Chair: Kathy Heinzerling
Members: Kathy Heinzerling, Brian Lamore, Jeremy Holman, David Tell

Sciences at Chinquapin are considered essential and important. The middle school curriculum consists of an integrated science program incorporating life, earth, and physical science. The high school curriculum gets more detailed and covers Physics in 9th grade, Chemistry in 10th grade, Biology in 11th grade and Environmental Science in 12th grade. All of these are required courses and not electives and all are college preparatory. The high school curriculum exceeds the state requirements by 2 credits.

In addition to text book work, an outdoor classroom helps to integrate the various sciences. This includes:

1. 10 square foot food gardens for use with 7th graders
2. 2 rain water conservation tanks
3. a 400 gallon fish pond for raising cat fish
4. a small fruit tree orchard
5. a 400 foot nature trail in the forest behind the school
6. a bird blind
7. a bog garden
8. a wetlands restoration project called “Get Hip to Habitat” where smooth cordgrass is grown on the campus and taken and planted in Pierce Marsh in Galveston Bay.
9. A senior Environmental Science project with a national organization called Earth Force which incorporates environmental stewardship. (see 2005 and 2006 senior project web page links as examples)

By the time students graduate from Chinquapin, they have a true understanding and appreciation of the natural world and how it works, they are well practiced with science research skills, they are up to date with current science events and discoveries, and they are prepared to take any freshman college science course they desire. 

2007 Environmental Science Class Website
2006 Environmental Science Class Website
2005 Environmental Science Class Website