- Decatur High School
- Science
Teachers
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Stephanie Brady
Physics
IB Physics 1Kimberley Buckley
IB Biology 1 & 2Judy Bytheway
BiologyJohn Chesnut
PhysicsSean DeWeese
IB Chemistry 1 & 2Kimberly Duffy
IB Biology 1Michelle Hancock
Chemistry
ForensicsStephen Hoover
PhysicsDebra LeDoux
Chemistry
IB Chemistry 1Leah Locke
IB Biology 2
ChemistryAmanda Lockhart
IB Biology 2
YearbookFrank Lumpkin
ChemistryHenrietta Mitchell
Anatomy and Physiology
IB Biology 1Kennesha Nichols
Forensics
AnalyticsDaydrin Shell
ChemistryChristine Garand-Scherer
IB Chemistry 1
PhysicsCassy Smith
Physics
IB Physics 2Lauren Thompson
Chemistry
Forensics
Henry Tsay
PhysicsSamuel Wall
IB Biology 1Danielle Wilcher
IB Biology 1
IB Chemistry 1
Science Overview
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The Decatur High School science department is committed to laying the foundation for every student to someday pursue a career that requires science or technology competencies. We recognize that many of our most complex problems demand both scientifically literate citizens and a large and diverse population of problem-solvers who will work in career fields that require these science and technology competencies.
Science at Decatur High School is based on a physics-chemistry-biology sequence which leads students, over four years, from the simple to the complex. Ninth grade physics students explore the laws that govern our world using an inquiry-based approach that complements and strengthens their mathematics learning. Through interpretations of data they collect themselves, students construct their own understanding of the fundamental forces in the universe. The physics course makes extensive use of concrete experiences from students' daily lives, such as transportation, safety, and sports. The following year, students take chemistry -- a discipline based upon the physics concepts of charge and the forces among charged particles. As juniors and seniors, students complete a two-year biology program and are able to understand modern biology concepts, such as genetics and the function of DNA, that require a background in chemistry and physics. Juniors and seniors may also elect to take a two-year physics program, and seniors may opt for the elective forensic science course as a capstone.