The annual Machine Contest at Pius X – involving students in the AP Physics (PACE) and Accelerated Physics classes – featured six machines built over multiple weeks, with planning lasting more than two months.
Machines that make sandwiches using 20 steps Read More »
Students in Kayla Boellstorff’s Physical Science class were measuring kinetic and potential energy of a golf ball using different heights. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion possessed by the golf ball as it travels, while potential energy is the stored energy it gains or loses based on its position relative to the ground at
Picking up energy with golf-ball drop lab Read More »
NOTE: Some of these images may be disturbing to the eye. No students were harmed during this school lab lesson. Using dye, glue, tissue, coffee grounds and various other materials, Jenna Steenson’s Anatomy & Physiology class were creating some very realistic wounds, just in time for Halloween!
Real wounds, and learning, in this gory lesson Read More »
Anatomy & Physiology students are learning all about the integumentary system (the skin) and how it heals. Teacher Jenna Steenson invited Christopher Darst, who works in cardiothoracic surgery as a PA at the Nebraska Heart Hospital. Sharing his knowledge, Darst showed students how to apply different types of sutures, as well as share stories and pictures
The skin and how it heals, in Anatomy class Read More »
Students in John Cox’s Physics class had to show an inventive way to measure 60 seconds. Working in small groups they displayed their timers in class this week and tested how accurate they were.
Using Physics to measure 60 seconds Read More »
Students in AP Environmental Science have been determining the physical properties of different soils. Using soil samples from a corn field, a creek and garden soils they are researching soil texture by feel and measuring percentage proportion of the soils content. Lori Watson is the teacher.
Getting the lay of the land Read More »
Students Jenna Steenson’s Anatomy & Physiology class are trying to keep alive Homer Simpson. To do so, they are using what they’ve learned about homeostasis. Maintaining body temperature, water quantity, and electrolyte concentration, they must keep Homer alive for five minutes as his water slowly drains away. Homeostasis is the ability of the body to
A&P lab adds time element to lesson Read More »
Students in Kayla Boellstorff’s Biology class were comparing temperatures of different beverages with cubed and crushed ice.
Cubed or Crushed in Biology class Read More »
It takes a lot of work to get a science lab to work just right. Using methods such as filtration and evaporation, students in Joanna Andrews’ Chemistry class were learning about different way to separate a mixture of salt, sand, iron filings and beads.
Getting the right mix for Chemistry lab Read More »
Students in AP Human Geography (taught by Shiela Sievert) and AP Environmental Science (taught by Lori Watson) visited Green School Farms and Kawasaki earlier this week. At the farm, students planted tomatoes and peppers while learning about sustainable farming methods and organic practices. The owner, Gary Fehr, spoke about restoring a prairie, which will help
Field trip highlight organic farming and robotic manufacturing Read More »
Students in Jeremy Scheffler’s AP Physics class have been perfecting their home wiring skills this week. Working through a series of tasks students have shown a number of skills including how to install an outlet, a switched lampholder and a push button controlled buzzer.
Students adding wiring to skills learned in Physics class Read More »
Mrs. Steenson’s Biology class have been studying the anatomy of different types of frogs. This week included getting a closer look at the internal anatomy by dissection.
Dissection time in Biology class Read More »
In AP Environmental Science, Lori Watson’s students are learning the scientific principles, concepts and methodologies used by scientists to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. In this week’s class, students are using Ice Core Models to create a scale model and infer about climate change, just as scientists would in real world.
Ice core models help students understand scientific principles Read More »
Students in Lori Watson’s Biology Class have been exploring the anatomy of fish this week. Working in groups, they have been studying the attributes of perch.
The anatomy of perch in Biology class Read More »
Students in AP Physics (PACE) and Accelerated Physics participated in last night’s 29th annual Pius X Machine Contest. Teams of students built machines with at least 20 different steps that would TURN A PAGE OF A BOOK. The teams were judged on their ingenuity and on whether their machine successfully completed the task. This year’s
Machine Contest a page-turner for physics students Read More »
Students in Jamie Reed’s Biology class have been studying inheritance patterns. Using information such as scale color, eye color, tail length and fire breathing in dragons, students determine which were passed down and draw their dragon to show these inherited traits.
The biological patterns of inheritance … in dragons Read More »
Building and breaking bridges is practically a right of passage in a Physics class, one remembered by many former students. Students in John Cox’s class tested their designs one scoopful of sand at a time. Here’s junior Preston Utemark talking about his design, which held 50 pounds of sand (and the bucket) before collapsing. At
Building and breaking bridges a classic Physics lesson Read More »
John Cox’s Physics class have been learning about rigidity and tension, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of different materials. Using k’nex they conducted a group exercise to build a suspension bridge comparing the rigidity of the structure at each level. STEM in action!
Hands-on bridge-building lesson in Physics class Read More »
Kayla Boellstorff’s Biology class were using microscopes to view the cell structure, and learn and identify the phases in the cell cycle.
Students seeing the details in the science of cells Read More »
In Jesse Andres’ AP Biology class, students played a board game answering questions on the phases of photosynthesis.
Biology board game re-enforces phases of photosynthesis Read More »
Students in Joanna Andrews’ Chemistry class were working on measuring volumes.
Volumes of activity in Chemistry lab Read More »
The students in Jenna Steenson’s anatomy classes have been learning about wound types, burns and wound healing. Today (Halloween), they used glue, paint, tissue paper, cocoa powder and coffee powder to make their own ‘wounds’.
Making wounds on Halloween as part of anatomy lesson Read More »
It’s relay day in Leah Zohner’s Chemistry classes, where students are given a question to answer on a laminated note card. When they are correct, the next person on their team gets a question to solve. This continues in a feverish pace until all teams are done, with the questions getting progressively more difficult. Latest
Relaying the lessons of Chemistry class Read More »
How many makes of vehicles are in the parking lot? While teaching biological diversity to her students, AP Environmental Science teacher Lori Watson converted the thinking into cars in a parking lot to allow students to better understand richness (number in an area) and evenness (variety spread throughout). Since Pius does not have any “natural
The ‘ecosytem’ of the school parking lot Read More »
Students in Psychology class taught by Susan Kelly participated in a brain lateralization lab involving balancing a dowel in one hand (timed) while spelling words given by a teammate. The lab illustrates how the two hemispheres of our brain perform different functions. Kelly further describes the activity (from video) It’s a brain lateralization lab so
Spelling, balance and the psychology of the two Read More »
