By Holly Desrosier
Craven Community College (Craven CC) chemistry instructor Dr. Carmela Byrnes has developed a unique way for her students to celebrate the holiday season over the years. As an optional assignment, she has her students rewrite lyrics to popular Christmas tunes in a chemistry theme.
“I do it to lighten the mood as we approach final exams,” she said. “Also, it’s a way to see other aspects of your students—the fun side of them. It always amazes me the creativity they come up with. It’s just wonderful the different parts of themselves that they bring into the assignments and how they tie it to chemistry. For me, that’s the coolest part. Their versions are so witty and entertaining.”
She initiated the special assignments in 2015 after challenging her students to write a chemistry-themed poem in the style of “The Night Before Christmas.” In subsequent years, she had students rewrite the lyrics to “Carol of the Bells” and “The First Noel.” A winner from each of Byrnes’ chemistry classes was selected for publication.
This year, the assignment was to rewrite the lyrics to the Christmas classic “Sleigh Ride” in a chemistry theme, and the students did not disappoint.
“Chemistry Bonding with You” by Luke Clark
Can you hear chemistry calling? No stalling; you really should go.
So, grab up your calculator, your periodic table, and oh …
Outside the snow is falling (just solid water falling), it’s true.
Come on, I’m really longing for some chemistry bonding with you!
Goggle up, grab some gloves, put your hair up too.
We’ll have a good view
Of reactions and chemical stews.
Grab a pen, grab a page, and now take my hand.
Mole factors are grand.
We’re balancing reactions and converting moles to grams.
It’s really nice and simple, you’ll become nimble with time.
Remember grams on the bottom cancel out mass values just fine.
Let’s start that homework before us and do another problem or two.
Come on, I’m really longing for some chemistry bonding with you!
There’s a final exam in the class of Dr. Byrnes.
It’ll be the perfect ending of class hard earned.
We’ll be solving equations that we love without a single stop.
We’ll be writing out all the Lewis structure dots—dot-dot-dot!
There’s a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy
When they pass out all the test scores and you breathe a sigh,
‘Cause you got a high A and you’re feeling like you’ve more than just survived.
This wonderful class is the class we’ll remember all through our lives!
Can you hear chemistry calling? No stalling; you really should go.
So, grab up your calculator, your periodic table, and oh …
Outside the snow is falling (just solid water falling), it’s true.
Come on, I’m really longing for some chemistry bonding with you!
“Mix Chemicals Together with You” by Jaleesa Sanders
Just hear those beakers clinging
Bing bing binling too
Come on, let’s go to the lab and
Mix chemicals together with you
Inside of the chemistry lab
There’s always a lot to do
Come on, let’s go to the lab and
Mix chemicals together with you
Mix up some stuff, let’s see
Let’s go. Let’s look at the show.
In a chemistry lab filled
with foam
Mix up, mix up, mix up, it’s fun
To see the outcome
We’re coming along in the lab, just watching the foam
Of a foamy wonderland
Hot plates are nice and hot
And ready for us to use
After mixing our chemicals together
We sit it on the hot plate to warm
While we just sit and wait
We write down an observation or two
Come on let’s go to the lab and
Mix chemicals together with you
We’ll be having a fun time
In chemistry class today
It’s turning out to be
A very exciting day
We’ll be mixing and observing
Until it’s time to stop
In the lab where things
Boil over and foam up
Up, up, up!
There’s so much more that we can learn
Than meets the eye
When we pass around the beaker
And the foam will rise
It will really be a magic trick
Right there before my eyes
These magical things
Are the things
I’ll remember the rest of my life
This article was originally published in the New Bern Sun Journal on December 25, 2019.