As part of the chemistry class, students participate in weekly labs where they use their skills to think critically and experiment with real-life materials.

While some students find igniting the gas lighter to heat up different elements exhilarating, senior John Dinsdale found it frightening and made sure to use his protective goggles and apron. Safety precautions are always taken on lab days.

“All experiments benefit students from a ‘scientific process’ basis,” teacher David McEntee, not pictured, said, “by posing a problem that is solved in a structured and thought-provoking manner.”

Through the exercises the class performed, Oct. 7, the chemistry students learned how to calculate mass ratios and further understand the law of definite composition.

“I liked this experiment because we got to see how magnesium reacts with heat and what changes occur. Lab days are my favorite because I enjoy hands-on learning,” Lindsay Bolduc, ’09, not pictured, said.

For more information of chemistry, visit Chemistry’s clay crucibles.