Nora Malone
Editor
Alexandria City High School is proud to be one of the first schools in the nation to have the newest AP Science Course, AP Modern Reanimation. This course is a hands-on science lab that focuses on self-paced student projects.
“We want this course to allow students to be creative, and to invent their own experiments in an open space,” said Dr. F, one of the few teachers of this class.
The course is broken up into three sections, the first is planning your experiment and getting it approved by the teacher. The second is collecting your materials and doing basic pre-experiments. And the final third of the year is when students bring their creations to life.
“It’s my favorite part,” said Henry Jekyll, “the class feels so lively during the last part of the year, the energy is almost electric.”
Only four schools in the nation have this course, as its classroom has a lot of requirements that many schools do not have.
“It is a bit complicated,” said Dr. Emmet Brown, “Not many schools have classrooms with access to the roof, and even fewer have the kind of electrical power we need.”
Nonetheless, ACHS has managed to create the perfect scenario for this dynamic course. With our rooftop garden and frequent rainstorms, we are the perfect prototype for this new class. And it doesn’t hurt that we’re just a stone’s throw away from Arlington National Cemetery.
“That’s another reason this course is so hard for most schools,” said Dr. F “the materials are difficult to get and often expensive. Luckily lots of our students are very motivated to get what they need in any way they can. We’re very lucky in that sense.”
ACHS has been very helpful with funding this new course. And have provided many opportunities for students to find their materials.
“We’re very thankful for the school’s help,” said Dr. Connors, “they’ve gone above and beyond, not only providing buses and buckets of ice but also every student gets a shovel they can keep.”
Currently, this course only has six enrolled students, but they are hoping for more next year.
“It really is very fun,” said Dr. Brown, “I think it’s a great environment to foster the next generation of scientists, and it’s a unique course that will stand out on any college application.”
So if you’re unsure of what science to take next year, look no further, AP Modern Reanimation is sure to re-animate your year.
