Lowellville students compete in physics Olympics

By SARAH LEHR

slehr@vindy.com

lowellville

Physics and marshmallows may not seem like an obvious pairing, but Lowellville second-grader Laila Stevens learned otherwise Tuesday night.

At a STEM night (science, technology, engineering and math), students such as Stevens got a taste of the sweeter side of Newton’s Second Law of Motion – force equals mass times acceleration.

The students measured the mass of marshmallows and then applied force by blowing air on the marshmallows through a straw.

The event, open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade and their parents, sought to expose students to “21st-century skills” needed for careers in fields such as carpentry, engineering or medicine, K-12 Principal Kristin Sawicki said.

Sawicki emphasized the importance of STEM education, despite the fact that some students may find math or science to be intimidating.

“They give up too soon,” Sawicki said. “It’s about finding multiple ways to think about or solve a problem. There are multiple points of entry.”

Tuesday’s event centered around a “Physics Olympics” theme and included bronze, silver and gold medals awarded at a ceremony.

“The idea is to show students that math and science can be fun,” Sawicki said.

Parents can expose their students to STEM skills simply through casual conversation, Sawicki said.

“It might just be bringing up what they’re learning in class while you’re talking in the car,” Sawicki said. “Or you could ask a question like: ‘How high do you think our ceiling is? How could we measure it?’”

Jordan Nock, a second-grader who said that math is his favorite subject, competed in a homemade javelin-throwing competition. The activity challenged students to create the most aerodynamic javelin possible and gave them an opportunity to hone their measuring skills.

Jordan’s mother, Chrystal, expressed pride at watching her son complete the activity.

“I’m not sure he knew he could do this,” she said. “It’s great to watch him grow.”