THE West End Primary School staged its first "Science Exhibition" at the school this week ? and it went with a bang.

Organiser Lori Robinson said its reception, by distinguished visitors and parents, had exceeded all of her expectations.

This inaugural effort was many weeks in the planning, and Mrs. Robinson was pleased to report a turn-out which matched the effort and enthusiasm of the children. Wednesday and Thursday were longer days at school than usual, because the staff were keen to let every parent or visitor have the chance to inspect the wide variety of projects set out by the children in the Assembly Hall.

"The exhibition was open from 9 a.m to 6.30 p.m. on both days, because I wanted to give parents the opportunity to get here after work," explained Mrs. Robinson.

She was pleased that teachers and some 50 students from Sandys Secondary came to enjoy the exhibition on Thursday morning, and distinguished visitors included Minister of Education Terry Lister, Mrs. Joan Blades, Science Education officer, and Mrs. Leona Scott, Social Studies Education officer.

Mrs. Blades was impressed by the work of everyone involved, and saw the quality of the projects as proof of the special effort made by the children.

"It was a wonderful exhibition of the work that is being done in science. It reflected the science curriculum, and showed the full range of learning in the classroom. In the upper level, at P-6, they explored scientific methods by choosing, researching, and presenting their own projects. I was very pleased with the effort, as was Mrs. Robinson, the science co-ordinator, and the students seemed particularly engaged."

"It was very hands-on," added Mrs.Scott. "Many of the exhibits were Bermuda-oriented, and certainly showed that the students are meeting the objectives of the science curriculum."

Mrs. Robinson, a graduate of Berkeley Institute, is the Science / Social Studies Co-Ordinator at West End Primary, and the P-6 teacher, and it was her idea to develop a project which would involve the whole school.

"Each class was responsible for coming up with a topic or topics. At the P-6 level, the children developed their own ideas and came up with the information, and of course, we helped them put it together. The lower school classes, being younger, worked on their projects in class with their teachers. The youngest kids, P-1 through P-3, presented a single project for their whole class.

"This is the first time we have had a Science Exhibition, as far as I know, at West End Primary. Exhibiting the kids' projects and experiments is just another way of displaying problem-solving, and getting them to think analytically and conceptually."

Robinson was pleased by the effort and ingenuity shown by the children, and believed that the visitors were impressed by the range of projects displayed.

"One class did a composting project, and another focused on electricity. There were a number of volcano projects, and one which dealt with the solar system. A few used plants in their projects. It was just a question of what interested them.

"Some of the children who had not been taught about volcanoes used them for their projects, because that's what interested them. One class in the lower school did a class project on volcanoes, and three of the children in my P-6 class also used volcanoes in their projects. They would have learned about volcanoes, they're not too young. They are aware that Bermuda does sit on top of the remnants of an old volcano."

Lori Robinson has been an educator at West End Primary for ten years. She taught P-3 for four years, P-5 for one year, and she has been teaching P-6 for five years.

Before she started her career in the public system, she earned a nursery school certificate from Bermuda College before going to Kean University in New Jersey, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education and psychology. During her teaching career, she earned a master's in curriculum and administration from Miami University.

Mrs. Robinson managed the exhibition, as it came under her responsibility as science co-ordinator.

"Letters were sent to the parents explaining the nature of the project and inviting them to come and see the results. The scientific process was laid out for the teachers, so they knew the steps to follow: procedure, hypothesis, conclusion.

"They laid out the materials, pictures, and the books, and highlighted any extra work the kids did. The teachers were given the information, and I guided them and helped where I was needed. They really did a good job. They helped the kids produce some really good work."

To help swell the number of visitors, flyers were sent to other schools and to neighbouring businesses. Mrs. Robinson reported that many of the businesses have been supportive in past years, and have contributed advertising to the school yearbook.

All of the teaching staff were involved in the project. The judging of the projects was completed on Wednesday, and the results will be announced at assembly today.

"All of the children were able to attend the exhibition on Wednesday afternoon, and Thurday was really open house for the public," said Mrs. Robinson. "On Friday, we are going to have the Dolphin Quest's Robyn Bungay, who is going to come to speak to the children at assembly, give a talk about what she does, and what she did to become a specialist in that field. She will also help with the presentation of the medals and prizes."

her part, Ms Bungay is honoured to have been asked to talk to the children at West End Primary, and the 27-year-old American senior education specialist at Dolphin Quest will be giving some specific and some general advice to her young audience.

"There is a big push for maths and science literacy in the schools. A lot of students don't realise that there are so many different options for them, and I will simply encourage the kids to work hard at their studies in all disciplines ? maths, science, reading, writing ? because they are all very useful.

"You have to be well versed in every area of education in order to be a successful scientist. I want to tell the kids that there are so many different opportunities out there for them, and that they need to get not only a good education but also lots of experience.

"They can start volunteering at a young age, plan to work as an intern, or get a summer job that will help them advance their knowledge and interest in a field they will enjoy."

Ms Bungay, who has been in Bermuda for 18 months, loves the island and wants to stay as long as she can. She is being asked to talk to schools more frequently, as people realise that Dolphin Quest has some unique opportunities to offer children and people who are interested in marine biology and psychology.

"We are just another resource on the island that can attract students and encourage them to pursue the marine sciences. The West End Primary children are some of my favourites, because I see many of the students here when they come here on field trips."

Mrs. Robinson was excited about the prospect of encouraging the children to expand their knowledge of all the sciences, and looked forward to the next challenge.

"It was our first Science Exhibition but I am sure it will not be our last."