I’ve recently found myself in the company of nerds. And we’re not talking the Willy Wonka candies here.
Nope, we’re talking actual intelligence-style, human nerds.
You know the type. They go by various names: poindexter, geek, brainiac, four eyes, etc. In other words, smart kids. Just like I used to be. And kind of like I still am.
OK, fine, I’m not actually calling kids nerds. That’s a mean thing to do. But I am wanting to reference them in some way, because I think they deserve recognition.
I’m talking, of course, about the members of the Lego robotics teams at Barrhead Elementary School, Barrhead Composite High School and Westlock Elementary School.
And then there’s all the Grade 3-6 students at BES who recently put together science projects for the science fair March 9.
All of them need to be recognized for going out and learning and embracing science in a hands-on way. It’s not always easy to say you’re going to stay in and fiddle with Lego or learn about tooth decay when you’re not even into your teens yet. Darn that infernal peer pressure.
However, I would have to say that people who don’t think Lego is cool needs to have their heads examined. Lego is awesome. So maybe that was a bad example.
But seriously, how cool is the Lego today? And the ability to hook it up to a computer to program it to perform certain tasks? And then to compete with other robots at those tasks? I never had a chance to do that kind of thing when I was in elementary school. Things sure have changed since the 1990s.
As for the science fair, having the opportunity and honour to judge projects was both fun and challenging. It was fun because I got to see some rather ingenious projects, or at least ones that I would not have minded doing myself.
Like the old Diet Coke and Mentos explosion. Who would have known that while Diet Coke lets loose a massive jet of bubbles, it’s ginger ale that is the second-most reactive (of the tested soft drinks)? The next logical step would be to try Diet Pepsi. Is there something in the diet-ness of Diet Coke that causes the reaction? Only one way to find out.
Of course, being an elementary school science fair, there were some less-than-stellar projects. I’m sorry, but I have to call a spade a spade here — some projects weren’t at the same level as others. And that’s OK. It’s all about the pursuit of learning.
And anyone who denigrates learning is someone I don’t want to associate with, and is someone unfit to interact with kids.
Oh, who am I kidding?
Nerds!
