SANDPOINT — Sparks flew, reactions simmered and fireballs erupted in the Sandpoint High School gym Friday during the annual Science Circuit hosted by the school’s upperclassmen. 

During the event, 125 SHS students enrolled in honors-level physics, chemistry and anatomy and physiology courses showcased scientific phenomena including electric currents, Newton’s laws of motion and ferrofluids to fifth and sixth graders from schools across the district. 

At one station, high schoolers demonstrated the conservation of angular momentum with a bicycle wheel and a low-friction turntable. Participants stood on the turntable and held the spinning wheel using two handles attached to its hub. When they rotated the wheel left or right, they found their whole body rotating on the turntable in order to compensate for the wheel’s change in angular momentum.

At another station, junior Logan Lindley showcased combustion with a “whoosh bottle.” By shaking up a small amount of alcohol in a large empty water jug, Lindley caused the liquid to evaporate and mingle with oxygen in the container. When a heat source was introduced, the mixture ignited and sent a blue flame up the column, releasing carbon dioxide gas and leaving behind a small amount of water in the jug. 

To encourage engagement at the event, SHS assistant principal Kari Granier said that grade schoolers who asked a presenter “an inquisitive question” received a stamp on a paper passport. Once they collected eight stamps, a student could enter their name for a chance to win one of a collection of prizes curated by staff, which included science kits, T-shirts, books and other goods. 

SHS teacher and event organizer Corey Johnson said the event helps elementary students by shaking up the usual rhythm of classroom instruction and giving them a chance to learn something from older peers. 

For the participating high schoolers, the Science Circuit represents an opportunity to get creative and delve deeply into a subject of interest; Johnson said the students were allowed to select their own topic as long as it pertained to the principles they were learning in class. 

By presenting to both adult community members and grade schoolers roaming the gym, the high schoolers not only shared their expertise, but also came to better understand their topic themselves. 

“We learn the best when we're able to teach others, especially at different age groups,” Johnson said. 

Many of the event’s presenters, Johnson noted, attended past Science Circuits when they were elementary students and found themselves encouraged to pursue a greater understanding of the phenomena around them. 

“Here they are, five or six years later; now they’re on the other side of the table,” he said. “I think that's neat for a lot of our older students.”