Curiosity plays a big, if not the biggest, role in scientific discoveries and achievements. It has led to some of the greatest discoveries mankind has ever seen (electricity), as well as some of the worst (the atomic bomb). From the Apollo 11 to the iPhone 12, for as long as there are curious minds, science—and humanity—will prevail. This is an idea that the SNHS embraces yearly at their Science Camp. 

Last Friday, April 9, the Science National Honor Society (SNHS) hosted its annual Science Camp, an event dedicated to the bright minds of the future who are curious about science and the wonders that it holds. 

“[Science Camp] is a fun experience for both the children and SNHS members that volunteer” senior and SNHS Historian Le’Ana Simpson said. “My favorite thing is getting to see how excited the kids get during the experiments.”

Science Camp consists of fifteen hands-on-science oriented activities that would engage kids from kindergarten to 6th grade. Each station has its own activity. Among them were creating elephant toothpaste, the notorious coke and mentos experiment, making ice cream, volcanoes, slime, and many more. 

“At each of the stations, SNHS members were encouraged to ask participants to make scientific findings,” senior and SNHS president Ammar Siddiqi said. “For example, whether bubbles being produced was a chemical or physical change. The purpose, of course, was to have the kids make observations just as a scientist would.”

Because of the pandemic, planning for the Science Camp proved to be more difficult than in previous years. In the age of social distancing and online school, SNHS, like many other student organizations, has had to resort to Zoom meetings and activities. The odds of hosting a successful Science Camp in school, they feared, were low. So low, in fact, that a remote program was planned in case students would not be able to meet in person. 

“As a club, we were worried about turnout and there not being enough people at the event,” Siddiqi said. “However, due to immense planning and a lot of hard work both on the officers’ side and club members’, we were able to have roughly the same number of participants sign-up as in previous years.” 

Due to the roll-out of the vaccine and the decrease in coronavirus cases, holding the event at school became a feasible option. That, and the constant promotion of hand washing, mask-wearing, and social distancing, made Science Camp in the year of a pandemic as successful as in previous years. By the end of the three-hour event, roughly 80 SNHS members and 55 elementary students had attended. 

“This was a very fun experience for both the volunteers and the students,” senior and SNHS secretary Jordan Cheek said. “We host the event in order to have our SNHS members be more involved in the community and to encourage elementary students to get interested in science. I think having an event like this really helped the students engage and learn while still having fun with friends.” 

Though Science Camp is the one and only event SNHS hosts throughout the school year, members often volunteer within the community, from The Woodlands Children’s Museum to the Montgomery County Food Bank. Those interested in joining SNHS next year can apply here until May 7th. Check out the SNHS website for more information. 

“SNHS is a great organization,” Simpson said. “Most of the volunteering events involve working with kids which is something that I really enjoy. It’s great seeing how much of an impact the smallest things can have on them.”