Trafalgar Elementary gets new science lab

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With fifth graders behind her, Trafalgar Elementary principal Marie Vetter cuts a ribbon during the unveiling of the school’s new science lab Friday. BJ’s Wholesale Club donated $1,200 to the school for the lab as part of its Adopt-A-School Program. MICHAEL PISTELLA

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Trafalgar Elementary fifth graders tour the school’s new science lab Friday. BJ’s Wholesale Club donated $1,200 to the school for the lab as part of its Adopt-A-School Program. Representatives from BJ’s as well as the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce were also on hand to view the new lab. MICHAEL PISTELLA

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Diplomat Elementary kindergartner Xavier Dingui lets teacher Nicole Fisher hear the chirping of a toy Santa Claus gave him during a visit to the school Wednesday. Santa’s visit was made possible by staff members at Lee County School District’s Transportation West. Santa and the staff visited three schools on Wednesday and will visit two more Cape elementary schools Thursday. They will have given out about 850 gift bags to students during the two days. MICHAEL PISTELLA

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Costco business representative and Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce ambassador Jennifer Llanos takes a look at Tinkerbell the bearded dragon in Trafalgar Elementary’s new science lab. BJ’s Wholesale Club donated $1,200 to the school for the lab as part of its Adopt-A-School Program. Representatives from BJ’s as well as the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce were on hand with the students to view the new lab. MICHAEL PISTELLA

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On Friday morning one-hundred elementary students gathered outside a room at Trafalgar Elementary for a ribbon cutting ceremony in honor of the school’s new science lab. Its theme is “The World At Your Fingertips to Discover and Explore.”

School officials transformed an empty storage room into the new lab after BJ’s Wholesale in Cape Coral donated $1,200 for materials and supplies through its Adopt-A-School program. The lab features models of the human body, microscopes, magnifying glasses and even two classroom animals -“Duke” the hedgehog and “Tinkerbell” the bearded dragon.

It also has a digital microscope that can send images onto the classroom projector screen for all the students to see.

“We adopt a school each year in our community to serve a partnership with,” said Cindy Newmaster, general manager of BJ’s Wholesale in Cape Coral. “We help them with supplies for community service events and have a community service representative who assists them in their projects.”

Principal Marie Vetter said that BJ’s donation will help science come alive.

“We would like to thank BJ’s for helping to make our science lab a reality,” she said. “FCAT science scores will go way up and you will be part of that reason.”

Sandra Aguilar, community relations specialist with BJ’s, worked with teachers from the school during the creation of the lab. She said the students will also receive a fish tank.

Trafalgar Elementary teacher Kelly Johnson worked with Staffing Specialist Shellie Taylor in painting and renovating the new lab. Taylor said it took nearly eight hours to paint two murals on the wall.

“I drew for an hour and a half and painted for about eight hours combined,” she said. “We went back to the science texts and the picture on the wall came from a drawing her daughter did which inspired the theme of the lab.”