For nearly 20 years, the Academic and Education departments have collaborated with educational coordinators to sponsor six-week science enrichment units that culminated in a Science Fair for NECC students. However, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the school’s priorities, and science enrichment units were put on hold. This January, after a three-year hiatus, science enrichment returned to NECC, albeit in a reimagined form.
“Over the past two years, we frequently discussed whether it was feasible to ask education coordinators and teams to bring science enrichment to our students amidst all they were dealing with,” shared Dominique Maribett, MSEd, BCBA, LABA, reading and education specialist. “This year, rather than hosting a science fair, we piloted a different presentation in the hopes that we could provide opportunities for our students to access this content.”
A series of science enrichment groups were open to all NECC students and took place in the Student Library throughout the month of January. Students learned to think like scientists by asking questions, making observations, collecting data, and sharing the results of their observations. Specifically, students focused on observing weather and temperature, watching a plant grow, and exploring the physics of buoyancy.
“It was so nice to be able to share this science education with our students once again,” said Maribett. “Those who attended seemed to really enjoy learning about the topics and we look forward to more science enrichment programming in the future.”
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of NECC’s Insight newsletter.