ELLSWORTH – Ellsworth Elementary students are building bridges – literally and figuratively. A partnership between EES teachers and the Pierce County Highway Department is a win-win. Kids learn about engineering from people actually in the field who use those skills every day, then get to practice what they’ve learned.

EES Stem Coordinator Tami Place said second graders took a field trip to the Pierce County Highway Department Shop in November, while kindergartners ventured there in January.

“Chad (Johnson, Pierce County’s highway commissioner) has been amazing to work with to get everything in place for our students to get hands-on time with what we are learning in class,” Place said. “Chad and his crew brought what the students are learning in class out into the real world. We are definitely excited for next year.”

Second-grade students completed an Engineering is Elementary kit, provided by CESA #11, on building bridges. Second grade teacher Kelly Ebbens said students examined different types of bridges using the kits, including arch bridges, suspension bridges and beam bridges. They also learned about the different parts of a bridge and how a bridge supports weight.

They then worked in small groups to design and build their own bridges using paper, drinking straws, popsicle sticks, tape, index cards and string. Their bridges had to hold weight, allow a car to drive across, and allow a 'barge' to fit underneath, Ebbens said. Once their bridges were complete, they tested to see how many weights (hexagon nuts) their bridge could hold before collapsing. They also used a pullback toy car to test for drivability and a wooden block as a barge to see if it would fit underneath. Then they had to improve their bridge as needed or to hold more weight.

“Our visit to the Highway Shop really allowed students to see how knowledge of bridge parts and testing bridges applied to our local area as well as a potential future career,” Ebbens said. “The Highway Shop guys did such a great job of connecting what our kids were learning to their daily jobs. The students enjoyed seeing their demonstrations, their equipment, and hearing about the work they do to keep our bridges safe for us to use.”

Ebbens said a lot of kids enjoyed seeing the highway department’s equipment and trucks, as well as the staff’s demonstration on how to make and form cement.

'Going to the highway shop was fun, but listening to Chad made me think how hard it is to build a real bridge,” said student Deacon Schriever. “It was cool to learn how to make cement and you need to be smart to build a bridge.'

Other students shared Schriever’s enthusiasm.

'I thought the Highway Shop was great! I really liked learning about the trucks and cement. If I go back again, I'll be excited!' said Ellis Giedd.

'I LOVED the Highway Shop,” Scarlette Kyllo wrote. “Second graders got to learn a lot! We learned a lot about roads, concrete, and tools. Now I can help my dad fix things. Also I want to give a thanks to the Highway Shop!'

Johnson felt his staff enjoyed the experience as much as the kids did.

“The staff at the Highway Department was really creative in preparing for both groups of students, and the students were extremely attentive,” Johnson said. “Our hope is not only that they learned something the day of their visit, but they are more aware of bridges in their community as they travel around in the future.”

The kindergartners’ trip to the highway shop coincided with those classes learning about bridges in their own Engineering in Elementary Science kits. Before their visit, students learned about different bridge types and practiced building bridges with marshmallows and toothpicks.

While at the highway department, kindergarteners learned about how to build a bridge from start to finish. They watched the highway department staff construct a bridge and learned about the abutments, pillars, beams and bridge decks.

“Students took what they learned at the Highway Department and were able to apply their knowledge to construct their own bridge with tape, paper, cups, straws and other various materials,” one teacher said. “Students showed a lot of excitement and perseverance during their bridge engineering process, thanks to being encouraged by the Highway Department staff. EES kindergarten students and staff would love to give a huge shout-out to the Pierce County Highway Department for helping us connect to our community and extend our engineering design process to real life experience!”

“It was interesting to see the big trucks,” said kindergartner Audrey.

Her classmate Jahan said he thought it was fun to learn about bridges.

The EES students and staff would like to thank the Pierce County Highway Shop crew who put this all together: Chad Johnson, Alex Mattys, Elliott Check, Rick Kornmann, Benji Schommer, Gerald Baggenstoss, Brad Taplin and Larry Spindler.

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Ellsworth Elementary second grade classes pose with Pierce County Highway Department members during a November field trip. Photo courtesy of EES

Ellsworth Elementary kindergartners had a chance to visit the Pierce County Highway Department in January. Photo courtesy

Pierce County Highway Department staff teach Ellsworth Elementary students how to apply their acquired knowledge about bridges into actually building a bridge. Photo courtesy of EES