For some, chemical explosions or intriguing manifestations from simple chemicals still have the capacity to captivate their inner child. With the renewal of the Mad Scientists Club, students can rekindle their love for science. Meeting every Thursday after school, the club is led by Mrs. Smith, Ms. Matthews, and Mrs. Sanchez, who revitalized the club. The beginning of the year is a hectic time for the Mad Scientists as it begins to gear up for the new projects it will undertake. One thing especially notable in Mad Scientists is that it molds its activities around each individual student. Unlike most clubs, the Mad Scientists specifically allow students to choose certain labs and tasks they’re interested in performing, varying on their levels of experience and their age.
The Mad Scientists are emphasizing the importance of science. Based on an article from the National Science Teacher Association, Science holds a “strong connection [with] many 21st-century skills with science education.” These skills will help kids all over the world to learn and eventually lead a successful life. The first goal of the Mad Scientists Club is to get “people interested in science,” said Ms. Matthews. Hoping to intrigue kids of all ages, the Mad Scientists are wanting to stress the utter importance and true necessity of an education in science, especially to the younger kids’.
However, to achieve their goals the three Jesuit teachers needed a group of students dedicated to the Mad Scientists. The roaring response from the students proved successful, as many students quickly joined the club. Matthew Joy ’18 said that he, “[loves] to perform fun experiments, but now with the ability to perform [the experiments] without any of the stress that comes with grades or lab write ups makes it all the more exciting.” This new part of the Mad Scientists is a huge hit among the students, as they are now allowed to perform fun and exciting experiments by themselves via permission from one of their club’s teachers.
Another entirely new aspect of the Mad Scientists is an environmental aspect that aspires to give back to the community while helping teach the students. In the spring Ms. Matthews remarked that, “the club will be going to the Trinity Audubon Center for a cleanup kayaking/ canoeing trip”. The new, exciting feature of the Mad Scientists will be an amazing opportunity to give back to the community, while teaching the students all about the environment of a wetland. This effort to do more than expected and give back to the community encompasses one of many ideals of being a Jesuit student.
This year is gearing up to be a successful rebirth for the Mad Scientists. Mad Scientists member John Lindberg ’18 told the Roundup, “I am very excited for this new club, we have so much to look forward to and I believe it’s going to be fun… It’s also so cool to be a part of such a new and huge club.” His words of enthusiasm were echoed by almost every single member of the Mad Scientists club. There is no doubt, this club is getting ready to stick around for good this time and influence many years of students to come.
