West Parish Elementary School Science Park

Last updated April 29, 2019

The West Parish Elementary School Science Park is an interactive community science park, one of the first in the US, that is located on the site of the West Parish Elementary School in Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA.^[1] It is used as an integral part of the school curriculum.

Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Planning and construction

The Fund-raising for this 125,000.00 USD Project was funded primarily by grants from the national science foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Additionally the PTO rounded up many direct donations that made this park possible.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, MIT adopted a European polytechnic university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. The Institute is a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant university, with a campus that extends more than a mile alongside the Charles River.

Construction of this park took place over a half year period. The construction of the park was completed primarily by members of the school PTO with some help coming in from various groups. Scientists, including professors at the MIT, were on hand to aid in the design of the project.

The project

The park was first used on the last day of school in 2005. The park contains:

Surge Swings
Spring Bridge
The Air Lifter
The Foam Lifter
Fish Runs
Pulley Systems
Organ Pipes

Notes

↑ "Data collected between 12/9/05 and 12/8/06" (PDF). CITY OF GLOUCESTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION REPORT. Retrieved 2008-07-18.

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References

Bystrynski, Craig. "A Playground That Teaches Science. Kids love the unique playground, and teachers have created a 47-page curriculum to go with it". PTO Today. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
Laidler, John (January 30, 2003). "Local 'science park' planned". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
Laidler, John (June 8, 2003). "Science park is taking shape". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
Laidler, John (December 9, 2004). "School plays to natural curiosity - Gloucester park teaches science". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-07-18.

External links

Coordinates: 42°37′10.3″N70°42′42.3″W / 42.619528°N 70.711750°W / 42.619528; -70.711750

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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[1] "Data collected between 12/9/05 and 12/8/06" (PDF). CITY OF GLOUCESTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION REPORT. Retrieved 2008-07-18.