MCPS Science engages all students through phenomenon-based, 3-Dimensional learning and provides opportunities for students to connect their learning to real world problems. Our instructional goal is to prepare students for lifelong learning by developing skills necessary for success in college and career as outlined by the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices.
All students achieve full scientific literacy through standards referenced, problem/project based instruction that develops critical thinkers who apply scientific and engineering practices to authentic problems in a globally competitive society.
We will support community partnerships, provide schools with curricular instructional support and professional learning that model science and engineering practices, incorporate literacy and math, engage students and make connections to real world phenomena.
Natural Resources Careers CampJoin high school students from across Maryland at this week-long camp in Garrett County to explore careers and college studies in natural resources. This partnership with Allegany College of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources-Forest Service offers high school students a co-educational opportunity to learn from industry professionals and develop contacts that could lead to future employment and a career in natural resources.
*For High School Students: Rising 9th Grade through 12th Grade
*Tuition scholarships are available.
Space is limited to 42 students. Applicants will be interviewed and approved on a first-come basis.
March 5, 2022 Virtual Event!
At the MCPS Youth Climate Summit, high school students will learn about climate change on a personal level through plenary speakers and workshops that demonstrate actionable ways to engage in the climate movement. The Summit concludes with participants being mentored through the process of writing a climate action plan, a project outline they can implement in their school or community!
More information about the summit and recent updates can be found on the MCPS 2022 Youth Climate Website.
Jane Goodall, born April 3, 1934, is an English anthropologist and primatologist who spent 60 years of her life studying Chimpanzees in the forests of Tanzania. From the early age of 10, Dr. Goodall dreamed travelling to Africa to study animals up close in their habitats despite many who discouraged her because opportunities like this were not expected of women. Despite this, Dr. Goodall pushed through adversity and pursued her passion for studying animals. She began her research in Africa in 1960 at the age of 26 where she would spend much of her life in the forests of Tanzania studying a troop of Chimpanzees. During her research, Dr. Goodall employed an innovative strategy of studying animals by immersing herself into the daily lives of the chimpanzee troop. She would routinely meet the troop near their feeding grounds every morning to establish a trusting relationship where the chimps perceived her as an non-threatening presence. Over the course of time, the chimpanzees went from tolerating her being in their territory to folding her into their daily lives and allowing her to move freely through the troop. Through this type of study, Dr. Goodall observed chimpanzee behaviors never thought possible by the scientific community. She observed the chimps using of tools, once thought only to be a human skill, display very "human-like" emotions and actions, utilizing sounds as a primitive language, and even saw them as hunters despite the belief that they were vegetarian. Dr. Goodall's efforts over the years have also included animal advocacy and has been a huge fixture in the world of animal rights and protection. She established the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation to support her mission and continues to be an advocate for animals and the environment today!
"There will always be many things in the world that are worth fighting for. A lot is beautiful and people have been exerting efforts to reverse harm and alleviate suffering. A lot of young people are dedicated to earning a better place in this world. This truths inspire and give us enlightenment that it will never be too late for people to change this if only we become responsible for our part.
Scavenger Hunt Challenge!!
Now that the weather is changing and temperatures are starting to warm up, its time to get those outdoor legs moving again! What better way to do it than to participate in a Scavenger Hunt! Whether you are young or old, you can have fun with this because we are all kids at heart! So grab a friend or family member and head outside for a bit of fun! See how many of these objects you can find and collect them in a bag or take a picture on your phone.
Live in an area where you can’t find all of these close by? No worries, use what you have inside or at the grocery store!
Want a harder challenge? Give yourself a time limit or challenge a classmate, brother, sister, or any other worthy competitor to see who can complete it first!
To access what you are searching for, click this link: Scavenger Hunt
Send any pictures of your hunt to James_Brameyer@mcpsmd.org and get them posted on our website!
Founded in 2003, Science News for Students is a free, award-winning online publication published by the Society for Science dedicated to providing age-appropriate science news to learners, parents and educators.
MCPS Summer Camps!
This summer, MCPS PreK-12 Science returned to in person summer camps to offer 240 students aged 6-14 the opportunity to experience hands-on learning in a variety of scientific fields through a very generous grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The MCPS Science team expanded our program from one live camp in 2019 to five different camps across eight sessions this summer! These week long programs were designed and created to support our vision and mission of bringing high quality science instruction to ALL students with diverse campers attending from 45 different schools. This past summer our elementary students learned all about plants and gardens in our Curious Gardeners camp (Grades 1-3) and fossils and dinosaurs in our Tales from the Cretaceous camp (Grades 3-5). Middle school students had a chance to learn about the environment, sustainable practices, and alternative energy resources in our STEMming from the Earth camp, space exploration and early flight in our STEMming from Space camp, and agritourism, horticulture, animal & food science, and careers in our Agricultural Experiences camp. With so many excited and happy campers, we look forward to running our summer camps again in 2022 with the potential of expanding to a 6th camp and additional sessions to reach even more students!
A Special Shout Out to our Camp Leads
Curious Gardeners: James Nelson, Mike Carbonara, Kate Mattey, and Mark Granger
Tales from the Cretaceous: James Nelson, Mike Carbonara, Kate Mattey, Mark Granger, and Bernadette Freeland
STEMming from the Earth: Danielle Affinito, Andrea Dai, and Pam Tarectecan
STEMming from Space: Liz Fishman, Becky Gibbs, and Rob O'Dell
Agricultural Experiences: Liz Fishman, Becky Gibbs, and Danielle Affinito
Guest Appearances: Brian Shilling, James Fishman, Laura Pykosh
Housing summer camps is no easy endeavor, especially during a pandemic and with so many summer programs running throughout the summer in our MCPS schools and buildings. The science team would like to send out a special thank you to our three homes and the accommodating staff that welcomed us! Robert Frost Middle School (STEMming from Space & Agricultural Experiences), Argyle Middle School (STEMming from the Earth), and the Lathrop E Smith Center (Curious Gardeners and Tales from the Cretaceous) all welcomed us in with open arms and their dedicated teams not only housed us, but helped keep our students safe and our rooms clean each and every day. Thank you so much to each of you for giving us a place to support so many budding scientists and expand our summer programs to offer such an amazing experience for our campers, especially in year when much of our hands-on opportunities were absent from the classrooms!
