CHARLOTTESVILLE — A team of 10 fourth- and fifth-graders from Eastern Hancock Elementary School recently earned second place in the state during an elementary Science Bowl competition.
The Indiana Association of School Principals, in conjunction with Purdue University, developed an online-based Science Bowl competition, which allowed more than 100 teams of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to compete without meeting in one location.
The online-based test this year was on the topic of simple machines, which students learned wasn’t that simple, said Lauri Johnson, EH science team sponsor. Practice test questions quizzed students on types of machines like pulleys, wheels and axles, levers and more, as well as how those kinds of simple machines can be combined to make more complex contraptions.
Johnson, an eighth-grade science teacher, had worked with the team since the beginning of December to teach them the information, which they picked up quickly. The test was administered in late January, she said. The Eastern Hancock School Board, at its most recent meeting, honored the students and handed out their plaque from school principals association.
Students on the team are: Sophie Hardin, Olivia Aurs, Craig Fisher, Conner Wittgren, Eli Manship, Lainey Sutton, Lilli Maxwell, Sydney Johnson, Garrett Bridges and Leah Marovec.
Johnson praised her team, who she said was not only state runner-up in their division, but scored fourth-highest among all teams across the state. The team has a history of scoring well; last year, they were state champions, said Eastern Hancock Elementary School Principal Amanda Pyle.
Pyle said she was impressed by the knowledge of the team. She was present for part of the tests they took, and the questions on the three tests were challenging.
“I think it’s really cool kids are willing to spend the time and energy on this kind of thing,” she said. “It’s exciting to see kids really willing to pour themselves into difficult material. Just to see them be so motivated, it’s really refreshing.”
