Rural students get hands-on heart science experience
Roots of Science Discovery Initiative celebrates American Heart Month with in-school lab experience
By W. John Wood
February has long been known as American Heart Month. Various organizations sponsor blood drives or informational sessions about how to prevent related heart problems.
Jefferson County Life Science Teacher Jasmine Change-Jones has taken that a step further by sponsoring the Heart of Science in-school lab. This lab that was held after school one Friday was the first official event for the Roots of Discovery Science Initiative.
This is a nonprofit initiative focused on expanding access to hands-on science learning for rural students across Jefferson County and the CSRA.
“Roots of Discovery was created to make science more visible and accessible for students in rural communities. We want students to experience science in ways that are hands-on, meaningful, and connected to the world around them,” Change-Jones said.
A Jefferson County Alumni, Change-Jones has been a past County Teacher of the Year, and this year was selected as the STAR Teacher and the Georgia Science Teachers Association High School Science Teacher of the Year. She is known for inspiring and challenging students to not only know science but experience it.
Students that came to the event were able to go through three stations that gave them that hands on-experience helping them to understand cardiovascular health and how lifestyle choices affect the heart. These stations included how blood flows through the heart, stress and the heart and how cardio and physical activity along with exercise strengthens the heart and leads to better overall health.
One of the keys to this initiative is developing student ambassadors to help assist and lead these experiences.
“The goal of the Heart of Science lab experience was to help students see that science isn’t just something in a textbook. It connects to their health, their choices, and their everyday lives,” Change-Jones said.
Change-Jones plans future programming connecting science to health, agriculture, and environmental systems while exposure for rural students.
“As someone who grew up in Matthews and graduated from Jefferson County High School, it means a lot to bring these kinds of opportunities back to the same community that helped shape me,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Rural students get hands-on heart science experience
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