News Release

January 31, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sondra Katzen
Public Relations
708.688.8351
sondra.katzen@czs.org


Chicago Zoological Society Is Fostering Love of Science in Students
Kids’ Work Culminating in Science Fair on February 3

Brookfield, Ill. — More than 100 elementary and high school students from 16 Chicago Public Schools will compete in the third annual science fair, sponsored by BP, at the Chicago Zoological Society’s (CZS) Brookfield Zoo on Friday, February 3.

Beginning at 10:00 a.m., students will present science experiments to a panel of judges that includes Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president; Corey Correnti, senior vice president of marketing, sales, and supply for BP Products North America, Inc.; Eddie Arruza, correspondent and segment host for WTTW-TV’s Chicago Tonight; and Andrea Zopp, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League; as well as student peer mentors and CZS staff. The fair will be followed by an awards presentation at noon.

The science fair will feature several projects by eighth graders from Nathan Hale Elementary School. Their projects are based on animal behavior observations that they analyzed during trips to Brookfield Zoo last fall. After their visit, the students researched and studied their chosen animal through the use of technology and assistance from their science teacher.

“Many times, students will shy away from doing animal projects because of transportation constraints, but thanks to our partnership with Hale through the Levels of Engagement program, students were able to use the zoo as a living laboratory,” said Jennifer Marvel-Gillono, school program coordinator for the Chicago Zoological Society.

The science fair will also feature several projects created by seventh and eighth grade students from John C. Dore Elementary School, who also participated in a boot camp held by CZS’s Levels of Engagement program. The boot camp was piloted in August 2011 and gave Dore students the chance to work with student mentors from Charles Allen Prosser Career Academy. The high school juniors received special mentor training from CZS staff on scientific inquiry, quality science fair projects, and the roles and responsibilities of mentors.

During the weeklong boot camp held at Dore Elementary School, Prosser students and CZS staff helped the younger students develop solid science questions, gather quality research, identify and isolate variables, and map out plans for their projects. The program provided the mentees with the opportunity to develop a successful science fair project with motivation and support from other students.

“All of these students volunteered to participate in this opportunity, which encouraged kids to take charge of their educational destiny as they motivate each other to excel in science education. The mentees expressed how much they appreciated someone who genuinely wanted them to succeed and understood what they were trying to accomplish,” said Marvel-Gillono.

Parents of the students are also encouraged to attend the science fair and participate in a special session that will help them stimulate science learning at home. The 30-minute session, titled “Helping Students Find Science Success In and Out of the Classroom,” will be held at 10:30 a.m. in English and 11:00 a.m. in Spanish.

Students participating in the science fair are from the 16 partner schools of CZS’s Levels of Engagement program. Through this program, CZS offers teacher training and student peer-to-peer education in an effort to create Centers for Science Excellence. The training provided to teachers is designed to educate them on how to help students use creativity and judgment to design science fair projects outside of the normal demonstrations. The student peer-to-peer program pairs older students, typically high school sophomores and juniors, with middle school students in a mentoring program to raise the younger students’ aspirations or plans for future projects.

Chicago Public Schools participating in the science fair include John C. Dore Elementary School, Robert L. Grimes Elementary School, and Nathan Hale Elementary School in the Clearing neighborhood; Donald Morrill Math & Science Elementary School in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood; James Ward Elementary in the Armour Square neighborhood; Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts and Duel Language in the Brighton Park neighborhood; Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood; Charles Allen Prosser Career Academy and Belmont-Cragin Elementary School in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood; Edward Beasley Elementary Magnet Academic Center located in the Washington Park neighborhood; John H. Hamline Elementary School and Arthur A. Libby Elementary School in the New City neighborhood; Frederick Funston Elementary School in the Logan Square neighborhood; Nathanael Greene Elementary School in the McKinley Park neighborhood; and William Bishop Owen Scholastic Academy and Adlai E. Stevenson Elementary School in the Ashburn neighborhood.

The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, inspires conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. The Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Open every day of the year, the zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service.

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