Cyndi Loza

Rite of Passage students got more than their feet wet for a science project. They constructed an Interntional Space Station under water at the Carson City Aquatic Facility.

Rite of Passage charter high school students from Minden got more than their feet wet for their math and science class last month as they constructed models of the International Space Station underwater in the Carson City Aquatic Facility.

“This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in high school,” senior Kody Kutzkey said.

The exercise was part of a monthlong project to teach students the fundamental principles of math and science associated with scuba diving and how it relates to astronaut training.

“I certainly got them interested in physics, math and science,” said Mike Reynolds, the project lead teacher.

“This is probably the most interested I’ve seen these guys.”

Reynolds said the idea was to motivate students in math and science. Teaching the students through hands-on activities helps them apply math and science to everyday life giving them “a real-world connection,” he said.

The underwater experiment simulated how NASA astronauts train to acclimate themselves to a near-zero-gravity environment.

“Mr. Reynolds is the greatest teacher ever,” Kutzkey said. “He lets us do more hands-on projects instead of just sitting in a classroom reading a book.”

Before getting in the water, the students studied various principles for three weeks. Reynolds said each student was tested in their knowledge of math and science before scuba instruction began. Every student passed, he said.

“When I first heard of scuba diving, I never thought it had anything to do with math and science but after I got in (the pool) it just made it more fun, putting all the principles together,” senior Estevan Banales said.

Students learned about Boyle’s law, Archimedes’ principle, Henry’s law, buoyancy, volume density and basic physics taught along with math associated with dive tables and pressure computations, Reynolds said.

During the final week, diving equipment and instruction was provided by Sierra Diving Center.

“A lot of kids today usually don’t have a chance to learn scuba, and this was a way for them to try scuba either as a hobby or a potential career,” said Keith Chesnut, owner of the diving center.

Reynolds said he will continue the project for future classes.

“I liked math and science before but I like it more now for sure,” Kutzkey said.