Students Explore Science At ESU 8 Olympiad Event In Neligh

Will it sink or float? Neligh-Oakdale sixth grade students Adan Schindler and Meredith Wiseman watch closely to see if a piece of candy will sink or float in the water-filled aquarium. The experiment was one of the stations at the ESU 8 Elementary Science Olympiad held in the Neligh American Legion Friday.

Will a bowling ball float in a small, water-filled aquarium?  Yes, it will.

This surprised the students who participated in the first-ever ESU 8 Elementary Science Olympiad in Neligh on Friday.

More than 60 elementary students from a dozen schools, including all five in Antelope County, explored science through hands-on experiments in the Neligh American Legion Hall.

Heidi Rethmeier, ESU 8 staff developer, said they plan to make it an annual event.

"There just weren't many hands-on and explorative events for science," Rethmeier said.

She said staff developers from ESU 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 10 created the stations by modifying activities from the Science Olympiad, which is a competitive event.

"We hope this creates more interest in science, and when these students get into high school, they may be interested in competing in a Science Olympiad," Rethmeier said.   

Students teamed up in pairs and took turns interacting at eight stations: catapults, straw tower, sink or float, clay boats, estimania, mystery boxes, picture this and write it/do it.

At the end of the event, Dr. Jenny Melander from UNL led a science extension activity.

Schools participating in the event were: Clearwater-Orchard, Elgin Public, Elgin St. Boniface, Elkhorn Valley, Madison Elementary, Madison Middle, Neligh-Oakdale, Norfolk St. Paul Lutheran, Osmond, Pierce Zion Lutheran, Stanton and West Holt.