Renewable Resources: Science

Mrs. Regan Nickels, assistant superintendent, was invited and visited our classes on November 3. Mrs. Nickels started her presentation by "bringing us to the beach". 

Many students had misconceptions about when digging into the earth the temperature would get warmer, but Mrs. Nickels explained that just like when you dig in the sand on a warm day, it is actually cooler and that a certain depth, the earth experiences ambient temperatures. 

She shared her knowledge through diagrams and videos how geothermal energy works. We connected this to our own community;  one hundred and twenty five pipes were drilled 500 feet deep at Hampden Academy. That air is collected and cycled through heat pumps which help to keep the high school warm in winter and cool and comfortable during warmer weather.  

Thank you Mrs. Nickels for sharing in our learning experience!

Wax Museum

Our "Interpreting Characters" Unit ended with a wax museum celebration! Students were asked to dress as a character from their independent reading book and to share two traits with evidence to support their ideas. Classrooms from Weatherbee visited our wax museum on Friday, Nov. 3rd.  Proud posers were exceptional while our visitors voraciously read and learned about our characters and traits. You could have heard a pin drop in the hallways!

We apologize to parents for having to change dates at the last minute. It was a definitely a crazy week where flexibility was essential to our school survival.