An Experiment in Science

In Fourth Year, Academy Is Yielding Positive Results

Kaylyn Jackson, 17, positively gushes when she talks about astrophysics. And multivariable calculus. And mathematics in general.

"I just love how you can work and work on a problem, and then you get the answer, and it just feels so amazing," she said. "And I love science, too. I mean, a lot."

It's not a new passion for Jackson, who remembers going ape for astronomy as early as elementary school. But it is one that has been nurtured, shaped and encouraged through the Loudoun County school district's Academy of Science, which will enter its fourth year when school begins Tuesday.

Jackson is one of the academy's pioneers, part of the group of 47 seniors who by the spring will have spent all four years of high school in the program. The academy operates out of Dominion High School in Sterling but includes students from all 10 of the district's high schools, as well as some private school and home-schooled students. It accepts a maximum of 70 students per year based on grades, a standardized test score, letters of recommendation and a writing sample.

Students attend the academy and their base school on alternating days. Some have long bus rides, and many wind up at school early so they can fit in electives such as music and art. Jackson has commuted from her home in Paeonian Springs, a sometimes lengthy trip through rush-hour traffic that she said "was definitely worth it."

For academy director George Wolfe, the magnet program has been the realization of a dream that percolated over his more than 30 years as a science teacher. Wolfe moved to Loudoun from Rochester, N.Y., giving up a teaching job and a PBS television program he hosted for the chance to put into practice techniques he knew would get young minds whirring. He also knew there was a chance the experimental program would fall flat.

"It was terrifying," recalled Wolfe, 56, on a recent morning. "But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I knew what was needed in science education in this country. It was like, 'Put your money where your mouth is, Wolfe.' "

Thanks in part to Wolfe's infectious enthusiasm, the program's popularity has soared. This year, the academy received about 350 applications, more than double the number it got when it began.

Wolfe has sought to build a hands-on program that turns traditional subject-based learning on its head. Instead of teaching subjects such as chemistry and physics separately, he uses real-life examples to give students an understanding of how the subjects are interrelated.

The lessons can include a bit of theatrics. In one example recalled by several students, Wolfe walked into class one morning with an armload of goldenrod plants he claimed to have encountered by chance on his way to work. They became the basis of a multiweek lesson that incorporated botany, entomology and statistics.

"He's a really great guy," said Mark Bunney, 17, a senior at the academy. "He could sell any product he wants. He'll make you love anything."

Wolfe also wanted to encourage independent thinking by requiring students to come up with research projects that reflected their interests. One student, he said, is studying eye pigments in wasps -- an idea that stemmed from her enjoyment of photography. A musically inclined student is comparing crickets' songs in the United States and Asia.

One thing Wolfe said he has struggled to counter over the past three years is the pressure the students put on themselves.

"It's really a heartbreak for me to watch a student extend himself or herself to bend to perceptions," he said. "We've worked a lot on that."

Wolfe said it will be gratifying when the pioneers flip their tassels this spring, but that is a long time from now. A more pressing concern is college applications.

Many of the students are aiming for Ivy League universities, but Wolfe said he has encouraged them to focus more on finding schools that will meet their needs, regardless of prestige. They are being helped along by an in-house guidance counselor and visits by admissions officials from the University of Virginia, Cooper Union and other colleges.

"If a kid gets into Harvard, I'm going to be thrilled for them," Wolfe said. "But what I'm invested in is if they find a college that's a good fit for them."