Inspiring Curiosity and Discovery Through Hands-On Science at KO

In the middle school science classrooms at KO, you’ll rarely find students quietly taking notes from a lecture. Instead, you’re more likely to hear the hum of lively conversations, the clink of lab equipment, and the excited exclamations of discovery:

“Come look at my microscope!”

“I think I found something!”

That’s the sound of learning in Middle School science teacher Charlotte Stutz’s world — an engaging, hands-on approach where curiosity leads the way.

A veteran educator with over two decades of experience, Stutz teaches Upper Prep and Form 2 Science, blending foundational scientific principles with interactive, exploratory learning. Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: students learn best when they are actively involved in their own discovery. “I feel that all students should learn by doing,” she explains. “In my classroom, every class is a combination of learning something and doing something.”

At the center of her teaching approach is the belief that science is not a subject to be memorized — it’s an experience to be lived. Her classroom is filled with opportunities to explore, test, question, and share.

Each day begins with an essential question — a guiding prompt that challenges students to think critically about what they’re observing. Then, through lab-based experiments, they collaborate to uncover answers. Whether it’s studying slides under microscopes or testing chemical reactions, her students are encouraged to experiment, fail, and try again — just like real scientists do.

Ask Stutz about her favorite labs, and her eyes light up. Two perennial favorites among her students are animal dissections and the egg osmosis experiment. In the dissections, students study both invertebrates like earthworms and vertebrates such as frogs, comparing internal structures and learning how form supports function.“Students are always amazed by how much is inside an earthworm,” she says. “They’re surprised that something so small has so many complex organs. It’s those moments of awe that make science real for them.”

Another highlight is the egg osmosis lab, where students remove the shell from a raw egg using vinegar, creating what looks like a translucent water balloon. They then submerge it in different solutions — water, syrup, salt — to observe how the egg expands or shrinks as water moves in and out of the membrane.

“It’s one of my favorites,” Stutz says with a grin. “You can literally hold a cell in your hand. The kids love seeing science in action — it’s not abstract; it’s tangible. “These experiments don’t just teach scientific concepts; they nurture patience, observation, and teamwork. Students learn to share discoveries, ask deeper questions, and — most importantly — find joy in the process.

Stutz’s lessons are grounded in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which emphasize inquiry, problem-solving, and connection to real-world phenomena. She often links classroom topics to current issues in technology, health, and the environment — or even popular culture.“We’re so lucky that science is part of everyday life now,” she says. “Students might see a story about space travel on TV or a TikTok about genetics, and then we get to explore the real science behind it. It’s like having a class full of Mythbusters.”

Before finding her calling in the classroom, Stutz’s journey took her across some of the most breathtaking landscapes in America. A native of South Carolina, she attended college in Alaska, where her love for the environment and the natural sciences deepened. “I wanted to go far away — really far,” she laughs. “Studying in Alaska was incredible. We’d go camping and learning at the same time. Some nights, people would knock on your door and say, ‘She’s out!’ — meaning the northern lights were visible — and we’d all run outside to watch.”

After college, she became a park ranger and naturalist, leading field programs that taught visitors about marine ecosystems and wildlife. One of her most memorable jobs involved monitoring loggerhead sea turtle nests along the South Carolina coast.“Every morning, I’d drive three miles of beach looking for turtle nests,” she recalls. “You’d mark them, record them, and then count down the days until the hatchlings emerged. It was magical.”

Her love for nature and exploration eventually led her to work with National Geographic, participating in a televised expedition that sought to travel from the Canadian border to the Mexican border entirely on public land — hiking, biking, canoeing, and kayaking the entire way. “It was like The Amazing Race meets National Geographic,” she laughs. “We camped every night, filmed everything, and met incredible people along the way. It was exhausting — and unforgettable.”

For Stutz, the true reward of teaching lies in the small, transformative moments — the spark in a student’s eyes when they finally understand a concept or see themselves as capable of mastering science.

“Those ‘aha’ moments are everything,” she says. “When a student tells me they answered a chemistry question on Jeopardy! and beat their parents — that’s the best. “Her classroom is a place where even students who say, “I’m not a science person,” find themselves fascinated. She believes that all it takes is one meaningful moment — one spark — to change a student’s perspective.“A student who says they don’t like science is just waiting to be wowed,” she explains. “You can’t hold something wiggly or wet in your hand and not be curious about why it behaves the way it does.”

Even after more than twenty years of teaching, Stutz’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned. Science, she says, is constantly evolving — and so is her teaching. “I’ve never been bored,” she says. “Every year, there’s a new way to teach something — a new tool, a new discovery, a new question. And every group of students brings their own curiosity. That keeps me inspired.”

Ask any of her students what they love most about her class, and the answer will likely be the same: it’s fun. Between bubbling experiments, lively discussions, and the sense that something exciting is always just around the corner, Stutz’s classroom is a place of joy and curiosity — a space where science feels alive.

And that’s exactly how she likes it. “When my students walk into the room, they always ask, ‘What are we doing today?’” she says, smiling. “Their excitement gets me excited. That’s what keeps me coming back every day.”