Mojave students get ‘drilled’ on biology

Elizabeth Dutton

Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998 | 10:39 a.m.

Learning about amino acids is not always a walk in the park, unless you are a student at Mojave High School.

In that case, it's a march in the quad.

The students in Camille Stack's biology class at Mojave in North Las Vegas are improving their ability to remember difficult bio-chem equations and constructions through marching and cadence.

Students march in rows of four around the inner quad of the new high school, yelling the phrases once confined to quiet classrooms.

The class, made up of ninth- and 10th-graders, was hesitant at first.

"Other kids used to point and laugh," sophomore James Rynott said.

The general consensus seemed to be that the teacher had finally gone over the edge. Not one to eschew odd ideas, Stack was sure that the techniques she learned in English as a Second Language instruction training would translate well to chemistry and biology.

"If we make this fun, it will be easier to remember," Stack said. "It's familiar and non-threatening."

Familiar is certainly true now. Many of the students said they find themselves humming the rhymes throughout the day.

"It stays in your mind," Rynott said. "It gets stuck in your head."

Memorizing lengthy terms can be a daunting task. With marching and cadence reminiscent of boot camp, the students have the information drilled into their heads with the persistence of, well, a drill instructor.

Tenth-grader Crista Zahnisek has the privilege of acting as the class sergeant after being nominated by her classmates.

"They wanted someone with a big mouth," she said.

As she led the class through chants beginning "dehydration, synthesis," the class followed to the best of its ability.

The students see the value in such teaching methods.

"It may be stupid, but it will help you," 10th-grader Jeremi Green said.

Classmate Spencer McGhie agreed, adding that he enjoyed the activity over regular instruction.

"It involves the kids," he said.

Others were hopeful as to the effect marching would have on their grades.

"It helps with your studies," freshman Aisha Ortiz said. "It improves test skills."

Principal Gail Dixon anticipates students will be humming the tunes during exams, and that is just fine with her.

"We use music in a lot of classes in a lot of different ways" she said. "The students were hesitant, but once they realized it would help them remember, they were excited."