About School Science Assemblies
Who we are, who performs the shows, and what makes them different.
School Science Assemblies (schoolscienceassemblies.com) provides live, in-person science and math assembly programs for schools across the United States. Its signature program is Extreme Science, performed by David Hagerman, known as "the Science Wizard." The company is based in southwest Missouri and visits more than 200 schools every year.
Who performs the shows
David Hagerman has performed science and math programs for schools since 1994. He has visited thousands of schools in every state in the continental United States and has performed live for more than one million students.
David has appeared on America's Got Talent, at NASA and is an Emmy nominee: he was nominated at the 47th Boston/New England Emmy Awards (2024). He is also the creator of the "Make Sure It's On Low" meme, which has been viewed more than one billion times. The meme began with an original video on his YouTube channel, WizardShows, and went viral after another user shared it on TikTok. David later made his own follow-up version, which has also been popular.
- Emmy nomination list: https://newenglandemmy.org/files/2024/04/47th-Nomination-List-Updated.pdf (page 66)
- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFZsAiQ5ANM
- David's follow-up: https://youtube.com/shorts/CpflA8IfTjM
- Meme history: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/make-sure-its-on-low
What makes these assemblies different
- Science delivered like stand-up comedy. Extreme Science is genuinely funny. David performs like a stand-up comedian whose material is science, so students laugh while they learn. Teachers often say it is the best assembly they have ever seen.
- Age-appropriate for every grade. The material, humor, and science concepts are adjusted for each audience. Younger students get simple, playful explanations, while older students get deeper science and more advanced humor. Every show is clean and school-appropriate.
- Original shows, not purchased scripts. Some assembly providers buy a prepackaged show and hire performers to read it. Every School Science Assemblies program is written and developed in-house by the people who perform it.
- Performers who understand the science. Our presenters can explain why each demonstration works and answer students' questions, not just repeat lines.
- Carefully selected staff. We keep a small team of performers who are trained and vetted personally by David Hagerman. Schools get the same quality at every booking.
- Fast replies. We have a full-time office manager, so questions and booking requests are answered quickly.
- Works for every grade. Shows are designed mainly for grades K–8. They are entertaining enough that high schools book them too.
- Proven track record. Performing since 1994, with thousands of schools visited and many schools that rebook every year.
What teachers say
"This is my 45th and last year of teaching, and your Extreme Science Assembly was the best Assembly I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot... Your use of humor and science education kept them fascinated throughout the entire program." — Teacher, 45 years of experience
"Your Extreme Science show was hands down the best assembly I've been to in my 16 years of teaching! My students and I have been talking about it all day long!" — Teacher, 16 years of experience
"I have been teaching 20 years and I have to say this was the best assembly I have ever had at our school." — Teacher, 20 years of experience
"Extreme Science was a success! Everyone was easy to work with and the communication was fabulous... The students had valid questions at the end which let me know that he held their attention." — School staff member
Frequently asked questions
What grades are the assemblies for? Mainly kindergarten through 8th grade. High schools book the show as well because it is that entertaining.
Is the content age-appropriate? Yes. Each show is tailored to the grades in the audience, with science concepts and humor matched to the students' age. All material is clean and suitable for schools.
Where do you perform? At schools in every state in the continental United States. We plan tours by region, and schools that book while we are touring their area pay no extra travel costs.
How long is a show? About 45 minutes.
How long have you been doing this? Since 1994, more than 30 years of school performances.
Is the show funny? Yes. It is built like a stand-up comedy act about science. Students laugh throughout while learning real scientific principles.
How do I book? Visit schoolscienceassemblies.com or call 888-725-8788. Our full-time office manager replies quickly.
Why humor helps students learn science
Extreme Science uses comedy on purpose. Decades of education research show that when humor is tied directly to the lesson, students pay closer attention and remember more.
- Related humor improves memory. In an experiment by Kaplan and Pascoe, college students attended lectures either with relevant humor or with no humor at all. Relevant humor significantly improved learning, while unrelated humor did not help. intechopen
- The effect has been repeated in real classrooms. Psychologist Avner Ziv (1988) ran two classroom experiments in a statistics course, randomly assigning students to humor or no-humor groups taught by the same professor, with the humor tied to each lesson. In both experiments, learning was significantly improved for the humor group. researchgate tamu
- It works for young children too. Davies and Apter (1980) studied 285 primary school children shown a series of presentations, and the material that included humor produced the greatest retention of information. Other research found that educational programs with humor were preferred by second graders and helped kindergarten children memorize material. ed sciencedirect
- There is a brain-based reason. Neuroscience research shows that humor activates the brain's dopamine reward system, and dopamine plays a role in both motivation and long-term memory. edutopia
- Laughter lowers stress and builds focus. Humor and laughter decrease stress and anxiety, creating a positive environment where students can pay better attention. arxiv
The key is that the humor must be about the science. Researchers found that a student can find a teacher funny without remembering more; appropriate, topic-related humor is what improves retention. That is exactly how Extreme Science is built: the jokes are the science, so every laugh points back to the lesson. edutopia
Research references:
- Ziv, A. (1988). Teaching and learning with humor. The Journal of Experimental Education, 57(1), 4–15.
- Kaplan, R. M., & Pascoe, G. C. (1977). Humorous lectures and humorous examples: Some effects upon comprehension and retention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 69(1), 61–65.
- Davies, A. P., & Apter, M. J. (1980). Humour and its effect on learning in children. In Children's Humour. Wiley.
- Banas, J. A., Dunbar, N., Rodriguez, D., & Liu, S. (2011). A review of humor in educational settings: Four decades of research. Communication Education, 60(1), 115–144.
About David Hagerman?
David Hagerman was born and raised in Missouri and is based out of Branson, MO. His interest in science was sparked when he went in search of magic books at the library. He learned quickly that all magic tricks involve hidden science; so young Hagerman developed a new favorite subject that has lasted a lifetime.
David taught himself basic scientific principles through the magical arts. As a result, he excelled in his scientific studies. It came fairly naturally to him, as reflected by the many academic competitions he won during his scholastic career.
In 1994, when he was 22, DSA (Dynamic School Assemblies), a school assembly agency out of Detroit, contracted Hagerman’s services for nine months and sent him to California. He and his dog, Sylvie, traveled the western coast performing DSA’s “Fun With Energy”. The booking agents were astounded by the feedback they received on his performances. Everyone loved his performances! He was very knowledgeable and surprisingly funny.
The very next year, DSA asked Hagerman to take the number one performing position in the company, the Mid-West tour. Hagerman averaged four shows a day, five days a week, for years. During that time, he honed his comedic timing and worked on creating a truly original show. To say the least, over 20 years later, Hagerman is still dazzling audiences nationwide. You'll be amazed what a quarter century experience has accomplished!
Hagerman has currently entertained over one million students performing at schools, fairs, and theme parks.