By Ally Marotti;

W

hen John Stevens was told tickets to the debate between Bill Nye the Science Guy and the founder of the Creation Museum were sold out, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“(I said,) ‘This is wrong. We should be able to see Bill Nye,’” said Stevens, a science teacher at the Schilling School for Gifted Children. “I went to the site … and called up the agent.”

Nye is scheduled to debate evolution vs. creationism Tuesday with Creation Museum founder Ken Ham. The 900 $25 tickets sold out in minutes, so Stevens called Nye’s agent and arranged for him to stay an extra day.

Now Nye is scheduled to speak to a crowd of about 500 – many of which include Schilling students and their parents – Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Schilling School on Cornell Road in Sycamore Township.

“This is our 17th year and we have certainly had wonderful guest speakers and panel discussions and so forth,” said founder Sandra Schilling. “But in terms of a nationally known celebrity, this is our first one and we are very very excited about it.”

Nye’s appearance will last about an hour, Stevens said, then he will catch his plane out of town. Nye will give a talk and answer questions. Discussion will focus on staying in school and the importance of pursuing scientific careers, but other topics will remain on the table.

“If there’s an opinion, I’m not really going to censor him,” he said. “The world needs scientists in the future, so let’s talk about the world and all the good things you can do.”

Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 the day of the event and can be purchased in the Schilling School office from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Only cash and checks are accepted.

Stevens said the event doubles as a fundraiser. Schilling, a private school for gifted students with about 50 students enrolled, charges tuition. Proceeds from the fundraiser will help gifted students who cannot afford to pay tuition.

“There’s a ton of gifted kids in the area, but not all of them have the financial means to go to a gifted school,” he said. “Anything we make that day we can kind of help them out … you can have some fun and do some good with it.”

Stevens originally wanted to take his 27-year-old nephew, who grew up watching Nye’s television show, to the debate. The way students learn and gather knowledge has changed since his nephew was in school, but Stevens – who also teaches computer science, reading, social studies and language arts – knew hearing Nye speak would be a great opportunity for the students in his K-12 school.

Teachers often use YouTube videos featuring Nye in their lesson plans, Stevens said. The school science fair is scheduled for next week, a subject in which many of the students excel.

And although the names of many famous scientists would be lost on some of Stevens’ fifth through eighth graders, they all seemed to know Nye.

“I did a little survey (in a class of a dozen students). I said, ‘Stop for a second … raise your hand if you’ve heard of Bill Nye,’” Stevens said. “Boom. Twelve hands went up.”

When Stevens made the announcement that Nye would be coming, he said not a student was left in their seat.

“They were just blown out of their chairs,” he said. “It’s a really great opportunity for them to get to see someone they really normally only get to see on TV or online.”

For more information, visit the school’s website or call 513-489-8940. Officials from the Creation Museum did not return requests for comment Monday. ¦