By Daily Press staff
A team of fourth and fifth graders from Webster Elementary School won first place in the Los Angeles County Science Olympiad.
For the first time ever, elementary school teacher Victoria Winokur entered a team of fifteen children to compete against 39 other schools last month at the California State University - Northridge.
The groups had been preparing for the competition for the past three months, meeting once a week at lunch and working in teams of two on their own after school.
For the competition, students had to invent a container to protect an egg when it is dropped from a two-story height, build a catapult that will sling a rubber band to a target 25 feet away.
They also had to construct a vehicle out of pasta that would be able to move down a ramp and across the floor without falling apart and make a container that would keep a certain item at a consistent temperature.
Students also had to memorize facts about insects, the eco-cyle of a pond, and demonstrate an understanding of electricity.
Each project and area of knowledge was judged, and students were awarded points based on their success.
Students participating in the science Olympiad were: Morgan Adams, Greg Lieberman, Sam Block, Jack Pfeiffer, Christie Brydon, Emily Rodriguez, Colin Cadarette, Sam Rubinriot, Athena Denos, Jenna Sherry, Kendall Follert, and Jesse Simmons-Dial.
The alternatives were Olivia Pepper, Searra Silverberg, and Isabel Smith.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2002. Read the original PDF.