Experimenting with vials and test tubes on Oct. 1, Beta Chi Pi president and senior Nicole Paquette supports her passion for science in the classroom. After former Beta Chi Pi sponsor and science teacher Chloe Gallaher’s retirement, Paquette worked with science teacher Elegan Kramer during the summer to bring the science club back to West. “It’s a good way to keep you connected with science, and it’s a motivation to do science activities. Overall, it’s just a good group of people that are interested in science,” Paquette said. Photo by Zaina Hasan

When the science classroom falls quiet at the end of the day, a small group of students will soon be gathering — not to study for a test, but to build circuits into holiday cards, hear from local scientists and package STEM activity kits for families who pick up groceries at the food pantry. Applications are open, and organizers hope to welcome a new cohort ready to learn, tinker and give back to the community at West High interested in science. Beta Chi Pi, the national honor society for science, has returned to West after a brief hiatus. The club,whose Greek letters stand for biology (beta), chemistry (chi) and physics (pi), recognizes students who’ve excelled in science and gives them a space to explore careers, run hands-on projects and serve the community. 

Due to science teacher Chloe Gallaher’s retirement, Beta Chi Pi took a brief hiatus, unable to accept new members until they found a new sponsor. However, last year, senior Nicole Paquette, junior vice president at the time, collaborated with Gallaher in hopes of restarting the honors society. Through their efforts, Gallaher found a new sponsor in science teacher Elegan Kramer. 

“I co-sponsored Beta Chi Pi at my previous school, Parkway North High School, and I was a member as a student,” Kramer said. “When Gallaher asked if I’d be interested, I said yes. I believe in promoting science and connecting students with resources around St. Louis.” 

Kramer’s gratitude toward the offer for the position reflected her dedication to helping the club reach new heights.

“What makes Beta Chi Pi different from a typical after-school club is its focus: academic recognition combined with real-world exposure,” Kramer said, “Meetings often feature guest speakers [such as]scientists, researchers and professionals, who share what careers in the sciences really look like. Members also design service projects that use science as a bridge to the community.”

Communicating with Kramer over the summer, Paquette was proactive in reestablishing Beta Chi Pi. The club’s organization grew as Kramer gathered information on eligible students based on the point system, which was required to accept new members, utilizing a spreadsheet to organize the data. As of fall, the club is limited to seniors to ease the club into its reoperation. Sophomores and juniors will be eligible to apply in the spring.

Restarting the club hasn’t been without its hurdles. Kramer is new to West, and balancing classroom duties with launching a revived extracurricular has been a time management challenge. 

“There are all these great ideas, but actually implementing them takes time,” Kramer said. “Still, leadership from returning members has made the transition smoother. Veteran students have helped recruit, coordinate emails and set plans in motion.”

Gaining points in the society is determined by your grades, volunteering in research, decorating billboards, science tutoring, making presentations and other science-based activities. These other activities include building circuits into holiday cards, hearing from local scientists and packaging STEM activity kits for families who pick up groceries at the food pantry.

“I did a lot of Ac Lab tutoring [to gain points]. I’m good at science because I spend a lot of time on it, so I was able to help other people in their science classes through that.” Paquette said. 

Beta Chi Pi acts as an outlet for most science-driven students, a way for students to express science as a passion with a group of individuals who share the same enthusiasm. 

“It’s just a really good group of people that are interested in science,” Paquette said. “I’m really thankful to [Kramer], and I’m excited to keep [Beta Chi Pi] going this year as president.”