Students Learn Science Can be Fun (and Tasty) During 'Willy Wonka' Nights Held at Lawrence High School

Willy Wonka Science Nights were a sweet success last week.

In Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and the two films based on the popular book, there were only five “Golden Tickets” available for children to get to tour Willy Wonka's candy factory.

Luckily, there were a few more tickets available for the science nights held Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at LHS.

In fact, over 200 elementary school and middle school students – and their parents – attended and enjoyed a magical tour through seven rooms where they were taught about food science and got to sample tasty treats including s’mores, smoothies, caramel, fudge, ice cream, popcorn and soda.

Willy Wonka himself was on hand to entertain and amuse. In the one room, “Oompa Loompas” sang songs while sugar was transformed into caramel. There was even a chocolate waterfall reminiscent of the one in the 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” film starring Gene Wilder.

The two nights, sponsored by the Chemistry Club within the high school’s Science and Technology Career Academy, were intended to both inform and entertain attendees.

More than 80 high school students guided the younger children through the rooms to learn the answers to questions like:

• “Why does popcorn pop?”
• “Why do marshmallows grow when they get warm?”
• “Why is exercise good for you?”
• “Why is soda bad for you?”

As they created their own smoothies, students learned that food can be both good for you and taste good.

In one room, where they got to play games like Wii Sports, students learned that you can have fun and exercise, too.

“Exercise is important for your brain function. Every part of your body has metabolism and uses this energy through your brain,” the students were told.

While the event was sponsored by the Chemistry Club, several other school groups participated. Drama Club members dressed up as Oompa Loompas, while the Art Club “Wonkified” the science wing of the school with posters. Transition students served hot chocolate and tea and folded passports.

Chemistry teacher Matthew Davis ran the event, with the assistance of fellow chemistry teachers Breanna Bever, Erin Chiaravalloti and Jennifer Gwenn Andahazy, art teacher Sean Carney and transitions teacher Stacey Zegas,

Prior to the event, Dr. Alicia Orta-Ramirez of Cornell University's food science department helped the high students with the technical aspects. Orta-Ramirez, who attended the event, is LHS’s official scientist-in-residence.

Orta-Ramirez said she was “very impressed with how professional the students are, given that they are so young.” She emphasized her contribution was very small, and that Davis should get most of the credit for the success of the program.

“It is great for the little kids to learn science in a fun way,” Orta-Ramirez said. “The older kids learned practical skills – the responsibility for running experiments, public speaking, and many skills beyond the science of the event.”

Orta-Ramirez was pleased with the quality of what she saw at the Willy Wonka Science Nights. She equated it to what her college students are doing in her classrooms in the sense that she is “giving students a real problem to solve and they have come up with a way to solve it.”

She said LHS students ran ideas for the program past her through phone conferences, email and a special Facebook group.

“It is a real nice opportunity for the young kids not only to have tasty treats, but also to learn the principles of science,” LHS Upper School Principal Jon Dauber said.

Dauber said his favorite room was the ice cream room – at least it was until he tasted the smoothies!

At both the beginning and the end of the event, parents and students were asked to fill out a survey about their knowledge of food science.

“If we learn anything useful maybe we will write a journal article in an appropriate scholarly journal,” Davis said of his collaboration with Orta-Ramirez.

The Willy Wonka event continued the success of the Harry Potter Science Night held in 2010. Plans are already in the works for a 2012 science night that will be just as fun and educational.