in the school gym, the entire staff and student body join in cheering on their favorite car as they race down the sixty foot track that is guided with monofilament fishing line.
This year’s race is scheduled to take place in late March when students return from spring break. The school’s principal, Loren Reese, whom over the years has held the position of race starter, said, “this year’s cars will prove to be just as exciting. Students have put a great deal of work and pride into their cars.” Without a doubt, this has become a tradition that looks to continue for the years ahead.

Exploring Careers at ANSEP Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Summer Academy

Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP)
Partnering with the University of Alaska ANSEP program for the first time this year, we recruited qualified students from 27 of our schools to attend the ANSEP Middle School Academy. Of the 1,014 identified native students in the district, 245 attend middle school (6-8 grade), with 143 of the students meeting the requirement of being on track for success in grade 8 algebra.
KPBSD sent 48 students and eight chaperones to the 10 day Middle School Academy. Students experienced high quality, upper level science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) problem-solving activities taught by college staff while on the University of Alaska campus. KPBSD is committed to continue this recruitment effort in 2015-2016. Successful academy completers are not allowed to participate in future academies that occur during the school year but are invited to apply for ANSEP’s follow-up summer academy.
Twenty-two of the 48 students followed the complicated application process and were accepted to the 2015 summer academy for continued guidance and learning. These photos were taken during the summer ANSEP Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Career Explorations.

ANSEP STEM Career Explorations students (L-R) Jovena Bartels-Salas, Anika McDonough, and Leisha Lozana, June 2015

James Lamping (L) and Jakob Andreanoff (R) assemble their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle during ANSEP’s STEM Career Explorations June 2015

Daylynn Yenney, ANSEP STEM Career Explorations student, pilots the UAV her team built while university professor looks on, June 2015

Marcus Hale (L) and Sorin Sorensen (R), put finishing touches on their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle at ANSEP’s STEM Career Explorations in June 2015

Garrett Cooper assembles model lungs at ANSEP’s STEM Career Explorations in July 2015

Aphanasia Kvasnikoff creates model lungs during ANSEP’s STEM Career Explorations in July 2015

Sorin Sorensen pilots his team’s UAV while teammates look on during ANSEP’s STEM Career Explorations in June 2015

Seward High students grow greens

Students at Seward High School are using their greenhouse to supply the school with healthy greens, which provides essential nutrients and supports the local student body. Greenhouse preparations began in November and planting started the first week of January. Seeds were planted a week apart in order to have a sustained yield, which means the students can harvest every week. The first batch of lettuce was delivered on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, and demand exceeded supply.

By utilizing the greenhouse, students can extend the growing season in Alaska throughout the winter. The project will conclude before the spring term ends. The greenhouse is an interactive way of getting greens locally, which is fresher, cleaner, and helps consumers know what is put into their food. This is project-based experiential learning. It helps students in finance with business planning, students in environmental science with agricultural understanding, and students in statistics with concepts and data.
–Story contributed by George Reising, Seward High School math and science teacher

Brie and Sangria on the move

On September 8, 2011, I headed to the beach in Kenai to meet two Pacific Harbor Seals, 134 seventh graders from Kenai Middle School, a science teacher, and the Alaska SeaLife Rehabilitation Program team for an exciting learning opportunity.
From the Kenai Middle School students head to the beach with Brie and Sangria KPBSD web highlight story:

The skies cleared in time for three busloads of students to run to the shore and congregate along a line drawn in the sand. Only a few yards away, two large kennels were carried to beach. Anticipation mounted.
The day before, two presenters from the Alaska SeaLife Rehabilitation Center met with seventh grade science classes at Kenai Middle school. Students discovered the differences between a seal and a sea lion, dissected sea lion scat, and learned a bit more about the two harbor seals that will be released at Kenai beach.

I’m following Brie via satellite tracking. She’s active! By October 4, she swam to the West side of Cook Inlet, and from the beaches I walk, she’s a bit south of Kasilof, almost west of Ninilchik. At sunset, when I look towards Redoubt and Iliamna volcanoes, I imagine her swimming in their shadows. I’m learning along with the seventh grade students!