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Students Look Beyond Horizon Through Scientific Lens

Scheck Hillel's science labs are brimming with activity, and our junior scientists are earning recognition for their work. As we mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we take a look at various science happenings schoolwide and honor the faculty members who serve as role models and inspire our students: Sabrina Ferster (Middle School Design/STEM), Nikki Gutierrez (Middle School Science), Nancy Penchev (Lower School Science) and Dr. Angela Williams (Middle School Science.)  
 
Upper School science teacher Dr. Angela Williams reports Hadar Zohar '27 advanced to the South Florida Regional STEAM Expo and won the Excellent Medal with her Grade 8 science project! Hadar's project made it to the second round of judging, and was on exhibit at the regional fair. Hadar's research was on the effectiveness of store-bought vs home-made compost. Every year, Grade 8 students pursue a topic of interest and utilize the scientific method to generate and test hypotheses; the projects are presented in Scheck Hillel's Grade 8 Science Fair. Projects by Andrea Chocron (Silver Medal) and Ariela Rozenblyum (Bronze Medal) also advanced to the regional fair. Congratulations to the students and thank you to Dr. Williams for supporting her students on their scientific journey.
 
As we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are reminded that Scheck Hillel is proud to have earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award four years in a row, recognizing female student participation in Computer Science AP courses.
 
An ongoing STEAM project born from the Girls Building STEAM club meets weekly with some of its earliest members mentoring our younger students today! This term, students in the club led by Nancy Penchev are taking cooking lessons to develop life skills around nutrition and healthy snacks. Students design their own recipes and eat their yummy creations.
 
Science teacher Wilford Miranda shared that his Grade 9 students grew their own onions and created a microscope slide of the onion root tip to study mitosis and cell regeneration. They learned the role of chromosomes in cell division while gaining practical experience in preparing a microscope slide. This lab gave students a deeper appreciation of the role of cell division in the growth and repair of living organisms.
 
Grade 3 junior paleontologists explored owl pellets with Nancy Penchev in Lower School Science Lab this week! They learned how paleontologists discovered what dinosaurs looked like by comparing their skulls, egg fossils, and skin impressions to animals today. They learned how scientists discover what dinosaurs ate by the shape of their teeth and fossilized poop. By dissecting owl pellets, students were able to discover what owls had for dinner! Eeeewwww!
 
In their studies of science and weather, KB turned to their pen pal Kindergarten class in Pennsylvania to learn about the seasons. In the fall, Scheck Hillel students sent palm leaves and, in return, received colorful leaves from their northern pen pals. When learning about winter, they experimented with solids vs liquids, filling balloons with water and freezing them overnight. Students then crafted snowmen out of their balloons and put them outside to predict which would melt faster. Scientific new findings and special new friends!
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