Dina Tallis: Science comes to life at Science & Aquarium Night

Science will move beyond the pages of textbooks and into the hands of students and families when Imlay City High School opens its doors for the third annual ICHS Community Science and Aquarium Night from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

What began three years ago as an opportunity to showcase ICHS’s growing aquarium program has developed into an interactive evening of science, marine biology, photography, and hands-on learning led by Imlay City High School students. This year’s event will feature returning favorites alongside new science demonstrations, activities, and two new saltwater aquariums.

For ICHS marine biology teacher Jeff Gartrell and his students, the evening provides an opportunity to take what students have learned in the classroom and share it with the community.

Throughout the event, marine biology students will serve as guides at aquarium stations, introducing visitors to the fish and other organisms while explaining their characteristics, habitats and ecosystems. Students will also showcase artwork and models, lead marine-life games and bingo, offer marine-themed arts and crafts and face painting and provide opportunities for visitors to examine preserved specimens.

Education surrounding conservation will also be an important part of the evening. Students will introduce visitors to endangered and threatened species represented in the aquariums, explaining the challenges those species face and ways people can contribute to their protection.

Among the biggest additions this year are two new saltwater aquariums featuring marine life, including clownfish, green mandarin fish, a sailfin tang, brittle stars, an ocean crab, and other organisms.

“These new aquariums will provide students with additional opportunities to share their knowledge of marine ecosystems and help visitors develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the diversity of life found in our oceans,” Gartrell said. The evening’s exploration will extend well beyond marine biology.

Students in Tom DeClark’s Big Science class will transform science concepts into hands-on experiences designed especially for younger visitors. Children will be able to make slime and Oobleck, experiment with mini helicopters and dancing popcorn, “make it rain,” investigate surface tension and predict whether different objects will sink or float. Coloring activities will also be available for the youngest scientists.

The activities give high school students an opportunity to become teachers themselves, helping children experiment, make predictions, ask questions, and discover the science behind what they observe.

Another group of ICHS students will experience the evening from behind the camera. Students in Katie Dye’s Photography classes will operate free photo booths, complete with props and digital photos for visiting families. Student photographers will also move throughout the event, capturing interactions between students, families, science activities and the aquariums.

“Aquarium Night is all about discovery, and for the past two years, Imlay City High School photography students have had the privilege of capturing those unforgettable moments for our school community,” Dye said.

While students build technical photography skills in the classroom, Dye said events like Aquarium Night give them something equally valuable: an authentic experience working as photographers in a live environment.

The collaboration among Marine Biology, Big Science, and Photography also demonstrates the opportunities created through ICHS’s seven-hour elective schedule, introduced two years ago to provide students with greater flexibility to explore electives and pursue their individual interests.

From high school students teaching young visitors about ocean ecosystems to children getting their hands into Oobleck and families posing for photographs, Community Science and Aquarium Night brings multiple areas of learning together under one roof.

Most importantly, it gives ICHS students an opportunity to put their own learning into action while sharing it with the community.

Maike plans now to attend the third annual ICHS Community Science and Aquarium Night from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Imlay City High School. The event is open to students, families, and community members.

— Dina Tallis is the executive director of curriculum and instruction of Imlay City Public Schools.