Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy’s Skywatchers were on a mission to educate the community about protecting the earth and the environment from harmful greenhouse gases at the 3rd annual KTSM Weather Fest Sept. 30 at The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso.
The team of student scientists used baking soda and vinegar to produce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in two sealed glass tanks. One tank featured a green landscape with grass, trees, and plastic miniature animals. The other tank included toy cars and factory buildings to simulate the burning of fossil fuels.
“We’re going to see which one is hotter because of the carbon dioxide we put into it,” said fifth-grader Gael Acosta.
According to the team, the more carbon dioxide produced, the hotter the environment will become, which can increase the risk of wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts.
“We are teaching the people that walk by how we can slow down the greenhouse effect, what it is, and what are the effects,” Acosta said. “Because people need to know what’s going to happen if we continue this lifestyle. I’m excited to be here today because I get to inform others, and they can probably make a change in their life.”
The Skywatchers’ project made a positive impact on Weather Fest judges. The school was named the best in the elementary school category in the Socorro Independent School District. SSG Manuel R. Puentes Middle School and Socorro High School captured best honors in the district’s middle and high school divisions.
Nine SISD campuses participated in this year’s event. Among them were Escontrias STEAM Academy, Sierra Vista STEAM Academy, Socorro and Col. John O. Ensor middle schools, and Americas and Eastlake high schools.
SISD students competed against three other school districts in the yearly weather and atmospheric science fair. Projects investigated climate change, weather patterns and natural disasters.
Puentes Middle School students made it snow in the El Paso desert. The Sierra Vista team used a homemade hygrometer to measure humidity on human hair. Escontrias DroneStarz’s flew drones to predict weather patterns. The Socorro High School Bulldogs raised awareness about the dangers of UV radiation. They invited the public to make ultraviolet light-detecting bracelets and keychains out of UV-sensitive beads that changed color when exposed to UV rays from the sun.
SISD Instructional Officer Monica Velarde said Weather Fest allowed SISD students the opportunity to showcase what they were doing in the classroom out in the community. The projects not only had the potential to help the community, but they also motivated students to think about future careers and Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways offered in the district’s high schools, she said.
“What I really like about all the experiments that the kids did is that they collaborated, and they talked about how they liked to work with their team,” Velarde said. "That's the 21st-century skills they will need with these emergent jobs, like AI. The students will be well prepared for those jobs, so Weather Fest really brings out their full potential."
Eastlake High School’s Electric Falcons were ready to take the competition by storm with their research on the effects of lightning on global warming. Their goal was to educate people about staying safe during thunderstorms.
“Some people see lightning and they're like, ‘Oh, it's just in the distance. It's fine.’ But lightning is often closer than you expect so it's important to stay safe,” said 12th-grader Tomi Parham.
Parham said working on the project boosted her decision to study biomedical or geological sciences in college. “I find it really interesting the way that weather has such a big role,” Parham said. “It has a lot of effects that not a lot of people are aware about.”