Fourth graders Amy Schmit and Dena Gabriel from Denair Academic Avenues will build straw bridges and figure out ways to drop eggs without breaking them in under 20 minutes in preparation for the 16th Annual Elementary Science Olympiad.

This year’s Olympiad, which will take place today at Hickman Elementary School, will attract over 300 elementary school children from throughout the region to participate in events which include bridge building, can race, straw egg drop and water rockets.

“The girls have been preparing for this event since November and work well as a team,” said D2A science teacher Tamara Sondeno. “Whether they place in the competition or not, I couldn’t be happier for them because they are having fun while learning about science.”

Despite being the two youngest contestants in the competition, Gabriel and Schmit are hoping for a big win. They will be working together during the joint venture event where they will have to identify various organisms in marine biology and depict currents and types of waves during the oceanography portion.

“We took a lot of notes during class to make sure we were prepared for the event,” said Gabriel. “I think the hardest part out of the whole event will be the egg drop portion. We are given 20 straws and we have to build a shield in less than 20 minutes. We’ve practiced for months and we hope to be successful.”

Other schools slated to participate today will be Walnut Elementary and Dennis Earl in Turlock. An awards ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the Hickman School lawn.

“ My goal for this competition is to have my students to love science and fun doing it, no matter the outcome,” Sondeno said.