IB Science students were put to the test January 8 to figure out solutions to problems the school is facing. About 70 to 80 groups of four or five students had to find a problem occurring in the school and create possible solutions to propose. The all-day in-school field trip was the first time the school has tried to do a whole school cooperative science project. Students from IB sciences such as IB Biology, IB Chemistry and IB Physics were mixed into random groups to work together. Having students in different science classes allowed for more ideas to be present in fixing various issues.

Choosing an issue to tackle could be a hard one, but some issues were too big to overlook. One issue that students with cellphones face everyday is the low quality Wifi. “We chose the Wifi running slowly due to the number of students using it,” junior and IB Physics student Isabella Giacomo said. “As a group, we feel like everybody in the school, teachers and students alike, are affected by this issue. It’s really annoying for everyone, so we thought that would be a really good problem to look into and try to fix.”

With the environment being a major topic discussed in the world today, many of the issues students choose had to do with saving paper or fixing erosion. After choosing an issue, students brainstormed solutions. “We want to create a system where students swipe to get in and out of classrooms, so that we don’t need hallpasses,” senior Mikayla Lawrence said. “Since we already have a barcode on our student IDs, it would make it a lot easier to accomplish.”

To “fix” the problems, students are required to make a video to discuss the issue and explain their proposition. Having evidence such as student interviews was also important during their field trip day. Catching students to talk about school food took place during the lunch periods, yet many groups are still working on their projects. The videos are due on February 2.