Science at Brandon Academy

As the calendar approaches the end of September, this is a great time to take a deeper look at another aspect of the academic challenges of the Brandon Academy student. This week’s focus will be on the science program throughout our school.

The importance of science and the studies of the many different fields and careers cannot be overstated. In our modern world, the field of science is one of the most rapidly changing and developing of all professions. It has been stated that 40%-60% of the jobs our children will have, have not yet been invented. Many of these will lie in this field.

At Brandon Academy, science has a significant position in our curriculum. From our earliest grades, students are taught the basics of science and, especially, science lab procedures and safety. All students have science labs built into their curriculum to coincide with classroom instruction.  These labs grow increasingly more challenging and difficult as we ascend grade levels. One of the most important aspects of the labs is requiring the students to write lab reports. The formal written lab report is a must for the rising IB student. This skill starts as early as first grade and, once again, becomes more demanding the higher the grade level.

The topics of our courses vary widely and include such disciplines as the importance of natural resources and pollution, the importance of reduce, reuse and recycle among our second graders, life cycle of plants and animals in third grade and intensive study of weather, air masses and hurricanes in fourth and fifth grade. Sometimes, these lower school classes will go into even greater, higher level topics such as biotic and abiotic factors, biome study or creation of static electricity.

In the Middle and High schools, the curriculum accelerates. The Middle School students have delved into motion and energy, as well as the effects of soil erosion and how this is affected by the angle of the slope. In high school intensive study of vertebrates vs. invertebrates is a central theme in biology. Recent labs included the regeneration of planaria where students actually got to see planaria worms divided and watch them regenerate into new worms.  In high school level physics, Newtonian laws are the focus with experiments focusing on force including the inclined plane among others.

As we move further into the 21^st century it is imperative science be a focus for all our students as we ensure multiple options for their careers in the future.  And, after all, isn’t this our goal for our all our students. This week alone, our high school students will meet with representatives from universities such as FSU, Tulane and Embry-Riddle. Having a diverse and meaningful education that includes the ever expanding and changing world of science, will be a tremendous asset as our students move through their academic careers.

Here is hoping for a wonderful rest of our week.

R.Rudolph

Head of School

Brandon Academy