After-school club gives Avondale students a deeper look at science

An after-school science club at South Avondale Elementary School is taking the mystery out of science by giving students fun problems to solve.  The students use fictitious examples from fictitious patients, but they work with real researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who volunteer for the opportunity. "For them, science class is a lot of memorization," genetic technologist Bradley Owens said. "And so, showing them at this pretty pivotal age that science is more than memorization, it's a process. It's discovery. It's finding out for yourself." The science club runs for about five weeks. During that time, the children have a chance to do some experiments that they may not get in a regular science class, like testing for sugar and pH levels using real testing supplies.  Principal Michael Allison said the program helps bring out a lot of the students' natural abilities. "The more exposure opportunities we provide them at this level, the better they're equipped in order to make positive decisions in the future," he said. The club is in its second year at the school. Fifth-grader Jayvon Betts has been loving the program. "When I get older, I want to be able to do that," Jayvon said. "I want to be a scientist."