As senior Paige Slavik reflects on Park Family Science Night, she considers it an accessible way to connect with teachers and learn more about the subject through interactive presentations.

“I think it’s a great idea to get elementary students involved in science and to see the high school and there’s so many opportunities in science,” Slavik said. “Also I think it’s bad that they cut funding to the science teachers going to the elementary schools and doing activities with them because it definitely opens (students) to new possibilities in science.”

According to science department head Patrick Hartman, the department decided they could no longer run Family Science Night because of timing and scheduling conflicts.

“The program was part of ParkSci and so we were able to plan that into our day, where the organizing and planning for Family Science Night,” Hartman said. “So all the teachers who were doing ParkSci at that point for the last school year, we didn’t really have time to do that during our work day.”

Slavik says cutting the program is unfortunate, but considers where the district is coming from.

“I think it was a bad idea, but I understand that money is needed in different areas,” Slavik said.

Hartman said if the department was able to find any money from the district, they would be able to keep on going, but right now they don’t have the means to run Family Science Night.

“We didn’t have (Family Science Night) last year and if there was a way to fund it, because we spent a lot of money on t-shirts, stuff like that. If there was another way of funding it right now, (but) we just don’t have a way of funding it right now,” Hartman said.

Hartman said Family Science Night was a good way to connect teachers with students.

“I think it’s unfortunate to cut our (Family Science Night) program because it was really great for high school science teachers to get out and teach lessons to elementary students,” Hartman said.