Thrills and Skills at Harrison Intermediate

It was an adrenaline-fueled lesson in sixth-grade science led by Tamesha Booker at Harrison Intermediate.

Using toilet paper rolls, water bottles, and construction paper, the students crafted roller coasters inside pizza boxes to illustrate the concepts of potential and kinetic energy.

Each group’s coaster had to successfully guide a marble through the hills, curves and loops they constructed.

Sixth-graders Dyson Simpson and Jackson Stroud worked together to build their roller coaster.

“The hardest part was the water bottle tunnel,” Stroud said.

“The [second] water bottle was an added part,” Simpson said. “[The marble] kept getting stuck so we had to add another water bottle to make it higher.”

The roller coasters were the first big project of the year for this science class.

“The best part of this class is the teacher,” sixth-grader Shereen Lashing said. “She's nice and makes learning fun.”

Sixth-grader Luerinza Dearborn plans to name his roller coaster “The Heartstopper.” 

“If this was a contest, we might get first place,” Dearborn said.

His partner, sixth-grader Hunter Goreham, is proud of the hard work of his entire class.

“I've seen a lot of others…we might get top 10,” Goreham said.