Woodville fourth-graders present Design Lab "sanctuary" projects; Highlands dance team honored ahead of nationals

Fourth-grade students from Woodville Elementary presented an engineering project developed through a partnership with Design Lab, describing how they designed and will build "sanctuary" models from recycled materials and share them at a public exhibit in Newport later this year.

Teacher Alison Roger introduced the presentation, saying Design Lab pairs schools with engineers and architects who volunteer locally. Students described learning objectives that included understanding structural elements (trusses, levers, pillars), sustainability (recycling, solar panels, rain barrels), budgeting for materials and collaborating in teams.

One student summarized the project theme: "The theme for this year's engineering project is sanctuary. To me, the sanctuary [is a] quiet place for you to hang out," and explained that the class will use cardboard, pipe cleaners, 3D-printed pieces and other recycled materials to build models.

The project will culminate with classroom voting and a representative project from each room exhibited at an exhibit in Newport on the levee, where students will stand with their projects and present their work.

In a separate recognition, the board honored the Highlands dance team and coach Ashley Releski for back-to-back state championships in palm and strong national finishes; the coach said the group has worked hard and will travel to nationals in Florida.

Why it matters: The Design Lab partnership brings local engineering volunteers into classrooms and gives students hands-on STEM experience and a public platform for their work. The dance recognition highlights extracurricular achievement and student engagement outside the classroom.

Next steps: Students will continue design work over several weeks, prepare models from household recyclable materials and participate in the Newport exhibit; the dance team will compete at nationals this coming weekend.