MAKING HEADLINES
High school students enrolled
in a Criminal Justice course
traveled to Point Park University to
visit the school’s crime house and
forensic lab. Students were able to
meet and learn from PPU students
and Allegheny County Medical
Examiner Dr. Edward Strimlan. The
day-long field trip gave students
continued
a first-hand look at crime scene
investigation, evidence collection
and analysis and criminal profiling.
Those attending included teacher
Tracy Post and students Jacob Elias,
Devin Howells, Hunter Kephart,
Alexis Kowal, Kellie Lesniak,
Zack Pifer, Michael Smith, Justin
Stengel, and Adam Trombetta.
C ARLYN TON S CH OOL DI STR IC T NE WS
arlynton-Montour
Sixth grade teacher
Bridget Ward and
Rylee Sites watch
as Rylee’s rocket is
propelled into the air.
Lessons about
Newton’s third law
of motion – for
every action there
is an equal and
opposite reaction,
and decoding the
metric system were
just a few exercises
that led to the
Crafton Elementary
sixth grade rocket
launch at Crafton
Sydney Jarvis stirs a mixture of ammonia,
Park. In the
Elmer’s glue, water and food coloring.
weeks preceding,
The rapid stirring of the liquid created a
chemical reaction to form a polymer or
youngsters
putty.
discussed the parts
of a rocket and
then carefully assembled the cardboard models in the
classroom, gluing fins and brushing on paint to give each a
custom look.
On the day of the launch, students eagerly walked to
Crafton Park and were divided into three teams. Rockets
were propelled from a secure launch pad area. The
distance they traveled into the air was tracked with metric
measuring devices and then recovered as it fell to the
earth. The events brought parents and other relatives to
the park to watch a child’s rocket lift, accelerate and zoom
into the sky.
The afternoon al so included a session in chemistry
as students participated in experiments led by Steven
Reinstadtler from Covestro. Under a nearby pavilion,
an activity led by Lab Ratz helped students understand
aeordynamics with the use of air pressure. The lessons
learned on this day will again be discussed and put to test
when sixth graders attend the Challenger Learning Center
in Wheeling, WV later in the year.
54 Carlynton-Montour
Divided into three rotating groups, the tracking team measures the height
each rocket travels into the sky. Tracking a rocket are Victoria McIntyre,
Emily Mankin, Peter Gargis, Sam Moose, Rowen Egenlauf and Garin
O’Leary. Parent Beth Johnson maintain a record of each rocket.