The newly hatched chicks in the front of Jen Nippert's classroom at Henry Sibley High School are the center of attention at the start of every class.

Sophomores stream by, cooing and gushing over the birds while asking how many more days until they're ready to be held.

But then the students sit down and start jotting observations about the chicks -- how their feathers are changing and the different behaviors they're exhibiting as they grow.

"This works across all classes," Nippert said. "It's easy to say, 'This came from one cell.'"

Projects like these are at the heart of the science department's remarkable makeover at Henry Sibley, where hands-on learning has quickly developed one of the state's most successful Advanced Placement programs.

The College Board invited the Mendota Heights school to apply for a Siemens Award -- given each February to one school in every state with outstanding participation and performance on AP tests.

Henry Sibley was nominated because of its performance in math, science and technology; Nippert was also nominated for an award after 46 of her 57 students passed the AP biology exam last year, posting an average score of 3.719 (out of a possible 5).

Advanced students take a pre-AP science class in ninth grade, following it up with AP classes in biology, chemistry and physics.

If they also take a chemistry of exercise physiology class offered through Henry Sibley's College in the Schools program, they can end up with more than a semester's worth of college credits -- from science alone.

All this from a department that, six years ago, only offered AP biology.

"Most of them will end up majoring in some physical science," said AP physics teacher Peter Bohacek, nominated this week for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. "The key benefit is when the professor gives the speech on the first day of class and says, 'Four years from now, three-quarters of you won't be here,' that's not going to happen with this group."

When Bohacek arrived at Henry Sibley six years ago, fresh from a career working for high-end audio engineering companies, he found a department increasingly populated with young teachers ready for something different.

"It's come from the department. It wasn't the district pushing," he said. "But when we've said what we needed, they've been responsive."

Bohacek has dropped stuffed animals while students shoot blowdarts at them to demonstrate the properties of moving objects.

On Tuesday, he had them calculating the proper setup for a bungee jump off the Eiffel Tower.

"They make it easy to 'get' something." said Jennifer Perry, who's considering majoring in physics at RPI, MIT or Northwestern University.

The awards are nice, but that's not the kind of gratification Henry Sibley's teachers really covet.

"It's not the amount the person is recognized. It's, 'Are we doing our jobs?'" Nippert said. "I'm just teaching the content. If I'm up for an award, it's tied to the kids."

Ben Goessling • 651-298-1546

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