For South High School senior Sarah Nichols, conducting chemistry experiments was hard but not for the right reasons.
The labs were dark and cramped with old equipment that was hard to use, Sarah said. And all of the chemicals that we had were watered down, grimy and very contaminated.
Though she excels in science, Sarah and fellow students struggled to use 20- to 30-year-old lab equipment. Her teachers had stopped using burners due to faulty gas lines, glassware had become clouded and students were forced to crowd around aging overhead projectors.
Then, thanks to 2012 Denver bond funding, South got a long-overdue overhaul. The improvements touched nearly every corner of the building, especially the schools eight science labs. Gutted and refurbished with modern equipment, brand-new chemicals and glassware, and even refrigerators for experiment temperature control, Souths labs became second-to-none.
For Sarah, heading to the University of Kansas next year, the change is bittersweet.
I feel like I have definitely gotten a chance to learn what education should be like, Sarah said. I feel like [the new lab] has given me the opportunity to learn what I can accomplish.
I feel like I have definitely gotten a chance to learn what education should be like, Sarah said. I feel like [the new lab] has given me the opportunity to learn what I can accomplish.