Page 12 - CH Spring17 Flipbook

STUDENT LIFE
12
L to R: Braden Milford, Erika Ravitch, and Minna Apostolova founded
the OSASS (Oklahoma Students Advocating for Statewide Science). They spoke to the students and teachers at the Regional Science Fair and conducted a radio interview about their cause. They were also interviewed by Channel 2 in Tulsa. See interview at: http://www.kjrh. com/news/local-news/ cascia-hall-students- spearheading-effort-to- save-state-science-fair
Cascia Students Advocate
Oklahoma ranks 47 out of the 50 states in per- student spending, according to recent coverage by PBS “NewsHour.” While the budget de cit remains unful lled, Oklahoma’s education system
- its students, its teachers, and its programs - suffer the consequences.
In fact, in the past nine years, Oklahoma boasts the largest drop in spending per student in the nation, and another year of budget cuts in the public school system means the eradication of extracurricular activities. Fortunately, Cascia Hall has largely gone unaffected as a non-pro t educational institution. But now, the budget cuts have uprooted Oklahoma’s State Science and Engineering Fair, and no fair is on the agenda for next year.This would mean that Oklahoma would be the only state in the nation not to host a statewide science and engineering fair and that Cascia Hall’s students lose a crucial aspect of their holistic education.
According to a recent study conducted by The American Institute of Physics, Oklahoma ranks among the lowest eight states in science education alongsideWestVirginia and Mississippi.Without a statewide science competition, Oklahomans can expect our ranking to continue to drop.
Yet, Cascia Hall students refuse to see this happen.
Minna Apostolova ’17, Erika Ravitch ’17, and Braden Milford ’19 have made it their mission to save the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair by spearheading a student-created and student-led coalition, the Oklahoma Students Advocating for Statewide Science (OSASS).The
science and engineering fair requires approximately $75,000 in funding per year, and that is exactly what these three students aim to provide. In order for the fair to remain on the 2017-2018 school year agenda, Apostolova, Ravitch, and Milford are currently seeking funding sources.
Their journey in the sciences began with Cascia Hall’s Science Research Team, faculty-sponsored by Ms. Sally Fenska.With over 30 years of experience in independent student research and state and regional science fairs, Fenska became a powerful in uence and a fervent proponent of science education, and the environment she has fostered at Cascia Hall has encouraged its students to push the boundaries of science research.“Our students are willing to explore questions and subject areas in which a simple answer is dif cult to predict,” commented Fenska. “Teachers and students work together to encourage each other to take chances, which is unique when compared to many other secondary educational institutions. Many of the Science Research Team members step away from their work to help their peers develop ideas and conduct steps when assistance is needed. At times, I have seen students push their teammates to develop stronger ideas, much like I would expect professional scienti c peers to push each other. What they are learning through the research process is way beyond the textbook,” and that goes a long way in developing intellectually curious students who are willing to take appropriate risks that will further their educational and professional experiences.
In fact, Fenska chuckles when she comments,“I can truly
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