Hill student geologists (l-r): Ryan Strassner, Michael Vandetta, Patrick Kiesow, Liliya Grego, Emily Vergari.The Fred Hill School has a new student -created display of mysterious crystals and dazzling natural artwork of the wonders of what time, heat and pressure can create. Agate geodes, amethysts, a pipestone bear carving, garnet, and borax crystals glisten under high intensity, low energy light emitting diodes. Over the last two years, students of the Rocks and Minerals group have been collecting specimens, learning about their structure and classifying their collection based on the Dana/Strunz classification system. This year the young geologists took their work to a new level under the tutelage of mentor Karen Rakoski, lapidarist; Hollis Heinzerling; and world renowned mineralogist William Pinch. One of Pinch’s former collections can be seen at the Canada Museum of Nature. Students visited his home in Pittsford on a Saturday afternoon to tour his current collection.
Students were amazed with Mr. Pinch’s collection.
“His whole basement is like a rock museum!” said Emily Vergari. Ryan Strassner explained that one of the more interesting specimens in the collection is a one-of-a-kind mineral known as Pinchite, which Mr. Pinch discovered and named in 1974. Liliya Grego described the Pinch collection in one word: “Awesome!”
The students were able to follow up with Pinch during the recent Rocks and Minerals show at the Dome in Rochester. Students traded with and bought specimens from collectors gathered from around the world.
