Now that the first semester is over, we asked our science teacher Mrs. Fiest about her opinion on the new phone policy, she replied, “I approve of the policy. It has been nice to see the conversations going on between students instead of students focused on their phones.”
We also asked her about her challenges in the first semester, she said, “Getting into a schedule is always a challenge for the first semester. Students and teachers are learning routines and expectations for their new classes.” Mrs. Fiest said that she had no unexpected changes during the first semester.
We asked her what topics she covered in the first semester, she replied:
8th- Natural Selections and Adaptations, Earth's time scale, Evidence of Evolution, Forces and Motion, Mechanical Energy, Earth Science- Earth Systems, Maps and Topography, Earth Chemistry, Minerals, Rock Cycle, Weathering and Deposition, and Earth Resources
Biology- Chemistry of Life, Cell organelles, Active and Passive Transport, Osmosis, Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration.
Chemistry- Dimensional Analysis, Atomic Structure, Electron Configuration, Periodic trends, Bonding, Name and Formula Writing
Forensic Science- Deductive Reasoning, Evidence and Evidence Collection, Chain of Custody, Eye Witness Testimonies, Crime Scene to Courtroom, History of Forensics, Searching and photographing the crime scene.
Mrs. Fiest is looking forward to taking the Freshman students to Strataca Salt mines in Hutchinson, KS. It's a favorite field trip of hers. She hopes the students enjoy it.
We also asked Mrs. Fiest what topics she would cover in the second semester, she replied:
“8th- Introduction to Waves, Sun-Moon-Earth, Solar System, Light, Information Technologies, and Earth and Human Activities
Earth Science- Geologic Time Scale, Plate Tectonics, Natural Disasters, Earth Atmosphere, Solar system, Oceans Biology- Cell Division, Classic and Molecular Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution
Chemistry- The Mole, Chemical Reactions, States of Matter, Stoichiometry, Thermochemistry, Acid, Base, Solutions, and Nuclear Chemistry
Forensic Science- Hair, DNA, Blood, Arsen, Ballistics, Blood evidence, Fibers, Entomology, Forensic Anthropology, Toxicology and Autopsy.
Finally, we asked Mrs. Fiest if the second semester was usually harder than the first, she said, “Each semester has its own challenges. I do feel more of a time crunch in the 2nd semester with an increase of school activities, state testing, and the end of the school year on the horizon. Sometimes it does not seem possible to get to all of the lessons I would like to leave my students with before the school year ends.”
Thank you, Mrs. Fiest for talking to us!