ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT
Hands-On by Lalo Walsh
Research
“I may be undersized, but don’t underestimate me. I’m a petite package who packs a punch.” -Hydrogen describes itself in The Periodic Table-Elements with Style! If Maricar Harris were an element, she would be hydrogen. Perched at the front of her classroom within the science wing at the east end of our Upper School, she could be mistaken for one of her students. She is tiny and bursting with lively energy. It feels like she is telling you an important secret when she talks about her Advanced Science Research classes. “These kids are going to be phenomenal lab partners in college,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. She knows this because her graduated Advanced Research students who have gone on to become science majors have told her so. Since 2016 Maricar has taught both AP Chemistry and Advanced Chemistry Research at Collegiate, and she has done
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it with a passion and excitement that is infectious. This year, because she determined there was interest among her students, she added Advanced Biology Research to her course offerings, presenting our students with yet another opportunity to learn from hands-on lab work.
Wichita Collegiate School is the only high school in town to offer these college-level post AP courses on campus, and their impact on our students is tremendous. Chemistry Research students learn to operate a gas chromatograph while those in Biology Research work conduct gel electrophoresis using calibrated micropipettes in order to visualize polymerase chain reactions. Both research classes require that students engage in extensive scientific journal research and collab-
Advanced Chemical Research teacher Maricar Harris prepares for her next lesson.
orate to produce independent research presentations of their own. “I ask them to go find the articles that interest them. They come back to class with their research, and given their varied interests, we decide on an overall topic to explore together.” This year, her Chem Research class struck upon sleep as their area of study with students delving into various aspects of it from lucid dreaming to how it can be influenced by diet and melatonin to how it impacts physical recovery and strength. For our science loving kids, having the opportunity to progress beyond the traditional high school curriculum opens not just their minds but also doors. “I think being a high school senior that already had research experience helped me stand out
