At Summit Christian Academy, learning goes beyond textbooks and exams—it’s about creativity, collaboration, and making complex concepts accessible to everyone. This was especially true in Mrs. Melissa Tapperson’s 10th grade Advanced Chemistry class, where a simple extra credit project blossomed into something extraordinary.
Students Theo Bozadzis, Wesley Lo, and Cecelia Zhao were each given the opportunity to tackle an optional assignment: create a short children’s story about the periodic table. The goal was to take the intricacies of chemical elements and translate them into stories that younger students could enjoy and understand. What resulted was nothing short of amazing.
Each student approached the challenge with their own creative flair. Wesley Lo crafted a sweet tale in The Adventures of Heli Helium, where elemental groups were brought to life with special talents, and Heli, the main character, embarked on a journey to find their place in the world. Theo Bozadzis took a whimsical approach with a story featuring Polly, a clever pigeon who explained the periodic table and the fascinating details of the atoms it represents. Meanwhile, Cecelia Zhao wrote a conversational and imaginative story, bringing elements to life as characters with unique personalities, each finding their home on the periodic table.
Recognizing the exceptional quality of their work, Mrs. Tapperson decided these stories deserved a larger audience. With the students’ permission, she compiled their stories into a book, complete with illustrations and bound copies, bringing their words to life in a tangible way.
“These three students were exemplary in their ability to synthesize the information presented in class,” Mrs. Tapperson shared. “This extra credit assignment allowed them to use the highest form of cognitive thinking, ‘creation’, according to Bloom’s taxonomy.”
Mrs. Nunez, the High School Principal, notes, “The assignment was such a creative way to simplify the information for understanding the material.”
Theo, Wesley, and Cecelia’s work is a testament to how education can inspire innovation—and how a little creativity can turn even something as scientific as the periodic table into an engaging, delightful experience for learners of all ages.