Starting this semester, elementary school students venture to NC on Saturday mornings and participate in the Saturday Science Program.

The program has been around for over 26 years.

Chemistry teacher Jason Jackson taught lessons for 10 years and is now the coordinator.

“My role as coordinator is to sign up students from around the greater Indianapolis area and find high school volunteers,” Jackson said. “I also ensure the program runs smoothly for all participants involved.  I make sure teachers are not overwhelmed and that students are behaving in a manner to facilitate a proper learning environment.”

The program allows elementary school students in grades first through fifth to participate in experiments with teachers at NC.

These experiments include polymerization and slime, finding that temperature changes do not change when a phase of matter changes, making different types of circuits and extracting DNA from strawberries.

Science teachers and high school student volunteers lead these experiments.

“I’m excited to work with little kids because I like kids, and I love spending time with them and teaching them things,” sophomore Supriya McKelvey said. “I think they’re fun to be around.”

Both the students and the volunteers enjoyed the experiments Saturday Science conducted. They hope science will be educational and fun.

“I think they’ll probably be simpler than I do in actual chemistry class, but I think they’ll still be fun,” said McKelvey.

This program also helps to create connections between the elementary participants and high school volunteers.

“This may sound quite selfish on my part, but my favorite part is to see the high school student that I know react to elementary students’ questions,” Jackson said. “Seeing the interaction of some of the most reserved students teaching and dealing with elementary students often makes me laugh, smile and sometimes cry.  It brings out the best in the community through straightforward discovery and discussion.”

Saturday Science helps foster an interest in the sciences among elementary schoolers.

“Our major goal is to keep students interested in a constant discovery of the world by making amazing discoveries until we can explain it better on the high school level with math and the knowledge they learn along the way,”  Jackson said.

The program will continue to be offered at this year until spring break.