Science National Honor Society’s (SNHS) Big Blue Demo Crew will perform a science show at Castle Hills Elementary Feb. 12 from 5-7 p.m.
There will be a total of 16 chemistry demonstrations during each performance, with two shows total. Demo team sponsor and science teacher Dr. Kathleen Holley has worked with the team for 34 years.
“The whole idea is to get people excited, but also to teach them about science,” Holley said. “The fact that tap water doesn’t burn, so why is this burning? What does it mean when the water disappears? Where did it go?”
The performance will begin with acid-base demos, including a welcome poster and a “bloody” hand experiment. 15 student volunteers will take turns going on the stage to perform their part. Senior Henry Liu is the demo team head and leads the rehearsals.
“When I was a kid, I would go to the science nights,” Liu said. “It was always something I wanted to do when I was in high school.”
There are two Master of Ceremonies (MC), juniors Joshua Kim and Zaid Roshan. They will be staged at the front, reading a script to transition between experiments. The script plays off the series “Harry Potter,” with the experiments being different magic spells.
“I want [the kids] to leave the room feeling enthusiastic [about] science and wanting to continue their growth and development,” Roshan said. “[I want them to] go into this STEM field, leaving a lasting impact [along] with the fun they experience in these shows.”
The team had one previous show this school year at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Oct. 25. Before, they were not able to perform experiments that had open flames. For this show, they will be able to use explosive stoichiometric soap and hydrogen balloons.
“I think a lot of kids don’t have long attention spans,” Liu said. “[So we’re] doing experiments that [we] think are going to look cool. [It’s] important to get them engaged and interested in science.”