Golden Apples...

Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Leroy Adams, presented a citation to BNS in recognition of our work Reducing and Reusing Waste.  Because we were winners of the 2013 Golden Apple Award, we were invited to show others how we take "trash" and resparkle it.

Resparkled wine corks, juice pouches, fruit boxes, playing cards,  and kids with sparkling faces.
Who could ask for a shinier vision?

Thanks fifth graders for spending your free time to go and Johanna for being Johanna. 

Why A Garden?

When we asked volunteer scientists what inspired them to become scientists this is the gist of what Charles Yarish, marine biologist, and U Conn professor  said:

Working in my Brooklyn elementary school garden inspired me. There were gardens in schools left over from WWII victory gardens. I since went back and the school garden was cemented over.  

P.S. 219 gardeners in 1956  Charles Yarish is second from the left in back row.

So glad that so many cement schoolyards are being reclaimed as gardens.  We need more inspired scientific minds coming out of our public schools.

Charles Yarish at work.

Have You Seen Our Lunch Recycling Set-Up Recently?

Upper grade students continue to work during their recess to support composting and recycling.
I don't know how to do arrows...I have to use words to point things out...
The gray stand is for pulp trays.  The buckets on the table are for liquids and juice pouches. The green bucket on the floor is for compostable veggies.

Meet the Scientists Family Science Night

 The idea of the night was to introduce students to a diverse group of scientists and mathematicians...both living and historic--through hands-on, minds-on experiences.

Living scientists and historical scientists,  represented by teachers made the night magical for everyone.

Benjamin Franklin, I mean Steve, gave quite a shocking performance.

Professor Lisa Jean Moore presented horseshoe crabs.  

      

Robert Pincus, a BNS dad, and a cloud scientist taught about the states of matter.
Lots of  expanding surgical gloves were seen giving high fives all night thanks to the dry ice.

Russell Taragan, a BNS uncle, and Jason Gonsky, M.D. Ph.D. and BNS dad, brought Charles Drew's heroic work with blood to light with pumps and sheep hearts.

Jason Gonsky, M.D., Ph.D.

Russell Taragan, museum educator.

Tammy and Charles helped students channel their inner architect.

Kori dressed up as Mary Anning and ran a fossil hunt.

Rosalind Franklin's work with DNA was highlighted by Aislinn who helped people figure out if they inherited the ability to taste PTC and camera shy Amanda who helped kids see pond critters through a microscope.

Representing Emmy Noether, mathematician and physicist, gave Antoinette a chance to highlight symmetry and tessellations in nature.

Dr. Zigmund Kermish, physicist,  and beads?  What do they have in common?  They both measure UV light.

Ada Lovelace was represented by Ed and 5th grade  students teaching Scratch Programming.  

Continuing in the footsteps of Rachel Carson, Johanna leads families in making seed balls with  native plant seeds.

Jennifer Bussell, Ph.D, as a robot.

Dr. Bussell is a neuro-scientist who brought smells, fruit flies and other stuff to explore.

Jennifer Bussell all grown up.

Marie Curie -- represented by Diane. and Lise Meitner--represented by Malika
...brought lots of chemistry to their activities.

Benjamin Banneker took apart a watch, put it back together again, and built a larger version. Led by Josh,  kids took apart appliances, experimented with gears and pendulums.  Don't think anything was put back together again, however.

Nicho Gonzalez, NYU student, brings mind control to BNS.

Fifth grader, and birdwatcher, encouraging others to be citizen scientists.

Professor Charles Yarish, marine biology, and BNS grandfather, brought living critters for kids to touch.

Maryann channeled astronaut and scientist, Ellen Ochoa.  Dr. Ochoa did work with lenses.

  George Washington Carver was there...at least Monique and Shalisha were there to highlight the importance of plants.  But no one took any pictures of them.  

Justin Weiner, Jason Taragan, Christina Ruiz took photos.