Fifth-grade students at Southeast Elementary were the first in the district to be presented with an "Offshore Wind Workshop" courtesy of the New York Power Authority. Representatives from the group were present at the school on Oct. 4 and held their presentation in the gymnasium.

The students learned about renewable forms of energy such as wind power as well as the concept of buoyancy and density, all under the watchful eyes of their science teachers and members of the administration. After the lecture, the students worked in teams to create a wind turbine using test tubes, tape, marbles, pennies, and an actual scale wind-maker to float in a bucket of water and show the concept of "neutral buoyancy."

All of the groups were successful in completing the challenge after exhibiting levels of teamwork and collaboration to properly weigh down the test tubes to create a buoyant wind turbine.