New lab at Blaine school gets students excited about science

Abyan Soleiman
In this Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 photo, Abyan Soleiman, 7, measures the temperature of the ice after removing it from the cup during a science experiment in the new science lab, in Blaine, Minn.
AP Photo/The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Ginger Pinson

By CALI OWINGS, St. Paul Pioneer Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gathered around miniature lab stations, the second-graders tried to predict what would happen if they left water in the freezer overnight.

It's the latest experiment in Katie Dehnicke's class at University Avenue ACES in Blaine, an Aerospace, Children's Engineering and Science magnet school.

"I think it's going to turn blue," one student said, while another argued it would turn into ice.

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The Anoka-Hennepin School District revamped the school, formerly University Avenue Elementary, and opened it this fall as a Science Technology Engineering and Math school, focusing on aerospace.

From a "Sun, Moon and Stars" lesson theme for third-graders to learning the laws of motion and building rockets in fifth-grade classrooms, University Avenue integrates aerospace and engineering into nearly every aspect of the K-5 curriculum.

It is the only STEM program in the Anoka-Hennepin district with a concentration in aerospace. The only other program in the state is Farnsworth Aerospace, an elementary and middle school in St. Paul.

Katie Dehnicke
In this Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 photo, second grade teacher Katie Dehnicke listens to Katrina Engfer, far right, tell her that her prediction is that the water will get colder during a science lesson where students poured water in paper cups and put them in a school freezer, at The University Avenue Aerospace, Children's Engineering and Science school in Blaine, Minn., Also pictured are Jasmine Floding, 7, far left, and Hailey Floding, right.
AP Photo/The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Ginger Pinson

The University Avenue program has attracted 550 students, said Amy Oliver, curriculum integrator. About 75 percent come from the neighborhood; the others chose the school for its aerospace program.

NASA and the Space Foundation provide resources and training for teachers who are learning alongside the children.

The curriculum isn't the only part of the school getting revamped. A 7,000-square-foot addition was built over to house the science lab, music and art rooms, and a new cafeteria.

Dehnicke's second-graders look forward to their regular trips to the new science lab.

"It's better than gym day now," she said. "Even kids who think they don't like science enjoy the hands-on experience."

When Deya Engfer of Blaine heard University Avenue was becoming an aerospace magnet school, she was encouraged.

Her daughter Katrina liked reading but cared little for math and science.

"They present it different now at the school," Engfer said. Now, second-grader Katrina talks at home about how excited she is to do experiments in the lab.

"She was so excited," Engfer said. "She said `I'm finally going to see the lab.' "

The school is integrating science into all parts of its curriculum - math, reading and language arts lessons are approached in new ways. A fifth-grade poetry lesson takes on a cosmic touch with students writing their own haiku about the planets. One read:

"Jupiter is warm

It's mostly made of gas.

Jupiter is huge."

The new program is a great fit for the students at University Avenue, said Angela Voves-Anderson, a third-grade teacher known throughout the school for being "crazy about science."

The students' enthusiasm is great, but what Voves-Anderson finds most rewarding is that it empowers children to problem-solve on their own.

The scientific method, which she calls a community process, isn't about finding a set of facts. It teaches students not to give up when something doesn't go their way. Solving problems with each other, rather than bringing in an adult right away, gives them responsibility, she said.

"It's really a change in attitude about how you approach a problem."

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)