Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 4

U

p, Up, and Away

Science Takes Off at Thornton Academy
Like other Thornton Academy teachers who excel
at teaching, Josh Delcourt’s passion for learning was
passed down to him by a mentor, in this case, his
father. Luckily, for his students who sent weather
balloons all the way to the edge of space, Delcourt
channels his appetite for learning-in-the-outdoors
into teaching his science courses. “My love of science
stems from a passion for the outdoors that began
when I first started fishing with my father. We would
brook fish remote streams all over the state. This
style of fishing requires a lot of walking in the woods.
My father would point out all of the subtleties in the
forest around us. I fell in love with ecology which
morphed into an all around interest in the sciences.”
Those interests led Delcourt to become both a Registered Maine Guide and a science teacher.
Science isn’t “just another subject” for Delcourt;
he feels strongly that scientists’ skills in pursuing
answers to questions and solving problems will serve
our society well. “Our students are the scientists of
the future. It will be their job to tackle social issues
and our planet’s future. I get most excited about
the connections between the science I teach in my
Students constructed a small capsule that
carried a GPS tracker, hand warmers (to keep
the electronics warm in extreme cold), and a
small camera to record the flight.

Science teacher Josh Delcourt puts high-tech tools into the hands
of students as he takes them outdoors and teaches them how to
become scientists. Postscripts caught up with him as his students
went out to the Eastern Trail to study habitat succession using
their iPads.

Freshmen Honors Physical Science students (in the Spring
semester) finish inflating the weather balloon and preparing the
data capsule (left) for launch to space.

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