SELLING HIGH-SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TO THE COMMUNITY R. C. KIsnER, BLOOMSBURG HIGHSCHOOL, BLOOYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
The plan set forth in this article has been adopted by three schools (I will call them A, B, and C for convenience)-in central Pennsylvania, each being within a radius of twenty miles of the other, and each having a combined enrolment of approximately 10,000. The objectives of the plan are: (a) to "sell" chemistry to the community; (b) to arouse student interest in chemistry. The plan itself hinges on the idea of an inter-school contest; however, instead of using athletic teams, chemistry teams are used. Each school has one team, composed of five members, including the captain, for each competitive unit, of which there are four, namely: (1) essays, (2) notebooks, (3) equation and formula writing, (4) displays of products and processes. The personnel of each respective team is composed of those whose work is of such a caliber in that particular unit that they are selected by the teacher to be used in the contest. The mode of selecting will vary with the teacher. The teacher, however, must be very careful that he does not train special students for certain teams; he must select the best from a trained group. In addition to "varsity," "junior varsity" and "scrub" teams may be selected. In an athletic contest there must be a time, place, judge, and sometimes awards, such as cups, trophies, medals, ribbons, etc. The chemistry contest requires similar arrangements. There are three contests, one being hekl in each of the towns participating; hence the different communities help each other to attain their objectives. Each contest is usually held within a period of one weekpreferably, some week in May. I t is only on the first night that the following awards are presented by the judges who have previously judged the competitive units, submitted by the three schools and designated first, second, third, fourth, and fifth places in each unitMedals-To the individuals who are winners of first places. Blue Ribbons-To the individuals who are winners of second places. (3) Red Ribbons-To the individuals who are winners of third places. (4) Honorable Mention-To the individuals who are winners of fourth and fifth places. (5) Large C u p T o the school having the greatest totd of points (points received for places). (6) Small Cup-To the school submitting the three best essays. (1) (2)
With such an aggregate of awards, motivation and competition run very high. I t is understood that the essays should be in the hands of the judges a t least two weeks prior to the date of the first contest, and that displays and notebooks of each school must be at the place of contest not later than the day of the evening of contest. Plenty of time must be 1324
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given the judges. In the second and third contests, which are held in the two other schools on other nights, different judges are used and awards are in the form of honorable mentions. It is a desirable factor to use the "junior varsity" and "scrub" teams on these nights. The following shows how the plan is carried out by school A in preparation for the contest to be held a t its school. Previous to this date, students of the chemistry classes in school A plan their advertising for its "Chemistry Carnival" (any name as "Science Meet," "Chemistry Meet," etc., can be used). Chemistry slogans, such as "Chemistry gives us pure water," "Chemistry increases our span of life," "Chemistry made Ford millions," etc., are printed on placards, and posted throughout school and town. Invitations written in the English classes are sent to the students' parents. Press announcements are made; assembly features, relating to the "Chemistry Carnival," are presented to the students. By the date of the contest, much enthusiasum and interest have been aroused. On the night of the contest the patrons are ushered into the auditorium, thence to the section designated for them, where they receive from the usher a unique science program-made entirely by the studentsrelating the events of the evening. Students of the different schools find places in the respective student sections, where, with their cheer leaders, they cheer their teams. Selections from the school band or orchestra help greatly to keep up the interest. This program should take about forty-five tginutes. It usually consists of the following numbers-short talks, science sketches and playlets, dance and song numbers, formula and equation writing, and announcements of winners and awards given by the judges. At this time we should explain how the formula and equation writing teams compete, because this number contains the spice of the program. Each team, as we know, has five members; one member of each of the three teams compete against each other on the stage a t one time. At first the curtain is called, then in back of the curtain on the stage are placed three revolving blackboards on a line parallel to the curtain. On each blackboard, names of twentyiive chemical substances are written on one side, and ten incomplete equations on the other. In front of the curtain, each of the three contestants, facing the audience, are placed on a line perpendicular to the blackboard upon which he is to work. The curtain is drawn and the signal is given to begin. The contestant turns around and begins to write the formulas for the chemical substances. When a contestant has completed the formulas, the judge, who stands near by, signals for the blackboard to he turned, and the contestant completes the equations. The contestant finishing first holds up his hand; then the judge gives the signal for the two other contestants to stop. The results are then
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
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JUNE,
1930
corrected and points awarded. After the four other contests in "equations and formula writing" have been staged, every one feels he has had a delightful and hilarious evening. After the program in the auditorium is finished, the patrons and students are shown through the laboratories, where the notebooks, essays, and displays that were entered in competition by the different schools are on exhibition; as well as notebooks, essays, displays, drawings, etc., of all the students of the home school. The latter include some work of other science classes as well as chemistry. Students are stationed by the displays and models to explain the different processes; students are also working a t the laboratory desks, doing some experiment that has a great community value. The system of scoring in determining the winner of the cup is very indefinite. It depends on teachers and schools, as does the entire plan above; i t must be changed t o fit the school and locality. The usual method is, first place, five points; second place, three points; third place, one point; fourth and fifth places, one-half point. Following are the criteria by which the units are judged: notebookneatness, originality, order and utility; dis$days-utility, time to prepare, chemistry involved, practicability and appearance. Essays-follow the rules of American Chemical Society. Equation and formula writing-see above. I n conclusion we should add thabfull houses were present on each night of the competition; annual awards, for best displays, were offered to students by towns-people, but more important is the fact that the pupils of the competing schools are actively engaged in a work that brings the interests and the thinking of the school and community closer together.
Research Turns from Paints to Study the Woods Painted. Not only the paint but also the surface have been receiving recently the attention of scientists. What qualities of wwd make i t almost impossible for paint to stick is revealed by Dr. F. L. Browne, senior chemist of the U. S. Forestry Products Laboratory a t Madison. Wis., in a recent report to the Engineering Foundation. "Paint fails by flaking from the summerwaad, the dense, horny, dark-colored part of the annual growth ring," Dr. Browne says. "As failure progresses the summerwood may be left hare while the springwood is completely covered." Ligbt-weight wood of even texture has thin hands of summerwood and holds paint well, he paints out. But most heavy wood is uneven with wide hands of summerwood and therefore sloughs paint 05 rapidly. Edge-grain boards expose summerwood in narrower bands and hold coatings better than flat-grain boards from the same log. Little can be done, however, to change the type of woods in use, Dr. Browne acknowledges. He urges further research with paints. Aluminum paint as a primer under customary house paints on summerwwds has been found greatly to lengthen the life of the coating.-Sciencc Service
