Students gravitate to physics wizard
Nicole Tavenner
Glenn Govertsen, a retired Sentinel High School teacher known as “Mr. G,” gave a variety of science lessons using common objects Friday evening in Ronan.
Nicole Tavenner
A laser light show set to pop tunes transformed the Ronan Performing art center.
Nicole Tavenner
Children clamor for toliet paper thrust into the air during a physics demonstration.
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
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Physics formulas can look like daunting lines of gobbledygook for the mathematically and scientifically disinclined, but hopefully a few Ronan students will grow up to tackle the task after seeing Mr. G’s Science Show, which gave mesmerizing fun-infused explanations of why light and sound behave the way they do.
Students invaded the stage and played with lasers, statically charged feathers and speakers made from a cereal box as retired Sentinel High School teacher Glenn Govertsen prepared for an evening show after visiting three classes at K. William Harvey on April 14. The kiddos were hooked on Govertsen’s displays earlier in the day and many of them brought their parents back for more.
“It made me a little more interested in science,” Nathaniel Young, 8, said of the show. “I thought it was pretty cool.”
Nathaniel’s favorite exhibit was the laser show in which five laser beams were projected onto the walls and ceiling of the Ronan Performing Arts Center and vibrated into beautiful moving contortions of color by sound waves of contemporary music blasting through speakers. Attendees then donned 3-D glasses and learned how the laser light can be separated into different wavelengths by filters and human eyes.
Nathaniel’s mother, Tammy Young, said he was anxious to come back to school to see the show after watching Mr. G earlier in the day.
“It was so fun,” Tammy Young said. “If you get a chance to see it, you need to go see it … It exposes the kids to things in science that they probably wouldn’t think about until they get older. After he saw it this morning he was, ‘Can we come tonight?’ ‘Can we come tonight?’ Can we come tonight?’”
Govertsen’s explanations were brief, digestible and punctuated by entertainment and enjoyment at every turn. In one exhibit, children clamored to catch smoke puffed in perfect rings through the bottom of a lidded trashcan that was an example of a vortex. They also giggled and laughed as they battled it out to snag some toilet paper as it was blown several feet into the air and drifted back down to the ground.
Govertsen said it was nice to see the kids interested in science.
“When they come back it’s a good sign. When they drag a parent or two, it’s a double good sign,” Govertsen said.
He noted that there has been a transition in the stereotypes kids face for being scientifically and mathematically inclined.
“I’m known as a nerd,” Govertsen said. “I think it’s a great word. In the old days, it wasn’t such a great word but then nerds starting making all this money in the Silicon Valley and people realized nerds aren’t that bad.”
Govertsen showed the families how they can infuse science experiments into their everyday lives, like amplifying sound by using an egg carton or cereal bowl while making breakfast. He showed the youngsters that science doesn’t require fancy lasers or sound shows, but that it often goes overlooked while intertwined in everyday life.
K. William Harvey Dean of Students Carey Swanberg said she was glad the students got a chance to embrace mathematical and scientific principles they might otherwise be uninterested in.
“Mr. G has been great,” Swanberg said. “The kids love him.”
