Sunflower Students Take Science To A New Level

Students at Sunflower Intermediate are taking science to a new level. The aspiring scientists in the fourth through sixth grade collaborate together and participate in an after school science club, where they delve further into the scientific method and learn science in a hands on situation. Students study the scientific method and learn to think for themselves and evaluate the outcomes to scientific experiments. They learn the difference between a scientific demonstration and a true scientific experiment through working with variables and constants.
This program has also shown benefits for our middle school and high school students to experience true leadership qualities. High school science club students have signed up to guide and teach younger students through the scientific method, enhancing their own knowledge in the process. The middle and high school students learn to guide and ask higher level thinking questions of others, opening their own minds in the process.
From the inception of the after school Science Club, students have been taking their thinking and experiments to higher levels each year. Students are guided in their experiments, but complete all of their research and experimentations on their own, while guided by a team of teachers and high school students. The quality of projects increases, as their love for science and learning soars.
This year, students from the Sunflower Intermediate Science Club were awarded seven of the twelve district medals at the USD 480 District Science Fair. In the category of Biology, Duncan Hinz took first place. Duncan also won third place for overall intermediate science projects. Second place in Biology was awarded to Precious Holman, and third place was awarded to the team of Kaeleah Chaloupek and Kaylee Adams. The category of Chemistry found Sunflower student, Jordyn Hinz in first place, the team of Gabriel Prieto and Torri Horner in second place; and the team of Cielo Vazquez, Jazmine Vazquez and Kenya Martinez in third place. Chenille Livingston, Neshaydra Wiltshire and Lynette Sepulveda won third place in Behavioral Science.
Duncan Hinz, Precious Holman, Jordyn Hinz, Gabriel Prieto and Torri Horner went on to Regional Science Fair at Seward County Community College on Saturday, March 3rd. Congratulations to Duncan Hinz and the team, of Gabriel Prieto and Torri Horner for placing at Regionals and qualifying for state science fair!