St. Vincent students perform a variety of experiments

SALT LAKE CITY — St. Vincent de Paul School, Salt Lake City, hosted a Utah State University Junior Engineering Day May 3.

Utah State University sponsors the Junior Engineering Day, which is a hands-on interactive program designed to transport engineering, science, and technology to elementary schools. The students enjoyed a variety of experiments which had to do with hydraulics, robots, rockets, earthquakes, waves, Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Gravity, and Red Rover, the National Aeronautics Space Administration’s (NASA) Pathfinder Mission to Mars.

Rhea Hristou, St. Vincent de Paul second grade teacher and Junior Engineering Day coordinator, said all of the experiment modules focused on the Utah State core curriculum standards and objectives. St. Vincent de Paul School teachers and parents were assigned to the various modules and worked with students as they rotated throughout the various experiments.

"Since 1997, over 700 elementary schools have participated in Engineering Day, which has had an impact on over 350,000 students," said Hristou. "According to the National Center of Education Statistics, students retain at least five percent of what they hear, 10 percent of what they read, and 80 percent of what they actually do.

"Junior Engineering Day allows our school to be transformed into a world of fun and exciting possibilities," said Hristou. "Unfortunately this is the last year Utah State University will provide such an opportunity. The university reports they no longer have funding for the program.

"This is the second time in two years we have held Junior Engineering Day at our school," said Hristou. "Prior to the program being held, Utah State University sent us video tapes and allowed us to choose which experiments we would like to do."

Hristou said the students were divided into three groups: kindergarten through second grade, third grade through fifth grade, and sixth grade through eighth grade. Each experiment was geared toward the age and ability level of each group. Parents and volunteers from St. Vincent’s de Paul School’s Hands-on Science Program assisted the students with the experiments.

The experiments were set up in various classrooms as well as outside on the school grounds, in Holy Family Hall, and in the Benvegnu Center. Each student participated in five experiments with each lasting about 45 minutes.