Physics Has Its Ups And Downs Regional High School Students Put Their Knowledge, And Stomachs, To The Test At Silverwood

Alejandro Armijo was high on science Tuesday. But only for the blink of an eye.

Then he was lllllooooowww. Then hiiiiigh again.

With a major grin on his face, the Pasco High School student ambled off the Timber Terror rollercoaster at Silverwood Theme Park.

“This is our physics final today,” said Armijo as he clutched a gadget called an accelerometer, which measures the force of gravity. “I’d much rather do this than be in class.”

Nearly 1,000 high school juniors and seniors converged on Silverwood Tuesday for Physics Day, a chance to test their academic skills and kick up their heels. They came from Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia.

Today, students from seventh through 10th grades will be at the amusement park for Science Day.

On both days, there are measuring contests. The physics students calculated, for example, the minimum power needed to lift a fully loaded train to the top of the Timber Terror, and how much heat the train generates in friction.

The younger students will calculate the circumference of a courtyard planter, and the length of the tour train.

This isn’t the first year that Silverwood has invited science teachers to bring their students, offering cut-rate admission.

But it is the first year there’s been a professional curriculum with lessons tailored to this park. In the past, Silverwood could only provide lesson ideas borrowed from other theme parks.

“It wasn’t working,” said Sheila Upshaw, Silverwood’s area sales manager. “The teachers got the curriculum when they got here. It was ‘Here, go do your own thing.”’

That changed after Jerry Logan visited Silverwood last summer. The Eastern Washington University education professor was there with a group of teachers from the Science Adventures program, which he directs.

He asked Upshaw if she had a curriculum to give him. She said no. Then, in September, she called to ask: “Would you like to come up with one?”

Two EWU master’s students, Pat Daisley and Phil Gelinas, actually wrote the lesson plans.

“They’re very innovative guys,” said Logan.

Gelinas said it took him five weeks to pull together the Science Day curriculum. On Tuesday, he supervised the catapult contest.

Using a variety of handmade contraptions, students competed to launch a chalky tennis ball. The goal was a direct hit on a line 15 meters away; success was gauged by the chalk mark left behind.

To do that, the students had to match the length of the catapult arm in relation to the coiled energy source, such as springs or bungy cords.

A team of Sandpoint students dubbed their catapult “the beast.” It featured a huge wooden frame, PVC pipe and rubber surgical tubing. It even had a sponsor: Lighthouse Dressing.

“Ready, guys?” someone yelled.

Poof, the ball popped out, but fell far short of its mark. There were groans.

“It was all that chalk dust. Had to be,” said student Per Tillisch in the post-play analysis.

Winners in the various contests will each get two free day passes to Silverwood.

She acknowledged that the science days help boost Silverwood attendance as well as provide memorable lessons. The park could hold up to 5,000 students, she said.

Logan imagines corporate sponsors, who will provide scholarships related to the event. He wants to get the curriculum to teachers early in the fall, so they can incorporate the idea into the year’s lessons.

Ritzville High teacher Jim Lynch called Physics Day wonderful.

“It’s a combination of application and recreation,” he said.

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