For well over 20 years, the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) in Columbus has hosted an annual Science Carnival for second- and third-grade students across Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay Counties. This year’s event will also include students from Pickens County, Alabama. The carnival will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23 in Pohl Gymnasium on the Mississippi University for Women campus. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., hundreds of elementary school-aged students will converge to participate in this interactive, science-oriented carnival.
In total, roughly 850 students will participate in this year’s Science Carnival. While specific stations change slightly from year to year, the focus remains on key scientific principles such as inertia, electricity, the metrics system, properties of water, and color and light manipulation. In addition to exciting exhibits and hands-on workshops for students, teachers receive a guidebook that details inexpensive ways to incorporate more science-based learning into their classroom instruction. The guidebook contains experiment ideas, sample lesson plans and science instruction best practices.
Every current MSMS student plays a role in carnival. Some students serve as presenters for specific stations, while others serve as guides and greeters. Still others volunteer to assist with event setup and teardown. Not only is the Science Carnival a great way for MSMS share the love of science learning with local students, it is also an invaluable lesson for current MSMS students on community activism.
MSMS is Mississippi’s only public, residential high school specifically designed to meet the needs of the state’s most academically gifted and talented students. MSMS is currently recruiting 10-grade students for the class of 2021. Applications are available online and are due by Feb. 1, 2019. For more information, visit themsms.org.
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