Peru High School Chapter of the
Science National Honor Society
Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas.
Fortunate is one who understands the causes of things. -Virgil
Welcome!
Established in 2009, the Peru (NY) Chapter of the Science National Honor Society is an organization of science teachers and junior/senior-level students designed to advance students’ knowledge of and interest in science through inquiry-based research. Membership into the SNHS is limited to Honors-level Juniors and Seniors that meet certain academic and behavioral criteria. Upon admission, students partake in a year-long research project that is designed, conducted, and analyzed by them based on what interests they have in the different fields of science. Faculty members from the Peru School District (high-, middle-, and primary-school) serve as mentors to help guide the students along their research project. Upon completion, results from the research projects are displayed and presented at the Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair in Plattsburgh, NY. Through these SNHS research projects, members go above-and-beyond what is required in their laboratory courses and get to experience the true nature of science… being able to take ownership of an idea that interests them and then apply the scientific method to answer the “what’s”, “why’s”, and “how’s” of the world around them.
Group Activities
Annual Microscope Day with 1st Graders
Began during the 2012-2013 school year, the Peru High School Science National Honor Society students put on a “Microscope Day” every year for a few 1st grade classrooms. During this day, SNHS students get an opportunity to show the 1st graders how to use stereomicroscopes while looking at a variety of specimens from the creepy crawly to a common piece of chalk. Students are encouraged to guess whether the specimens were once living or never living at all based on their powers of observation and the assistance of the microscopes. Laughter and excitement (and sometimes a little trepidation) fill the classrooms as both the juniors/seniors and 1st graders share in a fun time of exploratory learning through science.
SNHS Mini Science Fair
Every year sometime in April, the Peru High School Science National Honor Society members hold a mini-science fair where they display their research projects in the Library for the faculty and staff of Peru Central School District. Over the school year, these students work to devise, carry out, and analyze research topics of their own choosing. In past years, topics have ranged from assessing personality types of teachers in different subjects to analyzing the visual and auditory distractibility of students of different ages to the effects of cigarette and paper smoke on plant growth. In preparation for the Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair which is held towards the end of April at either SUNY Plattsburgh or Clinton Community College, this mini science fair allows the students to practice their presentations in front of science teachers who stand in as pseudo-judges.
Chapter Goals
Goals of the Peru High School Chapter of the Science National Honor Society.
This chapter shall:
- Be affiliated with and fulfill the objectives of the Science National Honor Society, Inc.
- Encourage and recognize scientific and intellectual thought.
- Advance students’ knowledge of classical and modern science.
- Communicate with the scientific community.
- Aid the civic community with its comprehension of science.
- Establish science as a strength of the academic program of Peru High School.
- Improve public knowledge of Peru students’ science work, improve community connections, and incorporate local issues into our scientific study.
- Improve students’ college awareness through exposure to interesting, dynamic experiences that include college talents.
- Use inquiry-based projects to increase interest in upper-level science by utilizing high school science faculty members as research mentors.
SNHS National Site
SNHS is a prominent scientific organization that will engender a new group of young thinkers who will be the future of industry, research, and scientific exploration for America.
To learn more click here to visit the SNHS website. 
Contact Us
Feel free to email me with any questions or comments:
Richard Hathaway – Living Environment Teacher
rhathaway@perucsd.org