Brock’s Gap Intermediate Girls Attend the State GEMS Expo

On Friday, March 4, 28 girls from Brock’s Gap Intermediate attended the State GEMS (Girls Engaged in Math and Science) Expo at the Birmingham Zoo. These girls were part of four teams composed of seven students each. The students were chosen to participate in GEMS from over 60 applicants. 

The GEMS State Expo was facilitated by the Alabama Learning Exchange. These groups had all previously attended the Hoover GEMS Expo in January. GEMS has proven to be a successful tool to encourage girls to become more interested in the areas of math and science. These students met once a week from September through February to develop a scientific experiment, participate in the learning associated with the experiment, and present the findings of their learning using both a traditional presentation as well as a technology component. 

 In addition, these girls learned about working in a cooperative group to solve a problem. These skills are crucial to developing lifelong learners–a goal of Hoover City Schools. The projects presented at the State Expo by the Brock’s Gap Intermediate GEMS were: “Zzz:  The Science of Sleep” presented by students of Miss Emily Waymire; “Girls on Fire:  The Science of Color” presented by the students of Mrs. Carrie Pomeroy; “Fabulous Foliage!  Why Leaves Change Color!” presented by students of Mrs. Sheryl Ponder; and “Create a Crystal” presented by students of Mrs. Terri Davis.

– Submitted by Carrie Pomeroy.