Jr High Blog

At Cascade Christian Junior High and High School, students are not just learning about STEM. They are doing it! Whether it be testing the regenerative properties of stem cells, using coding software to debug broken programs, or applying algebra to “mythbust” Indiana Jones, our students are putting the discovery back in STEM.  
 

At the junior high and high school levels, we strive to provide more than just a rote STEM program. We want students to find joy in the process, become curious about discovery, and work together to solve relevant real-world problems. In 7th grade, Mrs. Van Meerbeke’s students just finished using water samples from our own backyard to learn about water pollution and how we can take better steps to steward creation in the way God has called us to. In Mr. Fuson’s coding class, students are using the programming language Scratch to fix (or debug) some broken programs. That same language helps them design visual products in which they can share facts about themselves. And that’s just (SOME of) the junior high!  
 

In the high school, Mr. Norton’s and Mrs. Duckworth’s Robotics Club has been meeting weekly and is gearing up to make its first battle bot. And while the club members are still a long way from competing, they are taking steps in the right direction! Biology students are working with the regenerative properties of stem cells to see how planarians are capable of undergoing reproduction, regrowth, and renewal; and then the students are discussing how these ideas are used in the fields of medicine and science.  Mrs. Campbell’s AP Physics students are mastering gravity with their own handmade trebuchet, and our AP Chemistry students are synthesizing crystals to learn about crystalline structure and how to produce compounds (such as medications) that need to be made in large quantities. 
 

While I could go on about all the amazing things our students are doing in their classes, what I really want to highlight is the importance of what we are trying to do here as a department. More than anything, we as teachers want to inspire an innate passion and joy for God’s mysterious world. We want students to become so engaged that they can’t help but want to know more. In the end, it is this drive, this passion, and this curiosity that will inspire them to become innovators who will change their world, who will IMPACT their world.  
 

As the Amoeba Sisters say, “Stay curious!”