When you walk into 8th Grade Science Teacher Arpa Ghazarian’s classroom, it feels less like your run-of-the-mill science class and more like a college-level laboratory. Her first lab of the 2025-2026 school year set the tone with a series of random experiments that challenged students to rethink how the world works. From blowing a wad of paper into a soda bottle (only to watch it shoot back out) to testing Bernoulli’s principle, students discovered that science is often about questioning assumptions and learning from surprises.

 

“I want them to learn how to question, ask the right questions,” Ms. Ghazarian explained. “I also want them to be very confused, because all of the labs I do are designed to have the opposite thing happen from what they think is going to happen. We call those discrepant events.”

 

These bite-sized demonstrations introduce big ideas in physics - air pressure, center of gravity, friction - and encourage problem-solving when the obvious approach doesn’t work. As Ms. Ghazarian puts it, “If it doesn’t work the most obvious way, what kind of science can I use instead?”

 

Her passion for hands-on science goes far beyond these first labs. Later in the school year, 8th graders will become “food chemists,” extracting food dyes from popular candy like Skittles and M&Ms, using paper chromatography. The colorful activity introduces a new lab separation technique while connecting chemistry to everyday life. By analyzing FD&C food dyes found in common foods, students not only practice scientific skills but also consider the controversies surrounding artificial dyes, helping them become more informed consumers. “Everything we study has to do with decisions they’re going to make in their everyday life,” she said. “It’s about understanding the science and making smart choices.”

 

Once a year, Ms. Ghazarian also delights in bringing science to younger learners when she substitutes in the Lower School Science Lab. In previous years, she used “magic sand” to demonstrate plant adaptations; she ties hydrophobic properties to water chemistry (of course, in slightly simpler terms) - sparking wonder even in the kindergartners through 5th graders. “Number one in science is to have that curiosity,” she said. “Experiments are such a good way to get everyone asking questions.”

 

Whether in Middle School or Lower School, Ms. Ghazarian’s enthusiasm is contagious. Her labs may start with confusion, but they always end with curiosity, discovery and excitement - for students and even for visiting adults lucky enough to step into her classroom.