Author Spotlight
Kate Heitmann
Junior Kay Kay Winn started Chem Club this year with junior TongTong Yi. Together they review concepts and aid chemistry students with anything they need help with.
“I feel like it is a really close community. Obviously it’s mainly meant for honors chem students and chem [students] in general. I feel like there’s like a lot us of AP Chemistry students [that] have gotten to know each other more through this Chem Club and I’ve gotten to know a lot of the younger students as well through Chem Club. And it’s really nice to see [Honors Chemistry teacher Susan] Hallstrom every once in a while and [AP Chemistry teacher Steven] Appier really loves it too.”
“Normally beforehand, we have like a group text with Hallstrom. She’ll tell us what [the current chemistry students] are learning about and give us some things to prep beforehand, just [to] make sure we go in there and we have something ready. Then, usually [sophomore] Sabrina Dean, she’s also in honors Chem, usually [we] tell her to text the GroupMe the time and when they [can] come in, [what] we’ll be learning about and then normally we start at three o’clock. It kind of depends like how many people there are, and how difficult it is, and then we kind of start off with usually a worksheet or if [honors chem students] are doing a lab, then we will start off with that. Then, after that we have questions, and then we kind of see how it’s going.”
“Beforehand, I mean this sounds kinda bad, but I hadn’t been challenged in too many classes and then I went to honors chem [and] it definitely opened my eyes. Without [honors chemistry], I feel like I wouldn’t be in the IB program. It’ll really help you understand better study habits and what it means to really work for a grade.”
“I just remember last year I struggled with Honors Chem, and I couldn’t even imagine what [current chemistry students] are going through having it be online. I remember [the] first couple weeks of AP Chem, I started thinking to myself, ‘oh my goodness I’m struggling so much.’ I was thinking that must be really difficult for [honors chemistry students], so it’d be really cool if once a week or every other week, I could come in and help [honors chemistry students] with a concept or like before a big test quiz, just some outside extra help.”
“I feel like it would’ve been really helpful. At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t really used to chem at all. I was really scared because I hadn’t really done a lot of the concepts before and the vibe was so different from freshman year. It would have definitely helped me a lot — having the extra help outside of just normal chem — because obviously honors goes really, really, really fast.”
“Actually really any chemistry students can come in, but usually it’s been more about honors chem because [it is] more difficult because [current honors chemistry students] have a faster pace. It also helps AP Chem students because a lot of the concepts I’ve learned that kind of go back to the basics and teaching [honors chemistry students] the basics really tests me to make sure I understand the concepts myself, which has helped me in AP Chem really go back to the foundation for certain concepts, so it helps really everyone.”
“Comparing [this year’s students] to me last year and considering the circumstances now, [honors chemistry students] inspire me to keep working harder in AP Chemistry, because they love chem so much and [they’re] continuing to work hard, even though [they’ve] had to go through difficult times learning it.”
“We have a couple posters up around the school but honestly just come on Tuesdays or Wednesdays [to Mrs. Hallstrom’s Webex room]. It really depends if [they’ve] had chem yet or not. Then just text one of us, or ask one of your classmate to [add] you to the GroupMe and there you go.”
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