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FHS classes explore hands-on learning

Senior Chelsie Stout and juniors Andi Ulrich and Julie Dachs created "Coloracious Skin Drops." The skin color-changing candy, in their children's literature class.

    Looking back into the past can sometimes be a tricky task, but for seniors Jon Fetter-Vorm and Mark Ruby, looking back into the past was as easy as setting foot inside of their own philosophy class room.

   Seniors Jon Fetter-Vorm and Mark Ruby recently got the chance to re-enact the Trial of Socrates. For a week, Sue Brown's philosophy class studied Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.

   "I find that philosophy challenges us to think in new and different ways," said Fetter-Vorm.

   Fetter-Vorm played the role of Socrates, and Ruby played the role of Meletus. They arranged the desks into a courtroom setting (with the "stand" in the middle, and the class on all of the sides) and stopped at opportune times throughout the trial to explain what was going on.

   "It was an appropriate way to help to see Socrates ideas as well as the whole issue of his having been put to death," said Brown, "and it generated a good deal of discussion."

   What did they learn from it? Fetter-Vorm says, in the words of Socrates: "A wise man knows that he doesn't know anything at all," while Ruby picked up on the fact that you should "always examine the staples of society."

   Elsewhere in FHS classes, Shannon O'Donnell's children's literature classes invented candy as part of their Harry Potter unit.

   "We're reading Harry Potter. We watched Willy Wonka and talked about it," says O'Donnell. "(The kids) are now inventing candy."

   The students have to think of a name for their candy, make a 3-D representation, and write a paragraph or two about their candy such as what's special and unique about it.

   Senior Jordan Jones and junior Tiffany Wagner invented the future-foreseeing "Zodiac Attack," a multi-colored rectangular shape "lolly pop." When the consumer sucks on it, the shape and color will change three different times. With each change of shape and color, the consumer will have a vision flash foretelling an event that will happen in the next three months.

   "It was difficult to create a candy for witches and wizards," says Wagner. "It was a fun project but it took a lot of thinking and looking through books for ideas."

   Sophomore Sara Waatti and junior Krista Leukuma invented "Rock Chalk," a color-changing chalk that changes to the teacher's mood. For example if the teacher is feeling particularly sassy that day, as he or she writes, the chalk will turn a shade of flamingo pink once used on the board.

   "It was fun to use our imagination," said sophomore Sara Waatti, "and to be artistic with the project."

   Senior Chelsie Stout and juniors Andi Ulrich and Julie Dachs invented the skin-changing candy "Coloracious Skin Drops." As a person sucks on the skin drop, his or her skin changes colors and will remain that color of skin until the drop is finished. If they brush their teeth after eating the drop, they will remain with that color of skin for the next 24 hours.

   "It was hard to think of something magical," says Dachs. "But it was fun to be creative with the project."