Students’ interest sparked by science, art at Coral Academy expo

Your hand won’t burn when it’s set on fire, Aleena Harry promises.

The 15-year-old sophomore at Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas tested the experiment several times before school’s the fourth annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Expo on March 18 at Sunridge Park, 1010 Sandy Ridge Ave.

“We found (the project) online,” Aleena said . “We wanted to do a project that not everyone was doing.”

Aleena, along with 16-year-olds Lisa Alexander, Nabel Shah and Jorge Gonzalo Delgado Cervantes, showcased their seemingly dangerous experiment with harmless results each time.

The process starts with a bucket of water mixed with dish soap, which contains an anti-flammable lubricant. Axe body spray, which contains the flammable compound butane, is sprayed across the soapy-water’s surface, creating bubbles.

The test subject scoops the bubbly water in his hand, and a student uses a lighter to ignite the bubbles, causing a small fire in his palm.

The soap’s lubricant acts as a shield while the bubbles burn for about a second. You feel the heat, but it doesn’t warrant a trip to the burn ward.

“Everyone always wants to do the projects that everyone thinks is cool,” Aleena said, “but we wanted to do something that was different and pushed us out of our comfort zone.”

Fire Bubbles was one of 209 booths on display at the expo, which featured students from all five Coral Academy campuses and other schools, including Pinecrest Academy. It was the largest such expo Coral Academy had hosted.

The arts component was a new addition and included a student DJ blasting sound throughout the park.

Musical Bottles, a booth run by eighth-grader Chiara Keeper, 13, featured five different-sized bottles filled with water and made to play notes when hit with two large pencils. The experiment required much trial and error for Chiara.

“I kind of first had to do it by ear,” she said. “I had to figure out if it sounded just right. I saw a video of it online and it was a really impressive demonstration. So, I decided I wanted to try something like this.”

Adding that arts component and opening it to non-Coral Academy students boosted attendance, said Yolanda Flores, principal of Coral Academy’s Sandy Ridge campus, 1051 Sandy Ridge Ave.

“In addressing the needs of our kids, being individualized, it was important for the kids to be involved in the arts,” she said.

Flores walked around the park, checking out the booths and hoping the students were ready when their principal approached them to hear about their projects.

She came away more than impressed.

“The kids have worked on (these projects) for such a long time,” Flores said. “I was fascinated with how well-spoken and how well-prepared they were.”

A group of fourth-graders overseen by teacher Destinie Kerness conducted a bottle rocket experiment, with two-liter bottles filled halfway with water and taped upside down to a PVC pipe. Pressure from a bicycle pump was built up in the pipe, eventually launching the bottle in the air. The materials cost about $15.

Seeing the ambition of her fourth-graders and other students, Kerness predicts big things on the horizon.

“Somebody here is going to cure cancer. I am so sure of it,” Kerness said.

To reach Henderson reporter Danny Webster, call 702-477-3834 or email dwebster@viewnews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DannyWebster21.