Business foundation helps Lynn schools institute new programs

LYNN – Three Lynn schools will be featuring new programs for students in the final weeks of the school year thanks to the Lynn Business Education Foundation’s school partnership program.Selected from proposals sent in by over 20 schools, Breed Middle School, Lynn Woods Elementary School and the Ford K-8 School were awarded $2,500 each from the LBEF this month to put toward three separate programs that highlight science and student health.At Lynn Woods, teachers have used the money to institute a student wellness program, providing an exercise program for students at the start of each day.Along with providing information on health and wellness that has long been missing from the curriculum in the era of MCAS testing and budget cuts, the school is also planning to look at data of classroom scores and performance to see if exercising in the morning will help students focus later in the day.The school also hopes that by emphasizing the importance of exercise at an early age that students can develop healthy habits to carry with them later in life.At Breed Middle School, math and science leaders will lead a technology and engineering program utilizing “Amazon Mission,” a replacement science and technology unit developed by Tufts University.The 8-week program will target 15-20 “advanced and motivated” students who will learn new areas of math and science with an engineering background. The unit will also feature field trips to local water treatment plants, such as the Lynn Water and Sewer Department.Finally, the Ford School is taking a different approach with its new program, utilizing five extra days that will be tacked on to the end of the year because of weather cancellations to hold a week-long science celebration.The NASA Explorer School will undertake a variety of fun and interactive science experiences for students, partnering with the New England Aquarium to study marine biology.Aquarium staff will present hands-on traveling exhibits that will allow children to observe, touch and learn about marine animals and their habitats.Programs are built on solid scientific materials presented in a fun, interactive way to “foster an interest in aquatic life and build environmental awareness.”The week will kick off with a Whale Day exhibit, featuring bones and teeth from real whales and a 40-foot long inflatable right whale, which the school hopes to squeeze into its gymnasium.Other student activities will include a study of tide pools for first graders and a look at the myths and legend of sharks for students in the third grade.The Lynn Woods and Breed programs are underway this month and the Ford science week will take place at the end of June.