In May the Campbell Catholic private school team took second place overall in Paramount Great America's Physics, Science and Math Days Model Roller Coaster competition.

Lawrence Smith, Julianna Stefanik, Jennifer Da Rosa and Joey Grammatico won with their entry, The Blue Lagoon, a roller coaster made with plastic tubing. Lawrence, the captain of the team, said the model had four loops and a "big drop" in the middle.

The project was a group assignment from science teacher Bree Loughmann. The students chose an island theme and designed the model. It was Lawrence who took the plans home and built the roller coaster. He was surprised when his team placed second.

The judging criteria included technical merit, theme and creativity, and the most exciting ride.

The St. Lucy team received a high score for "enjoyment" because the judges thought the roller coaster would have been the fun to ride.

Developing an exciting ride was not the only aim of the competition.

Students had the opportunity to use physics, math and science concepts, St. Lucy Parish board member, Karen Kane-Foempe said.

The students experimented with various materials as they crafted their roller coaster model, before settling on plastic, Lawrence said.

Toward the end of May, Great America opened its park on three different non-operating days for middle and high school students and their teachers. Forty schools from the West Coast participated.

During those three days, a model roller coaster competition was featured and the winner of each day was invited back for the final competition on May 20. Finalists were given one week to build their entries. Emphasis was placed on the application of scientific principles, creativity and the use of household materials to build the model.