Forty-four students from three local schools spent Wednesday making paper airplanes, building structures out of drinking straws and creating rubberband slingshots.

The kids weren't trying to pass time in class or getting creative at recess. They were trying to win a Science Olympiad.

Fifth- and sixth-graders from Sharon, Farrell and Hermitage competed in 16 events that tested their knowledge of math and science.

"We think this is a good way to get the kids together from other schools and reinforce math and science," said Farrell teacher Dana Adams.

Though the students were having fun, they were also out to win.

Alyssa Dolby and Ellen Anderson, both sixth-graders in Sharon, said they won the rubber-band catapult last year. The girls resurrected their winning model from last year in the hopes it would capture them another first-place win.

Hermitage sixth-grader Chris Hull, who named aerodynamics his favorite event. and math his favorite subject, had two tries to get his paper airplane to soar the farthest.

"It's fun, hard and you actually get some competition," Chris said.

Hermitage sixth-graders John Apa and Matt Baldarelli moved to the aerodynamics event after taking the lead in the barge-building contest. The pair molded a piece of aluminum foil in a barge and filled the vessel with pennies until it filled with water.

Matt and John's aluminum barge held 80 pennies before meeting an end something less traumatic than the sinking of the Titanic.

Farrell fifth-grader Chris McGuckin tried his hand at building a suspension bridge with drinking straws and pins. Students were given only 50 straws and 20 straight pins, and the bridge had to support the weight of a chalkboard eraser.

Hermitage fifth-grader Stacy Sheppard won the coffee-can racer contest. She used a system of rubber bands to wind up her can and sent it rolling 84 feet, 9 inches.

William Palmer and Sal Messina, both sixth-graders at Sharon, gave competitors a run for their money in the Grab-a-Gram contest. Students were required to estimate how much of a given material -- sand, paper clips or pebbles -- would equal 50 grams without exceeding that weight. William and Sal's material fell half a gram short of 50.

Students learned that even music is based on math and science principles. In the Bottle Music competition, students had to tune 11 identical bottles to a C major scale using water. The tuning had to be done by ear. Then they were required to play "My Country Tis of Thee" on the bottles by blowing into them.

Sharon teacher Marlene Weisberg said the 10th annual event is patterned after the Olympic Games; students compete as individuals and in teams, and the students are awarded certificates for first, second and third places.

The competition complements a middle and high school regional Science Olympiad held at Westminster College, New Wilmington, a news release said.

The event was hosted by Pennsylvania State University's Shenango campus in Sharon, and the straws were donated by McDonald's, said Hermitage teacher Nancy Biers.