Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

12/12/06

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District's Mt. Baker Middle School
Awarded $24,390 Boeing Science Grant

Mt. Baker Middle School in Auburn, Washington, has been awarded $24,390 from Boeing’s Flight to the Future science grant to implement a hands-on, minds-on science learning program. In partnership with Green River Community College, Mt. Baker Middle School has developed a science learning program to enable students to make sense of the natural world, develop answers to their questions through inquiry, and design solutions to their problems. Coined ELSA (Extended Learning for Science Advancement), this after-school extended learning program will meet once a week for 90 minutes. The program will run from January to May 2007, consisting of 5 modules, each lasting for 4 sessions.

Thirty middle school students will be able to participate in each module. Modules will be led by Mt. Baker Middle School science staff and Green River Community College science faculty.

ELSA’s primary goal is to generate an interest in science for students through hands-on, inquiry-based science activities. This will be achieved through the five, 4-week modules, which cover a wide range of science: (1) Forensic Science—fingerprints, tape lifting, blood type, identification; (2) Physics—electricity, electronics, physics of games; (3) Flight and Weather—white wing airplanes, hot air balloons, weather stations, rocketry; (4) Environmental Connections—recycling, material science, birdhouses, wastewater treatment, alternative energy; and (5) Applications of Science—culminating activities such as field trips and guest speakers that reveal to students real-life applications of the information covered in the previous four modules.

ELSA will also: (1) better connect kids and families to the community, particularly through the environmental connections module and the science night in May where the students will be able to show off their activities to family, classmates and community; (2) introduce middle school students to career options in science; (3) maximize resources of the Auburn School District and Green River Community College through a collaborative effort; (4) increase critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students; (5) increase participation in science by underrepresented groups, including students of color and girls; and (6) increase WASL science scores.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.