 Gary Elementary School
The most significant indicator of the benefit our students receive from this partnership is reflected in our school report card. At the fourth grade level our students earned a score of 261 in science compared to 249 for a district average and a 246 average for the state. I am convinced that Fermi's efforts significantly helped our students succeed. I look forward to a long relationship with the edcuation office at Fermi Lab. Gary Elementary School in West Chicago, Illinois began its partnership with Fermilab when the entire school with a 70% Hispanic student population visited the Laboratory as part of the 1992 AAAS Public Science Day. On this special day all the students met Latin American scientists who spoke their language, showed them that science was fun and encouraged them to think about becoming a scientist. In the continuing partnership, scientists who are native Spanish speakers serve as role models working with teachers and Fermilab Education Office staff to create meaningful science experiences for students. One notable example is a chemist, Laura Montejano. Laura teamed up with the second grade teachers to visit each class once a month. On her first visit, Laura asked the students who wanted to be a scientist when they grew up. One or two students in each classroom raised their hands. On her last visit, Laura asked the same question and nearly all of the 100 students raised their hands. Laura successfully has served as a role model for these students, showing them that science is fun and that they can all be scientists if they so choose! |