\u201cThe purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for community building, leadership development and an appreciation for science,\u201d said seventh-grade science teacher Jeff Sand.<\/p>\n
The Ute Mountain Ute Science Night, a partnership between the school and Ute Mountain Ute tribe, launches this week. Starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, this week\u2019s scientific experiment centers on manipulating ferrofluid, a NASA rocket fuel, via magnetism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hands-on activities will be student-led,\u201d Sand said.<\/p>\n
A shared meal follows each event at the Towaoc Community Center. Held on the third Thursday evening of every month through May, students that participate in all this semester\u2019s experiments will be eligible for a daytrip with CMS staff to the Red Eagle Challenge Ropes Course in Shiprock.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur science department wants students to know that science has less to do with memorizing facts and more to do with understanding how to use the framework of the scientific method to explore questions we may have about the world,\u201d Sand said. \u201cIf we can provide opportunities where students can engage inquiry and curiosity with their parents and members of their community, we know that the likelihood that these students enjoy science increases.\u201d<\/p>\n
This past fall, CMS Principal Glenn Smith and staff met with Ute Mountain Ute parents and tribal education officials to discuss how the school could engage the Towaoc community. According to Sand, that discussion spurred the science experiments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Science Night program isn\u2019t the result of a shift in values so much as an increased awareness around strategies for more effective communication and relationship building,\u201d Sand said. \u201cThe concept \u2026 is really a macro version of how we are working to engage students one-on-one.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school district has focused on social emotional learning, an educational process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the cornerstone efforts of a social emotional learning school is to teach in an engaging way,\u201d Sand said. \u201cScience, when it is project and inquiry-based, can engage students as a way to build relationships, increase attendance, encourage positive student choices and promote lifelong learners.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProviding Towaoc students an opportunity to facilitate these hands-on activities with their families and community seemed in line with that understanding,\u201d Sand said.<\/p>\n