Junior and senior Anatomy and Physiology students began the semester with the dissection of a cow eye. Each unit of the course is accompanied by a hands-on lab, primarily dissections. They have already dissected fetal pigs, looking particularly at the muscle structures and a sheep brain, which provided a spatial realization of the brain that is difficult to grasp through two-dimensional illustrations. Teacher Jeremy Holman decided upon a cow eye for its likeness to the human eye for their study of the brain and special senses. For the students, most notably those who are considering the medical field, the dissections prove incredibly beneficial in helping to confirm their interests. Seniors Montgomery Rotellini and Will Grooms enjoyed the dissection and the application it had to their future careers in the medical field. "It helped me expand my knowledge in an area that would be hard to experience outside of a school setting,” Rotellini explained.
The sophomore Honors Chemistry Class embarked on a three-week paint project. Over the course of this project, students use their grasp of stoichiometry (the part of chemistry that studies amounts of substances that are involved in reactions) that they learned last semester to produce pigments through chemical reactions. After they have produced the pigments, they test different binding agents from household products to mix with the pigment, producing four different paints. By applying their knowledge to make their own paint, they are also learning the principles of solubility of compounds, limiting reactants, and percent yield of products in chemical reactions. This annual project is a hallmark of the Honors Chemistry class. "I love being able to create a piece of art in its entirety, from the pigments and chemicals to the finished product," said sophomore Kathryn Mahan.
Seventh graders also expanded their scientific knowledge this week with a protist lab. Students looked at several different types of single-celled organisms in the kingdom Protista, such as Amoeba, Paramecium, Stentor, and Volvox. "It was really fun to see all of these tiny organisms swimming around under the microscope," said seventh grader Ellis Langford.
By Kate Langley, Class of 2019
Marketing Intern
About Lakehill Preparatory School
At Lakehill Preparatory School, we know that bigger is not always better. Lakehill is -- and always has been -- small by design.
Our school combines a strong, engaging academic program with a kind and inclusive community. A small student body offers a greater opportunity for each student to experience academic and leadership growth. Students develop a strong sense of belonging, and pride in their community, their school, and themselves.
Community spirit is encouraged in our small school environment. Strong relationships develop between home and school, and school leaders are far more involved with individual students than in a larger school setting. Lakehill staff pride themselves on knowing every child by name.
Lakehill builds an atmosphere of respect, accountability, collaboration, and mentoring between students and teachers, and provides the resources and learning opportunities that empower students to be architects of their own education.
Visit our website at lakehillprep.org for more information.