Breed families pack it in for first ever math and science night

LYNN – Astronomy, physics and momentum were just a few of the topics on display at the first ever Breed Middle School Math and Science night Wednesday as several hundred students and their families packed the school cafeteria to participate in the educational showcase.The event, organized by Breed faculty, was designed as a way for students and their families to come together by getting involved in academics and have a good time in the process.”It is for families and kids to participate in this together,” said Science Chair Cindy Quaratiello. “It shows that math and science are something they can do together for fun, and it isn’t just something that was boring.”Math and science teachers teamed up to establish six demonstration tables where students and their families could participate in activities and earn stamps toward a free homework pass in one of their classes. Each station featured a different scientific demonstration, including studying reaction time, optical illusions, pentominoes, momentum, heart rate and graph pictures.The event also included a presentation from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, along with accompanying telescopes so families could look at the sky and apply the lessons they learned in the presentation.”Anything they can do to get kids off the streets and not hanging around playing video games is great,” said parent Ken Donahue, who was there with his son Hogan, a seventh grader at the school. “It is something that creates a bond between the parents, students and teachers. It is great for the teachers and everyone involved to get this started.”While many students were working hard to achieve their free homework pass in the cafeteria, amateur astronomer James Foy was giving a detailed presentation on the night sky across the hall in the auditorium.He explained the intricate geographical details of the moon and the physical science that causes the universe to behave the way that it does. Parents and students who chose to brave the cold and view the stars through telescopes set up on the school’s baseball field were lucky enough to locate the Holmes 17P comet, which was visible shooting through the galaxy next to the Orion Nebula Wednesday night.”You can find your way through the sky through constellations,” explained Foy. “Five million years from now the stars you see now will have burned into a cloud of dust to make new stars. It is a cycle, where stars are made and then they enter the black hole, where they are chewed up and destroyed.”Along with the special demonstration tables and telescopes, the school held a book fair and raffle for students and parents, offering gift cards and Red Sox gear to the winning families.Red Sox Mascot Wally the Green Monster even made an appearance, signing autographs and taking pictures with the kids.”We weren’t sure how many families to expect because this is the first year that we have done this,” said Quaratiello. “But we are keeping track as parents sign in, it looks like a successful night.”While many students cited the homework passes as their primary motivation for attending the event, some were happy to have their parents there supporting their education and taking an interest in the things they learn in school.”It is good (to have the parents attend the event). I am pretty interested in science, I got an ‘A’ in the class last year,” said Hogan Donahue.