🧪🔬 Buncombe County Schools Virtual Academy (BCSVA) students have many opportunities throughout the school year to meet up in person and learn together with hands-on lessons.
On Nov. 21, fifth and sixth grade students gathered for a Chemical Reactions Café, where they moved through six stimulating stations designed to grow their knowledge of physical and chemical changes. They mixed vinegar and baking soda (chemical change), molded Play-Doh (physical change), compared regular and rusty steel wool (chemical change), popped bubble wrap (physical change), and more. The most interesting station combined both types of reactions. The students mixed cream of tartar with baking soda (physical change), but when they added water, the mixture fizzed and caused the temperature to drop slightly (endothermic chemical change).
“These in person experiments let them explore with their senses and form new bonds with their classmates,” said science teacher Abby Feenstra. “There are lots of ‘aha’ moments going on here today.”
Virtual Academy serves K-12 students throughout Buncombe County. The school works with current BCS families, homeschool families, private school families, and anyone who wishes to create a flexible, personalized learning plan outside a typical in-person environment. BCSVA provides a full selection of core courses and a broad selection of electives for grades 6-12, as well as college credit courses for a variety of college transfer and career pathways. BCSVA students may be eligible to participate in high school athletics and fine arts programs like band and theater.