Learning ignites at SHS science circuit

SANDPOINT — Inside Sandpoint High School’s gym, elementary school students inflated cow lungs, flinched at bowling balls and made bubble tea boba as a part of the annual Science Circuit.

SHS students from three honors science classes were tasked by their teachers to not only come up with a science-based project, but one that involved a hands-on learning opportunity. Mike Martz, a physics teacher at SHS, said the event serves as the student’s final project and allows them to step into the shoes of a teacher. 

“It’s so cool, because the students are having to play the teacher, right? So, it helps them recognize how hard it is to be the teacher sometimes,” Martz said. “You know something the best if you’re able to teach it, so, it ends up being a really memorable thing for them, because they really know this topic that they presented about.” 

Kari Grainer, assistant principal at SHS, said the students picked their topics and she appreciated how the event allows students to take ownership in their learning. Martz said students often come up with their own ideas for their projects, but some, like the bowling ball pendulum demonstration, have become staples. 

The bowling ball demonstration features a student sitting in a chair while another holds a bowling ball up to their face before letting go. The ball swings down and, thanks to the nifty conservation of energy principal, stops its upward descent right before hitting the student in the chair.  

“I tell you the one that gives me the biggest heart attack, we’ve got the bowling ball in your face,” Grainer said pointing to the ‘Don’t Flinch’ exhibit and the bowling ball demonstration.   

Grainer took over the extraordinary planning effort from SHS science teacher Mamie Jennings, who started the event around a decade ago. The energy in the building is palpable, which creates a field trip atmosphere for the elementary school students at a very low cost for the district, Grainer said. 

The event took a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic as it became impossible to fit so many students into the SHS gym. Martz said prior to that his favorite thing about the event was the fact that students in his freshman physics classes remembered what they learned from the event. 

“I would get students in my freshman class that would be like, ‘I remember that from the Science Circuit,’” Martz said. “It’s not quite the case for these guys… but it’s a pretty neat thing and it’ll continue happening.” 

Grainer said one of her favorite exhibits from the event was a life-size model of the board game “Operation,” which students were using to teach attendees about physiology. Martz said he was a fan of all his physics students’ showcases but enjoyed the creativity of two students who built a model to showcase the movement of different waves. 

Many an astonished — and sometimes grossed out — reaction could be heard from the booth educating the elementary school students on how lungs work. Students were able to use a bicycle pump connected to cow lungs to inflate them and see in real time what the organ looks like.  

Grainer said she loved to see every individual project and the effort that goes into construction these unique experiences. 

“They have such ownership in their learning and what they’re able to take away from their classes and create an interactive and engaging experience for fifth and sixth graders,” Grainer said of the SHS students. “You can just see the passion and the ownership and like the sheer love of what they’ve created.”