BAY RIDGE — In one corner of the classroom, Livia Chen and Simon Kochergin were peering into microscopes. In another, Megan Heaney, Elena Sealey, and Carolyn Tomaselli teamed up to experiment with turning liquids into different colors. In the front, Chris Stephan held up a plastic bone and examined it to determine where it belonged on a model skeleton.
Welcome to the new science lab at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy.
The lab opened at the start of the school year and is now the third lab the academy has for its students. Principal Paul Morisi said it’s a welcome addition to the school’s STEM and technology labs.
“We thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to open up a third lab here in the building dedicated just for science,” Morisi told The Tablet. “We’re very excited that we have that opportunity.”
For now, the lab is strictly for sixth- through eighth-grade science classes, but Morisi said it would eventually be opened to the entire school.
On the day The Tablet visited, seventh-grade students were in lab coats, working as teams on experiments and conducting research. Noah Palmer, who was using a smart board to learn about the structure of molecules, said he was excited when he heard that the school was getting a new lab.
“I was really happy, especially because there’s so much stuff to learn in science. You can have so many opportunities, especially to create new stuff,” Noah said, adding that a particular area of interest for him is the development of vaccines.
Creating the lab was a communal effort, according to Morisi. After finding space for it in a fourth-floor classroom, he said members of the Father’s Club transported the equipment — including microscopes, model skeletons, bunsen burners and scales — from their former home at Salve Regina Catholic Academy, which donated its science equipment after closing in June.
Daniel McKenna, a Father’s Club member with three children in Bay Ridge Catholic Academy, noted that the group tries “to do anything they can to further the school.”
“We hopped on the opportunity,” McKenna recalled. “We went to the other school. We rented a truck. We brought all the science equipment over.”
The students appreciate the results of the grownups’ hard work. “I enjoyed changing water colors and learning about water molecules,” said Megan Heaney, who was working with liquids in the lab.
That was music to science teacher Erin LeBlanc’s ears.
“As an educator, what I’ve seen this year is children’s concepts being taken from a book and brought to life, and you can see the light bulb go off whenever a kid understands the concepts of what is being taught,” LeBlanc said. “This has been a blessing.”
Another student, Livia Chen, said the lab has opened new worlds to her. She relishes looking through a microscope and learning about molecules, how water separates, and the composition of blood, and while she has always enjoyed science, she said the lab is increasing her quest for knowledge.
“It is better, though, that I have these microscopes,” Livia said. “It helps me learn new stuff, and I enjoy exploring the world.”
The new lab opens at a time when science education faces challenges in the United States, evidenced by the nation’s test scores compared to other countries. According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an organization that rates students’ reading, math, and science skills, the U.S. ranked 12th out of 37 countries around the world that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Morisi sees the new lab as a step in the right direction.
“I think having a dedicated science lab is really important, especially for young students,” Morisi said. “We want to make sure that they have the hands-on opportunity.
“I also want to inspire learners.”