Spartan Space Race! Student Experiment on the Space Station
My students need the opportunity to send their own experiment to the International Space Station, to be conducted in weightlessness, and sent back to Earth for analysis.
Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon. The International Space Station is now a complete science laboratory that can be used to engage, inspire and educate. The opportunity to send experiments to space is possible for our students and that is where we want to go.
We are a small public charter school that opened its doors to provide a curriculum where students have access to a high quality education through rigor and relevance, while preparing them for success in college.
We have around 600 students that are taught in grades 6-12. Each year the school meets demanding standards and our students are accepted to top tier colleges and universities across the country. In addition to our outstanding academic program, our academics and athletics programs have grown both in number and in their advancement to the state level of competition. Our Band, Choir, Strings, Odyssey of the Mind, Lego Robotics and Mock Trial Programs routinely win local and statewide recognitions. Each grade level is also required to participate in a public service day each year. Making connections with our community fosters deeper understanding of our curriculum, content and our relations with each other.
My Project
Real world application of the scientific process is what the Student Spaceflight Experiment Project (SSEP) will bring to our students in the classroom in conjunction with the expectations of the newly released Next Generation Science Standards. SSEP participation will provide our students a glimpse into the professional art of performing research and working as a team. We will engage practicing scientists to present to them the concepts behind an experiment proposal, the review process that research proposals must undergo, and the standards that are applied. We can show our students that success in science is more than mere STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math); it is the flashes of creativity that make a project sparkle and catch a reviewers attention, as well as presentation of ideas that captures that creativity into a convincing written case. The funds raised here will help us reach our overall goal of $21,500 to secure a student team experiment to the ISS.
We challenge our students to "Dare Mighty Things" in and out of the classroom.
Donations to this project will impact our entire student body by allowing them to work as scientists and engineers while trying to solve real world problems. Sending an investigation to the International Space Station is our short term goal, but the long term goal is to instill a passion for STEAM that continues throughout their academic careers and into the workforce.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Heins and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.