In May, Mr. Soles' 5th grade class went on a special field trip to the UC Santa Barbara Chemistry Lab. At the lab, UCSB Chemistry students and professors led the 5th graders through several different hands-on and educational chemistry activities. Students learned what a chemical reaction truly is by making them happen! Students lit methane bubbles on fire, shattered flowers in liquid nitrogen, made "golden" pennies, and much more. They also had the chance to talk with University students and tou...

Although we celebrate our planet everyday at Will Rogers, Earth Day was an extra special day to celebrate environmental science! All first, third, and fifth grade classes went to the cafeteria for a special Harvest of the Month food tasting to celebrate the amazing fruits and vegetables our Earth provides us to eat. Seven classes participated in a special Earth Day Recycle Relay where students had to run in teams to correctly sort waste into Recycle, Trash, and Compost. At lunch, all K-5 student...

On March 2nd 2015, the Will Rogers fifth graders headed to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific for their exciting overnight field trip! Students got to tour the entire aquarium with their chaperones before the aquarium closed to the public. Once closed, our students got the Aquarium to themselves for the rest of the evening! The students got to interview an Aquarium scuba diver, and Aquarium staff led the students through hands on activities and a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. After...

As part of their yearlong study of energy sources, fourth grade scientists at Will Rogers participated in a wind turbine design challenge! After learning about how wind turbines work, students used KidWind wind turbine kits and worked in teams of 4 to design wind turbine blades that would produce the most electricity, as measured by a multimeter. Once students completed their blade design, they tested it on the KidWind wind turbine, with a fan simulating the wind. Students recorded their results...

On Tuesday, January 27th, over 200 Kindergarten and First Grade students joined with parents, Santa Barbara Zoo Volunteers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Personnel to plant 90 new native plants in our Schoolyard Habitat. Fifteen new species were added to our current inventory of over 50 species. Students used sticks from our fruit tree pruning to build Chumash fences around the new plants to protect them from playground balls. These native plants not only provide a rich outdoor learning environment...

Now in its second year of magnet implementation, Will Rogers Two-Way Immersion School of Environmental Science in Ventura hosted a special Saturday Science Academy to highlight its magnet focus in environmental science and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).  As part of the School of Choice movement, students from Pierpont Elementary School joined Will Rogers students on Saturday, January 10th. 85 students participated in a fun day full of hands-on STEM activities, such as learnin...

During the first two weeks of November, Green Schools of Sustainable Ventura helped introduce a brand new recycling and composting program at Will Rogers! All students K-5 are learning to sort and separate their lunch waste in an effort to reduce the amount of trash we send to the landfill. In addition to separating their lunch waste into compostables, recyclables, and trash, all students had the opportunity to go to a special Green Schools presentation in the Will Rogers science lab. During the...

This fall California State University, Channel Islands joined forces with our MSAP program to provide 4th and 5th graders with an engaging after school program centered around environmental engineering. The goal of the program was to pique their interest in science and engineering, and inspire them to go to college. Each week our 4th and 5th graders got to know the seven different CSUCI student teachers who led the hands-on activities while sharing their inspirational K-12 and college experience...

On October 1st, 2014 Will Rogers celebrated the grand opening of its brand new science lab! Many community members came out to celebrate with us, and students and parents got to tour the lab and explore some of our new equipment, such as our cordless microscopes and real-size skeleton and anatomy models. It is also equipped with brand new lab furniture, designed specifically for small children with big ideas. The lab is officially open, with students visiting for science lessons almost every day...