The stools are breaking, the beakers are shattering, the safety goggles are cracking, and the rooms themselves are overcrowded. Our school labs are in trouble. The science teachers at Nashoba Regional are in distress over their classroom space, and are desperate for help. As students, we can all assist in small ways like simply pushing in our chairs to avoid tripping hazards.

The population of the Nashoba Regional School District is growing rapidly, and the size of the school is not able to keep up with the amount of students. We are cramming 24 students into compact science labs and attempting to maintain a safe environment. This is not an easy thing to do. Mr. Weiss, a science teacher here at Nashoba, finds that the labs “certainly do not have enough space for classes of 24 to 26 kids.”

According to Flinn Scientific Inc, there should only be one person for ever 20 square feet of lab space. Nashoba labs cram up to 25 kids into about 70 square feet of space. Dr. Cressman believes that Mrs. Dumai’s room is the only one with the “appropriate amount of space for a lab.”

While funding is one of the main issues, students are able to help when it comes to equipment. Mr.Weiss believes that if students “keep it clean and use the equipment appropriately” then the science labs will manage to stay a safe and enjoyable environment. By cleaning up fully after labs, pushing in our chairs, and washing materials thoroughly, accidents can be avoided and nothing will be wasted.

While it is possible to function with the class size, a bigger issue is the ventilation systems. During chemistry, it is common to work with fire and the occasional hazardous chemical. These fumes need to filter out of the rooms, but according to Mr.Weiss, “not all of the chemistry rooms have vents.” One might think this is absolutely unacceptable. There has to be money in the budget to insert a fan of some sort. The rooms are outdated and can not keep up with the size of the student body.