Science Club at Fall Fest - Just Barely

 

After a lot of arranging the newly organized VJ Science Club took its first field trip to the 31st Annual Fall Fest at the Mississippi State Truck Crops Station in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. My room was a frenzy of activity before we left. Destiny came in to get the rain measurements for the network, Mr. Lewis the sub was getting instructions for the day, students were coming in with their permissions slips, Mr. Hamblin introduced me to his lovely wife who I had invited to go with us, and on it went. It got time to go and I made sure everyone was on the list for announcements. We had one final drama – a football player wanted to go (along with two others) but he was told he could not play in the game that night if he went – he stayed. I gave everyone the speech about representing Velma Jackson High School and conducting themselves like ladies and gentlemen and about taking notes for the report they would send me by email. I then went around and made sure everyone had a homemade book and pencil and got to go to the sessions they wanted to attend as we started traveling. We got well on our way down the highway and it hit me out of the blue – I had left Mrs. Hamblin in her husband’s classroom. I felt horrible and told Ms. Washington, my colleague on the trip, that it was time for me to retire. I apologized to Mr. Hamblin later and felt very, very small.

In spite of that terrible goof, we had a very good day even though it was very cold. Students got to attend sessions on Nature Photography, Pond Management, Fun with Vegetables, Producing Your Own Flower Arrangement and many others. The highlight for me was learning about the four P’s of pond management and watching them seine the 2.5-acre pond and to see the twenty plus blue gill hatchlings and two intermediates. Also it was a great treat to see all the beautiful flowers with the scientific labels, to hear Norman Winter’s presentation on hot new plants and to see his 80 beautiful color slides, and to see friends from another group in my life. The homemade grist mill for corn was also very interesting - I bought a bag and got contact information so maybe we can make our own one day. I also got a tree supplier for persimmons, pomegranates and others to agree to meet me half way to save a delivery charge for our emerging VJ botanical gardens. I am looking forward to receiving the reports from the students. Many of them asked about planting a garden at school and having our own pond and, of course, when we would take our next trip.

The drama for the day was not over. I had promised the administrators that we would return before school let out for the day (since an earlier field trip this week was ten minutes late and the students had to be kept after school for about ten nervous minutes) and before the students loaded the buses. I kept my promise barely. We drove up just as kids were getting out of school to load the buses. I saw the principal looking at us with smoke coming out of his ears. I did get him to smile a bit later when I told him my nickname in college – Just Barely – not early, not late, right on time, Just Barely.
It may be awhile before we get to go again (next time I will make a point not to leave anyone behind).

Life Goes On

New life in the oasis.


Life goes on after the loss of the fish. Students and teachers alike are fascinated by their specimens in jars on the shelf below the new fish. The dead and the living show the cycle of life before their eyes.

There are lots of new developments as life goes on.

Out of the blue the janitors and central office maintenance folks showed up at my door and told me I had new desks. Life is good.



After thanking them I showed them around the greenhouse and oasis and learned one of them had an albino python and another is going to bring turnip seeds for the greenhouse after seeing the tomato plants doing so well.

Both botany classes transplanted their tomato plants after rearing them from seeds. For most of them this was a first and even high school kids (and senior citizen teachers) love to see things grow. We might have a harvest before Christmas. Now that we are getting proficient at this we will sell seedings in our first annual plant sell in the spring.



Dewanious puts on the finishing touches.



Ozihous waters



James and Montrell water while Mozetta and Mia look on.

The new fish are adjusting well except for the algae eaters – we have lost three so far - the fourth one seems to be doing well. We have also lost one bubble eye and his replacement seems to be adjusting. One black and orange oranda perished this week as well and is yet to be replaced.

My botany class had gotten our data sheets in order for all the classroom animals with mass, length and food intake (in zoology next semester they will take care of plants also). Soon we will establish an ongoing data base for all insects, plants and other specimens brought into the classroom – at this point we have been delivered a wolf spider, a newt, a millipede, a swallowtail chrysalis (we keep waiting and watching for the new butterfly along with the two walnut caterpillar chrysalis) and over 40 different leaves.



Can you see the six eyes of the wolf spider that Nyderrick brought?



Benita, the bearded dragon, weighs in with the help of Michelle and Afrika.

Another project that will begin soon is the babysitting of plants over the winter – we already have one from a lady in the cafeteria. For five dollars we will baby sit small plants and ten dollars for large ones.

Mojo the hamster is quite the showman in his exercise ball that Demarcus was kind enough to donate.



Darnell and Cubbie help Mojo out of her new ride and back home.





Debriana looks for Mojo.

Sister Isaac II, the ball python is yet to eat and slithers right past the new pinkies (thawed baby mice). The pet folks recommend letting him be without contact for several days and then dangling the room temperature pinkie with a tong. We will let you know his progress.

Benita has a new larger home (50 gallon terrarium with fresh carpet and homemade cover - me and Mr. Hamblin at work again) above the fish tank. The school ladder stays in our room so we can tend to her.



Benita kicks back in her new quarters.



Hardashi puts Benita back in her new home.

Now Velma Jackson is a part of the Community Collective Rain, Snow and Hail Network. The later two will probably not be observed but the rain guage which has been very active lately is checked and recorded on the internet daily (www.cocorahs.org). Our data can be checked out by going to site and clicking on Mississippi and then Madison County.



Finally the newly established science club has been given permission to travel to the annual Fall Festival at the Mississippi State Agricultural Field Station at Crystal Springs on Friday, October 16. (http://msucares.com/fallfest/events.html). Everyone is getting pumped about this, and we hope to learn a lot about greenhouse plants, pond management, composting and other topics as well as eat some good food and see some beautiful plants.