TAMPA, Fla. — From test tubes to beakers to flasks, science classes in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are receiving the gift of glass.
This year, the City of Tampa’s Waste Water Department donated $30,000 worth of lab equipment to various schools.
One of the classrooms to receive more than 100 pieces of glassware was the Sickles High School AP chemistry class.
“We’re so thankful that the City of Tampa was able to donate these materials for us that we can use for the foreseeable future,” said AP Chemistry teacher Jared Schwartz.
The city said the equipment was just sitting in storage but was still perfectly useful—why not pass it down to the next generation of scientists?
“It makes me very happy, and I’m very excited to see the kids, the young kids, using that,” said Farzi Hassani with the City of Tampa Waste Water Dept. “I actually raised three kids in Hillsborough County. Two of them are in science.”
“The teacher can do a lot more lab activities with the students when they have the equipment that they need, and they aren’t limited,” said Principal Krista Luloff. “Especially in a public school, we don’t always get enough funds to cover the cost.”
Students Owen, Scarlett, and Chris are all pursuing careers in science.
“I think it’s really beneficial to us because a lot of students who like to learn hands-on can learn a lot easier and a lot more,” said Scarlett.
They said it’s neat to work with the same flasks and test tubes used by the top scientists within the City of Tampa.
“You are using a bit of history sometimes with high school equipment. That history is obvious by how stained it is and used,” said Owen.
“I was shocked. It’s a lot of equipment, a lot of nice equipment, you know, a lot of schools aren’t fortunate enough to have equipment like this, so it’s a very good thing,” said Chris.
