John Small Elementary School fifth-grade students and their families put on their thinking caps for a Duke Energy Science Night on Monday, as part of the statewide North Carolina Science Festival.

Kathryn Bryant, enrichment teacher at John Small Elementary, said families rotated through 12 stations to watch demonstrations before working with their child to build a working model. More than 100 students participated in the event.

The stations included: Parachutes, Light the Way, Catapults, Pulse-Doh, Ring Gliders, Zip Line, Build-a-Bubble, Invisible Ink, Marshmallow Towers, My Genes Bracelet, Pendulum Patterns and Stomp Rockets, according to Bryant.

Sponsored by the Biogen Foundation, 155 schools across the state were chosen to host a Science Night and participate in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities planned, according to a press release. The Science Night schedule is an offshoot of the larger festival events, most of which are scheduled from April 8-24.

Once selected as a Science Night host via application, each school then received a kit, which included a planning guide, an activity guide, activity materials for up to 200 participants and access to downloadable materials, according to the N.C. Science Festival website. The Duke Energy Foundation funds the kit materials, which were sent out in February.

“The Duke Energy Foundation seeks to power vibrant communities through investments in high-performing, sustainable initiatives that emphasize STEM, including programs that help create greater access to and participation in STEM-related informal and out-of-school educational opportunities,” the release stated.

Bryant said she thinks the students and their families enjoyed the event. A representative from Duke Energy, Buster Allen, also attended and interacted with students at the stations, she said.

Although John Small Elementary would have to apply again to be selected as a host in upcoming years, Bryant said she hopes they will be able to participate again.

“We were excited to have so many families participate. It was even more exciting to watch both the kids and their parents having fun with science concepts,” she said. “The event was a huge success. We’d love to do it again.”