Let’s Experiment

Science is always the solution for Gage Fowlkes ’22. And the bond he has created with Kennedy Packer ’23 cannot be broken now as they launch a Chemistry Club in the Mason Middle School for students in grades 7-8 under the supervision of Mark Lichaj, Upper School Chemistry Teacher, and Jamie Ringgenberg, Middle School Science Teacher. Fowlkes and Packer recently shared chemistry experiments with students in Middle School announcements. View the video on Facebook.

Fowlkes approached Ringgenberg last year with the idea of creating a Chemistry Club for Middle School students after a research team opportunity at TCU fell apart as a result of the pandemic. “I wasn’t going to let that prevent me from doing something cool with chemistry, and Mrs. Ringgenberg was incredibly supportive of the idea to run a club like this,” he said. When Ringgenberg suggested that Fowlkes solicit some help from another student, he immediately thought of Packer because of their shared interest in chemistry.

Initially, Fowlkes and Packer wanted to be a part of the Awesomeness Initiative program. With the world still entrenched in COVID-19 protocols and safety measures, those classes are being shifted to the spring. Fowlkes decided to move ahead with a club vs. a class. “Once AI returns in the spring, we hope to join their ranks and continue the fun,” he said. “We really feel like this club is the epitome of AI.”

Ringgenberg was bowled over by Fowlkes’ enthusiasm. “Gage is super enthusiastic about the club, which is great. This can work because Mr. Lichaj provides the expertise to safety-check demonstrations and help fine-tune Gage’s big picture plans,” she said. “It’s also cool that Gage brought Kennedy on board. Maybe she can keep this club going even after Gage graduates. What a legacy.” 

Gage works in Lichaj’s lab during his free periods and after school to prepare and test out demonstrations. “It is inspiring to see one of my students willing to spend so much time to get younger students excited and interested in chemistry,” he said. 

Fowlkes “got into chemistry” in sixth grade after reading The Elements by Theodore Gray. “That book provided exposure to the fun and exciting side of the subject, which led to a much bigger world of discovery and occasional fiery explosions that I hope to carry on to a career in synthetic chemistry,” he shared. “I wanted to start the club in the Middle School because it’s really the first time some people start seriously putting time and effort into the things they care about. I want that thing to be chemistry for more people.”

For Packer, the draw to be part of the club has been her partner in crime. “Gage is the brains behind the club. He reached out to me at the end of summer and said he had a ‘cool opportunity,’” she said. “It did not take much convincing for me to be on board. 

I have a sister in Middle School, so I already know many of the students,” Packer continued. “Getting to teach them about a subject as fascinating as chemistry is an opportunity I could not pass up. I was not really exposed to chemistry until 10th grade, and I’ve been enamored with it ever since. I wish I had been exposed to it sooner. I hope to spark a fascination in the students through the experiments and work we do.” 

The experiments will be endless if both Fowlkes and Packer have their way. “I could talk about the activities for hours, but in short, we will be sampling different demonstrations across the disciplines within chemistry,” Fowlkes said. “This will include forensic, analytic, organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as photo and electrochemistry and the chemistry of fluorescence, fire, paint and more. We’re going to be setting fires, watching chemicals set fires, changing colors, growing metals, making smells, and I could go on. The club will have a blend of hands-on activities that keep the middle schooler safety variable in mind, and leader-led demonstrations that will feature more intricate activities, such as thermite reactions or electroplating metals.”

Fowlkes is sourcing the demonstrations from personal experience in his home lab and from chemical demonstration textbooks, under the supervision of Lichaj and Ringgenberg, of course. 

“I’m so grateful to Kennedy and her help, diligence and energy as we get the club off the ground,” Fowlkes continued. “She has made budgets, assembled heaps of glassware, picked up supplies, helped brainstorm, and given up some serious time in her junior year to get this club going.” 

The ultimate goal of the club: exposure to reactions and demonstrations that they would not even know or hear about in high school! “These activities are fascinating on every level of understanding,” Fowlkes said. “I hope to inspire more middle schoolers to pursue STEM subjects way above their level, reaching past the basics they get in class to the seriously cool things waiting above in college and higher education.”

Fowlkes and Packer recently presented a sneak peek of the club and some activities at Middle School Announcements. View the video on Facebook. 

The club meets on the second Monday and the third Wednesday of every month for the fall semester in Jamie Ringgenberg’s classroom. It is open to students in grades 7-8. Contact Gage Fowlkes or Jamie Ringgenberg for additional information.