Education Notebook: G-Prep gets new science lab

Students at Gonzaga Prep will have a new science lab at the end of September thanks to a $220,240 grant from the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, which supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics education at the school.

The grant was awarded in July, and the funds made it possible to build the E.L. Wiegand Science Lab and purchase the instructional equipment for STEM courses to complement the college-prep science curriculum currently in place. The lab will replace the five existing science laboratory classrooms and give Prep the facilities to expand its science courses in STEM fields such as anatomy and physiology, a class that will be offered in the upcoming school year.

The grant will also fund science equipment such as gel electrophoresis and DNA fingerprinting equipment, which have been purchased for biology classes. Prep’s chemistry classes will have digital probes for students to conduct accurate and precise experiments, and additional laser, optics and related sensors have been purchased for the physics classes. A set of laptops for the classroom have been purchased.

The E.L. Wiegand Foundation supports education, health and medical research, civic and community affairs, arts and cultural affairs and public affairs.

Spokane teachers gather to learn

Spokane Public Schools teachers are spending this week as students at the Teaching and Learning Summer Institute to help them prepare for the upcoming school year.

Kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers have gathered to learn about and discuss common core state standards, standards-based grading and reporting and effective instructional strategies. The workshop includes courses such as Using Technology in the Elementary Music Classroom, An Introduction to the Art of Co-Teaching and Energy in Secondary Science.

Keynote speakers for the four-day event include Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger; Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Karin Short; state Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Jessica Vavrus; and Northeast Washington ESD 101 Superintendent Michael Dunn.