Students at Laguna Blanca School put on Mission to Mars Project in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Laguna Blanca School eighth grader students in Santa Barbara were busy putting on a Mission to Mars Project this week.

Laguna believes that a “Project-Based Learning” culture leads to more meaningful learning experiences for its students. 

Students got to actively explore real-world problems and challenges, while fostering curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and team building skills. 

The project involved designing a plan to colonize Mars. 

“This is important because all the eighth greatest have to really work together …  make this dream that seems impossible and prove how it can be possible," said student Ananda Johar of Laguna Blanca School.

"My hope is students walk out of this with a love of science and thinking of themselves scientists that move forward in their life and wanting to experiment," said teacher Zachary Moore of Laguna Blanca.

Their work was presented to a panel of UCSB professors, faculty, and students, who test their problem-solving skills.