Students enjoy a STEM classic while studying chemical changes
![students in ms. quackenbush's class experiment with chemical reactions]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1738345281/chesterufsdorg/auevqcqyddhnaygiua3r/Quackenbush2.jpg","width":2048}])
Chester elementary loves STEM, and you can find our young scientists exploring, recording and reporting their findings in our classrooms and on our grounds. In January, students in Rebecca Quackenbush's class were studying physical and chemical changes.
Collaborating in small groups, they conducted experiments to identify unknown substances using observation and critical thinking. They noted how substances reacted to certain liquids.
Some of their findings included:
- Corn starch changes color when mixed with iodine.
- Cream of tartar will not react with water, vinegar or iodine, and...
- Baking soda will react with vinegar to produce a gas!
Even as part of today's innovative and technology-rich STEM curricula, classics like the baking soda/vinegar volcano will always keep students engaged and... erupting... with excitement about learning.
Raise your hand if you remembering making a volcano like this when you were in school!
![a class of chester students greet their Ukrainian counterparts over a Zoom call]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1766077536/chesterufsdorg/ixdkhhpbhfeyhzrd7rtj/IMG_9410.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1766077536/chesterufsdorg/ixdkhhpbhfeyhzrd7rtj/IMG_9410.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1766077536/chesterufsdorg/ixdkhhpbhfeyhzrd7rtj/IMG_9410.jpg","width":640}])
![a teacher in a top hat leads a parade of young students carrying their balloon creations]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1764008484/chesterufsdorg/p2qekl6lmfncbj7cm9s9/MsRendeLeadsBalloonParadeNovember2025.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1764008484/chesterufsdorg/p2qekl6lmfncbj7cm9s9/MsRendeLeadsBalloonParadeNovember2025.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1764008484/chesterufsdorg/p2qekl6lmfncbj7cm9s9/MsRendeLeadsBalloonParadeNovember2025.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1764008484/chesterufsdorg/p2qekl6lmfncbj7cm9s9/MsRendeLeadsBalloonParadeNovember2025.jpg","width":813}])
On Friday morning, second- and fifth-grade students at Chester Elementary School delighted their classmates by staging the annual Chester Elementary School Balloon Parade, a CES tradition inspired by another beloved seasonal tradition: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
![person in a horse mascot suit is surrounded by happy young students]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1758041956/chesterufsdorg/ghvyesm1uizo5fvm60e6/CESPBIS91225_9_1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1758041956/chesterufsdorg/ghvyesm1uizo5fvm60e6/CESPBIS91225_9_1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1758041956/chesterufsdorg/ghvyesm1uizo5fvm60e6/CESPBIS91225_9_1.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1758041956/chesterufsdorg/ghvyesm1uizo5fvm60e6/CESPBIS91225_9_1.png","width":946}])
Chester Elementary School students in pre-K and Kindergarten headed to the CES Makerspace last Friday for the annual PBIS Kickoff assembly.
![Chester third graders Zoom with third graders in Ukraine]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1740162348/chesterufsdorg/kfwolrsbyirtm4zsg352/IMG_6063.jpg","width":2200}])
Students in Lori Bonito’s class had a Zoom with fellow third graders from Ukraine. The activity was designed to introduce students here to their peers from across the world and learn more about their culture...
Chester elementary loves STEM, and you can find our young scientists exploring, recording and reporting their findings in our classrooms and on our grounds.