The Richland School District kicked off middle school science classes for highly capable students in 2007-08. The rigorous science courses were the first step in establishing a comprehensive Highly Capable (Hi-Cap) program to challenge advanced students.

In this photo, Enterprise Middle School students use convection tubes to investigate how the temperature of a surface affects the movement of air above it. "Students observe smoke as it is introduced over warm and then cold surfaces," explained teacher Debbie Ellefson. "This helps us understand how storms form over the warm waters of the tropics."