Leyton Updates Science Lab

Oxford Dictionaries defined science as “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.”

But how far will curiosity, the discipline of asking why does this do what it does, and what makes it work without the tools to research?

Students curiosity and doing what science is supposed to do, ask why, how and what if, has been limited by the capability of the science lab at Leyton High School. That started to change as staff and the school board committed to updating the facility. In March of this year, the Leyton School Board approved funding for a new high school science lab.

At that time, the existing lab was outdated and in many ways just didn't work. The school board committed to improving the facility, then faced the fiscal challenge of rising prices. The board committed up to $350,000 to fully renovate the lab and classroom.

Superintendent Chris Geary recently offered a tour of the new facility.

The science lab was redone from the studs up. Included in the new look is a secure chemical storage closet, a fume hood and gas and water lines that work as designed. Prior to the work, the work stations had gas lines, but they didn't work. There is also an accessible and up-to-date eye wash station.

In the next room, students can meet for lectures and study time. The classroom and lab are divided by a glass wall, allowing one teacher to oversee both processes.

The project was motivated by students needing an avenue for their curiosities in the sciences to flourish. Geary noted the lab needed renovated to keep pace with upgrades in curriculum and safety.

“We need science class to be relevant. Science hasn't changed. How we do science has changed,” Geary said.

With the new lab, students can experiment in disciplines including physics, chemistry, electronics, botany and 3-D printing.

“We can do dissections in here,” he said. “We can do anything.”