Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools May 2014 | Page 11

When one and one is more than two

Volunteers give students an EOG edge
Clariant scientist Mike Teague works with the Eastway
Middle School Clariant Science Club on an experiment.
What happens when two organizations pair up to
volunteer? They inspire students to learn and appreciate
the sciences. Clariant Corporation and Discovery Place are
working with eighth-graders and their science teachers to
give them a hands-on science experience. During this school
year, the Clariant Science Club was created to help students
become more engaged, enlightened and involved in the world
around them. The club teaches students that science isn’t only
in their textbooks but also at their fingertips.
On April 30 at Eastway Middle School students learned
about the environment. In a lesson led by Clariant scientist
Mike Teague and Discovery Place educator Jeff Bassett, they
modeled water pollution, an oil spill and acid rain. Students
learned how to clean oil spills with polymers, how to test
fertilizers for nitrates and observed the effects of runoff
pollutants. Discovery Place educator Jeff Bassett speaks to
eighth-graders about pollution.
“The work that Clariant and Discovery Place provides
our students gives them that personal experience with science
they may not otherwise obtain,” said Eastway Middle science
teacher Taneeda Ferron. “They have a lot of equipment and
projects that give our students deeper insight into a classroom
lesson. When our students are taking the EOGs, they will
remember what they learned and practiced.”
The Clariant Science Club meets for 10 sessions
throughout the school year and includes field trips to
Charlotte Nature Museum and Discovery Place. In the one-hour sessions students will learn about chemical
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