By Tyler Hargett for the FCT

tyler.hargett@fct.wpengine.com

When it comes to science labs, lab equipment can get worn out or just plain outdated in the blink of an eye. Red Bay High School was going through just that scenario with the school’s microscopes until the Franklin County Community Development Commission approved a grant request to help purchase new ones. The grant was worth $1,200 and will be used to purchase eight new microscopes from Flinn Scientific.

The microscopes will be used mainly by the seventh grade life science, ninth grade biology and tenth grade anatomy students. Lessons that will feature them include exploring the inner structures of animal and plant cells and identifying different types of tissues and cells in the human body. “These microscopes will provide up-to-date science technology to our lab and will better prepare our students with practical hands-on tools that they may use in their future careers or studies,” said science teacher Richard Boyd. “The science department would like to thank the FCCDC and the Red Bay Education Committee for providing these funds, which will enhance our laboratory for our current and future science students.”

Brad Bolton of the FCCDC also commented on the importance of the new microscopes and how they will serve RBHS well into the near future.

“RBHS is working extensively in developing their STEM program, and their microscopes were very old,” said Bolton. “This was another way of getting new technology in the hands of teachers and students.”