Science class just got a whole lot better for junior and senior students at St. Timothy High School in Cochrane.
The school was one of 14 recipients of Devon Energy Canada’s Science Giants grant designed to inspire more kids to explore science.
The school received $5,000 through the grant that went towards the purchase of several different pieces of lab equipment including a GoPro.
According to Devon Canada, the program is intended for junior high and high schools that demonstrate innovative approaches to science education and this is the first time that a Cochrane school has won the grant.
Applications were submitted online along with several essay questions and a report outlining the approaches used, student impact and budget breakdown. Devon had 55 schools apply.
In a media release, Devon’s director, government and public affairs, Nadine Barber said that the grant is really about giving science teachers a little more latitude to create programs that inspire kids.
“We hope that $5,000 will encourage program growth in the school and help build an appreciation for science and technology,” she said.
“We’re always trying new and innovative ways of operating and we know that teachers are too. The Science Giants grant helps them bring their programs to life.”
The media release also mentioned that the winning entry that St. Timothy’s submitted was called ‘The Connecting with our Ecosystem Project’ and would allow students the opportunity to conduct water testing, soil testing, and field microscope monitoring to accurately analyze the Bow Valley ecosystem.
This is where the GoPro will come in handy – it will record experiments and results and be able to build a multiyear database of findings.
Since 2011, Devon has invested more than $200,000 in science classrooms across British Columbia and Alberta.
