Liberty Hill Science Olympics Reinforces, Reviews Concepts

Winning team watches bridgeLiberty Hill Middle School hosted its annual Science Olympic games Wednesday, providing a memorable review of science concepts heading into the final seven weeks of the school year.

 

For eighth-graders in particular the six preliminary science events and culminating STEM challenge help review for the state STAAR test for science.

 

A total of 90 students – 30 per grade level – participated in groups with grade-level peers and competed as teams.

 

Science teachers awarded medals to the first, second, and third place team members within each grade level.

 

Eighth-grade science teacher Robert Roemer announced that one of the eighth-grade teams, the one that won the grade level competition, also won the STEM challenge.

 

The team made a bridge out of a foam cup, 12 straws and a piece of masking tape that held 421 pennies before collapsing.

 

Eighth-graders Aaliyah Lee and Arnaldo Gener explained their engineering design process that won the event.

 

They figured out that cutting and bundling the straws reinforced the bridge strength and promoted greater balance. “I was surprised it held that many pennies,” said Lee.

 

Designing straw bridgeLondyn Perez-Miles, an eighth-grader on the third-place team said her team worked well together to come up with an effective design.

 

“We wanted to figure out how to make it more sturdy,” she said, explaining that the team wanted the cup to balance and stay in one place.

 

The day of science was a good review.

Liberty Hill Science Olympics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It helped me refresh my mind from what we learned in the beginning of the year,” said Perez-Miles. “We also had fun.”

 

“I liked it,” said Gener. “I liked being in groups and spending time with people I don’t usually talk to and just being with everyone.”

 

Roemer said the morning science stations allowed students a broad review of various skills.

 

“The STEM project is what we really like,” he said. “That gives students a chance to work collaboratively in teams on a big project.”

 

“That’s what challenges their thinking and gives them a chance to work together,” he said.

 

The teams received the challenge to build a bridge with specific parameters. The teams spent about 40 minutes designing, testing, and making adjustments to their bridges.

 

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