From left, River City Science Academy Innovation students  Y’hara Lawrence, Jeremiah Graham,  Lilly Leatherbarrow, and Bella Rose help make snow in an elementary class.

Seventh-grade student Jeremiah Graham thrives on the challenge of solving a math problem.

He enjoys turning numbers in his head and solving a mathematical problem backward by reversing each mathematical operation to get back to the beginning of the problem. That way, he says, he can understand the process much clearer.

Another student, Y’hara Lawrence, spoke fondly of the time her class made slime with Tide and glue.

Students also participated in an experiment in making snow. They constructed their own version of the Mayflower after learning how boats stay afloat when they are filled with cargo. Thye students took part in a competition this past November to gauge which ship could carry the most cargo.

River City Science Academy Innovation in Jacksonville is part of a growing network of schools that cater to students who delight in things like science experiments and robotics competitions.

The Innovation school was the fourth installment of River City Science Academy, a network of four charter schools that caters to students who thrive on lab experiments and robotics competitions. Its network includes the first high-performing charter school in Duval County. The Innovation school adds the arts to the schools’ characteristic emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math. (more…)