Students proudly display science projects at Dalton Middle

Published 2:00 pm Sunday, November 17, 2019

After spending weeks working on their science projects, Dalton Middle School special education students were able to show them off to classmates, staff and community members recently.

The young scientists ventured guesses, made predictions, performed experiments, collected data and drew conclusions based on results. Project topics included freezing juice, melting ice and thunderstorms, among others.

“I think they look great,” said Andrea Baron, science teacher at Dalton Middle School. Students “are excited to explain (their work), and a lot of them can model what they did.”

Ailin Fraire, 13, was attracted to magnets for her project, she picked up the vast preponderance of her supplies from her school, and the results of her experiments turned out as expected.

She observed that many metals, such as aluminum, brass, copper, gold, lead and silver, don’t stick to magnets, at least not in their natural states, she said. In addition, “magnets come in all different shapes, sizes and colors.”

Kirah Betton experimented with sense of smell and fruits for her project, the 14-year-old explained. Betton and others, including her “buddy,” Stephanie Rivas, attempted to identify strawberry, orange, banana and coconut simply by smell.

The most complex aroma was strawberry, which happens to be her favorite of those fruits to eat, Betton said. As for odor, she preferred banana.

“Strawberry is the toughest, because there are so many (smells) in there to throw you off,” Rivas said. “I was surprised how fast (Betton) got all the smells.”

The special education students teamed with their Dalton Middle School “buddies” during their research and in presenting.

Rivas, now in eighth grade, began partnering with Betton as a seventh-grader, and the buddy system is “a lot of fun,” she said with a beaming smile. Betton is “really funny, and really sassy, too.”

In Baron’s class, “we use Unique Learning System,” a standards-based program designed specifically for students with special needs so they can access the general education curriculum, and “it’s really good,” Baron said. Furthermore, Dalton Public Schools uses Unique Learning System at the elementary, middle and high school levels, so “it’s a good continuum for students” as they progress through the system.

In addition to scientific study, the science fair offered another benefit to special education students, a chance to practice their communication skills, Baron said.

“We’re trying to push communication with our kids, and this is a natural way to communicate.”