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Former students share memories of the Ontario Science Centre’s school
Global News
From DNA extraction to space shuttle simulations to a field trip to a nuclear reactor, former students of the school operated out of the Ontario Science Centre are reminiscing.
From DNA extraction to space shuttle simulations to a field trip to a nuclear reactor, former students of the school operated out of the Ontario Science Centre are reminiscing about their formative experience, following word of the centre’s abrupt closure.
The science centre did not respond to questions about whether its science school would continue, but with the province searching for a temporary home that wouldn’t open until 2026 ahead of a new facility at Ontario Place set to open in 2028, the school’s future seems at best uncertain.
The school allowed up to 36 Grade 12 students at a time to spend one semester learning at the science centre, taking some of their high school science courses such as biology and chemistry there, as well as an innovation course that saw them present projects and explain exhibits to science centre visitors.
Former students say if the school doesn’t continue it would be a huge loss for others who may not get the same opportunities they had at the school that opened up a world of potential.
Melissa Croft attended the science school in 2018 and is now finishing her master’s degree in science communication, a pursuit she directly ties to her experience at the school.
“In high school I was already interested in science, but I imagined myself going more into academia, like maybe being a professor or going into research,” she said.
“At science school…I really enjoyed interacting with people, teaching them about science, getting them excited. So after that, I continued to go with science, like I really do like science, but it was a different pathway in science that I didn’t really know existed.”
One of the projects Croft did in the innovation course was to create a science story book and read it to elementary students at a nearby school. Samantha Macklin, who was also at the school in 2018, developed an exhibit on the science of magic and illusions and got to demonstrate it for visitors for her innovation course. She recalls with fondness when her class successfully completed a space shuttle simulation.