ST SEBASTIAN’S

The Marine Science Club is dedicated to exposing the students of
St. Sebastian’s to the marine world. The club is student led and
follows the interests and passion of its members. Most of the
scheduled events are aimed at getting the students off of school
grounds and interacting with the marine environment or experts
who do research in the field. Club members visit the renowned
aquariums, museum, and oceanographic institutes in our area, in
addition to climbing aboard local fishing boats for a day on the
water. Motivated students in the past have also organized and
carried out a day of ice fishing. As with the other clubs in the science
program, the main goal of the club is to provide an opportunity for
students with a passion for science, particularly marine science, to
further experience and explore the discipline.
Looking Ahead
To expedite and enhance the continued growth of the science
curriculum and extracurricular opportunities offered within the
science field, the School plans to construct a new science facility.
The completed project will significantly increase classroom space,
translating into a net gain of 12 classrooms. Eight new science
classrooms will be constructed in the new building, and the
current five science labs will be converted into multipurpose
rooms. Across the entire curriculum, academic departments will
benefit by the increase in overall classroom space.
The new space will provide each fulltime science teacher with
his/her own classroom. Rooms will feature state of the art
technology and will be of proper size, according to the
recommendations of national standards. Each lab space will have
dedicated storage areas, and there will be plenty of space for all
current and new science-based clubs and teams to meet, plan, and
design their projects.
Having the new classroom space will advance our science
program to exciting new levels. I’m thrilled to think about the
opportunities this project will create.
In Summary
At the most fundamental level, the St. Sebastian’s Science Program
develops in our students a competence and confidence that enables
them to succeed in any first year university science, premed, or
engineering course. At a deeper level, students with a passion for
and ability in the sciences are given unique experiences and
opportunities, the results of which allow them to go forth from St.
Sebastian’s and thrive in their undergraduate and graduate science
programs.
Recent college matriculation indicates that more students than
ever before are pursuing a study in the sciences upon graduating St.
Sebastian’s. This trend needs to continue. Combined with the
School’s writing and speaking programs and, most importantly, the
moral compass that has been fostered in each young man, St.
Sebastian’s graduates have a unique set of qualifications to provide
future leadership in the worlds of science, engineering, and
technology. ■
Mousetrap Car Project
The mousetrap car project strikes fear into the heart of
most every student (and parent) that has ever heard of
it. Begun in 1994 upon my arrival to St. Sebastian’s, the
project was introduced to the physics curriculum as a
way of exposing students to the fundamental nature of
the scientific and engineering process. It was, and still
is, my belief that too few students were entering the
fields of science, particularly engineering. The reason
for this, in my opinion, is that they simply have not experienced
it before heading off to college, a theory
which seems to be supported by research done at Tufts
College of Engineering.
The project is relatively straightforward – using only the
power provided by a single mousetrap, design a vehicle
that will travel four meters and stop as close as possible
to the four meter mark. Half of the students in the class
have to cover the four meters as quickly as possible and
the other half as slowly as possible.
Required of all physics students, the project is often
cited by students as a turning point in their science career
– either because they realize they love the challenge
or because they realize they don’t! Either
conclusion is a valuable result.
At the end of the school year, students evaluate the
physics courses. In response to their “least favorite part
of the course,” most students cite the mousetrap car
project. In response to their “most favorite part of the
course,” most students cite the mousetrap car project. I
laugh when I read these comments because they are a
reflection of my feelings when I did the same project in
my own high school physics course! The most rewarding
endeavors are often the most challenging – and, for
many students, this project manages to demonstrate
that truth.
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