Students put arks to the test on the Cibolo
The next time it rains for 40 days and 40 nights, you better have Allie Calamia, Naomi Mack and Ava Garza on speed dial.
The trio built their “ark” out of an egg carton and jumbo wooden craft sticks, resembling very large tongue depressors.
All 44 of St. John's Lutheran School took part, pairing off into 10 teams of ark constructors. Aug. 22 saw the children approach the lowered shores of Cibolo Creek, where School Director Tiffany Jureczki slipped on a pair of tong sandals and inched out into the creek.
“We’ve been reading through the Bible and came to Noah’s Ark, and the kids decided they wanted to build arks,” Jureczki said. “And what better way to see if they float, like Noah’s, than to come down to Cibolo Creek?”
Students have been working on their arks since school began two weeks earlier.
“We put out a plethora of supplies, from pool noodles to milk cartons to cardboard boxes,” she said. “Every ark is different because they made them themselves out of whatever they thought they needed.”
Lisa Moore, St. John’s upper elementary teacher, said this is the first year for the ark-building event.
“We started our school last year and did a lot of different things, but this year we decided to do this as one of our projects,” Moore said.
The school paired off its elementary students, in grades 3-5, with children in their pre-kindergarten classes to encourage cooperation and develop fellowship among students outside their own grade level. First- and second-graders were paired off into teams as well.
On the banks of the Cibolo, each team stepped forth with its “ark-tistic” creation and handed it to Jureczki, who then lowered it into the creek water. A length of ribbon was attached to each so successful arks would not float away.
Garza kept her fingers crossed when their ark was placed in the water. Several seconds later, with the ark still afloat, Calamia hopped and clapped in appreciation.
“We just got some sticks next to each other and taped them,” Garza said, telling how they made their successful, watertight ark. “We had to bend it a little bit. The next day, it fell, but we fixed it.”
Calamia said the team went for some originality. “And we added lots of animals in it,” she said.
When it stayed afloat and after Jureczki reeled it in, they expressed their excitement.
“It felt so good to have some success,” said Calamia, a St John's fourth grader.
“I loved it,” said Garza, a third grader. “I thought it would sink. We covered up the holes, and it worked.”
Of the 10 arks that graced the Cibolo, eight proved sea-worthy, with only two falling over or sinking in the creek. The teams and school look forward to performing the exercise next year.
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