Biology Honors students are using professional microscopes in one of the first labs of the school year. The lab on cell structure is requisite for the course and will give students a strong base to begin their learning, according to teacher Angela Feldbush.

“I feel the students are responsible enough to handle the microscopes as long as they are careful,” she said. “They come in with skills from doing labs with smaller microscopes in middle school.”

Feldbush said the lab is a critical step in the introduction of the course to new scholars.

“This is a really important skill to have since biology deals with living things. We need to see what [cells] look like,” eighth-grader Emily S. said.

Feldbush asserts that labs are a must for all students.

“[In biology], it is necessary for students to see the cells,” she said.

However, she mentioned that increased state testing has caused an issue with the labs.

“It’s hard to find time to incorporate the labs in the curriculum with the EOC testing at the end of the year,” she said.

Emily is grateful for the experience.

“We are lucky we have the materials because some people can’t,” she said.

Editor’s note: Brevard Public Schools policy prohibits the inclusion of middle-schoolers’ last name on its websites.