BARBERTON — When the opportunity arose to head up Barberton High School’s new polymer science class this school year, veteran chemistry teacher Rick Cardinal said he jumped at the chance.
“I have been a chemistry teacher at Barberton since 2002-03, and I have been teaching chemistry a long time,” Cardinal said. “Four of us [BHS teachers] are licensed to teach chemistry. I volunteered [to teach the polymer class]. I think it is so interesting, and there is so much potential for it to grow. An 80% hands-on lab class excites me, and it’s exciting for the kids, too.”
Cardinal said the origins of the polymer education focus in the Barberton City Schools goes back several years, when the Barberton Community Foundation provided a required $125,000 local match to the Greater Akron Chamber and the Polymer Industry Cluster to move forward with a $250,000 State of Ohio Industry Sector Partnership Grant received in 2023…