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STEM Trip For 7th Graders: Visiting The DNR

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The seventh graders enjoyed an educational field trip last Friday to the Department of Natural Resources. It was such a cold day, but the students were excited to have some hands-on activities to keep them moving! We divided into two groups, and the staff helped the groups with two neat tasks. First, we discussed the concept of "decomposition rate." A staff member passed out lots of items, from an apple core, to a paper towel, to a glass bottle, to an aluminum can. The students were then told to stand up and order them from the least amount of time an item would take to decompose, to the longest amount of time to decompose. What an eye opener! Did you know it takes 2-4 weeks for a paper towel to decompose? And 200 years for an aluminum can to decompose? And how about as much as 600 years for a glass bottle to decompose?
 
Before we moved to the second activity, the students looked through microscopes at samples of the water right outside the Department of Natural Resources facility.  
We couldn't believe that in almost every sample, we saw microplastics! The activity really made us think about what happens to the "trash" we discard near our waterways! 
The last activity was super cool: dissecting a squid! The students had to first identify the external parts of the mollusk, extract the mouth and esophagus (Ewww!), determine if theirs was a male or female, and then cut out the gills! This was not for the faint of heart! The students did an excellent job! Thank you to Mrs. Moser for organizing the field trip, and for the chaperones and seventh grade faculty for making the day possible!
 
Posted by Laura Broach with
in Community, Upper School

Leader Academy Students Bless Children At Chicora Elementary!

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It was a monumental undertaking in a relatively short period of time. But God moved hearts to accept the challenge, our PCA family stepped up to make an impact, and many children were blessed as a result! We are delighted to share with you that every single child at Chicora Elementary in North Charleston received a blessing bag on December 20 with a new uniform in just the right size. Thanks to you, 355 children felt the love of Christ from our school family as we reached out to our neighbors in need. We are beyond grateful for your generosity and your willingness to do some last minute shopping so that we might bless these children.
 
The Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, a group of 28 PCA High School students, decided to take on this task for their Do Good December project. On the last Thursday before Christmas break, our Leader Academy students traveled to Chicora Elementary to deliver the blessing bags. What we couldn't have imagined is how God would use that time to connect our hearts with the hearts of the children we hoped to help. We were fortunate to spend time in the classrooms.. just visiting, talking with the children, helping some with their math assignments and reading, but most importantly, simply being present with them. It was an incredible morning, and many of the Chicora teachers and staff were so touched by the kindness of our students that they asked if we would consider returning as guests during National Reading Day, or possibly for other school events. 
 
Servant leadership is what the Leader Academy is all about, and we thank you for your role in helping us to make an impact through action.
Posted by Darla Rourk with

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