Beacon Elementary science program wins Kennecott video contest

SALT LAKE CITY — Beacon Heights Elementary School has been awarded $5,000 from Kennecott Utah Copper for its teacher-created video "Science Plants the Seeds," the Salt Lake City School District announced Wednesday.

The video was the winner of Kennecott's 2012 Sustainable Development Community Video Contest, which showcased the efforts of Kennecott's community partners to promote sustainability within their organizations.

According to the school district, the award money will supplement the school's "Sci-X" science program and will be used to create core-based lesson plans accessible to Utah elementary educators.

The Sci-X program was created by Beacon Heights teacher Emily Mortensen and parent volunteer Chris Cochella, the district said. It provides monthly hands-on science experiences to add to classroom instruction. In 2011, Kennecott partnered with Sci-X to create a web-based science curriculum available to all Utah elementary science teachers through the Utah Education Network.

“No science textbook exists for Utah elementary classrooms," Mortensen said in a prepared statement. "Utah’s youngest students deserve consistent, experiential science education. We can’t expect a child to feel confident in science in junior high and high school if not provided with consistent science education in early years."