The Wall High School AP physics class will restart their partnership with the Angelo State University physics department following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The class will begin traveling to the campus later this month. 

Students will be traveling to ASU and participating in physics labs led by the ASU physics department. The lab partnership had been established for several years when the pandemic forced it to stop. This year, however, Mr. Curt Taylor, the AP physics teacher, reached out to restart the opportunity.

“During COVID it was kinda lost, understandably, so we are just bringing it back.” Taylor said. “The students get college experience and get to use the college equipment.”

The nine students who are a part of the class will be able not only to observe, but also to participate in the experiments at a college level.

“I’m excited because they have a lot better technology and resources we can use, and we will be maximizing our learning experience in the class,” senior Pierce Jameson said.

Utilizing several different resources, the ASU campus allows high school students access to deluxe equipment not normally available in a high school environment.

“The equipment is much better,” high school principal Ryan Snowden said. “They can do experiments and do different things than we could do with the equipment we have here. The equipment is expensive.”

While the high school AP physics class benefits tremendously from the agreement, the ASU department of physics will also benefit.

“It allows our kids to see if they want to go into the physics program to meet those professors,” Snowden said. “That’s one reason they (the ASU physical department) want to do it so they can meet our kids, show off their stuff and maybe involve some of our kids in their program.”

As an extra perk, the AP physics students will be allowed to stop and eat lunch at a restaurant before returning to the school on days they travel to the lab.

“I’m excited about the ASU labs,” senior Jayton Hill said. “Especially because we get to go eat somewhere after.”