Haejeong Lee, left, is recording the time while Zainab Riaz is dropping a tennis ball from a height of 2m. The students were conducting the experiment to obtain an experimental value for the acceleration of gravity. - NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Summer school at Medicine Hat High School is in full swing and students in the Science 10 class completed an experiment on the acceleration of gravity last week.
“We’ve talked about the theoretical value of it,” explained science teacher Darren Hammel, now in his sixth year teaching summer school. “Now we are seeing experimentally what that value might be. They are going to be setting up a height of two metres using metre sticks and marking it off with tape and they will be dropping a variety of things, like tennis balls or pickle balls.”
Both Zainab Riaz and Haejeong Lee are entering Grade 10 this September at Medicine Hat High School and wanted to take some summer school classes to fast track their courses.
“I also decided to do it because I really enjoy science. I’m really passionate about it so I thought it would be fun to do over the summer,” said Riaz.
Riaz attended CAPE School from kindergarten through to Grade 9 and Lee was at CAPE from Grades 6-9 after her family moved to Medicine Hat from Vegreville.
Both enjoyed CAPE and are looking forward to high school.
“It’s going to be a lot different but I’m really excited. It’s a new opportunity,” said Riaz who, following high school, wants to pursue a post-secondary education in the medical profession, either as a doctor, surgeon or medical researcher.
“Most universities want at least two out of three science courses done to the 30 level. To get accepted it might be better to take all three,” explained Lee, who is interested in pursuing a career in psychology.
