Published: May 04, 2023
On Thursday, April 13, 250 fourth and fifth graders from West Bank Jefferson Parish Public Schools attended the Cornerstone Chemical Company and the New Orleans Saints' Second Annual STEM Rally at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. This year's attending West Bank Jefferson Parish Public Schools included:
Following a brief address from Matt Rhea, Saints Director of Sports Science, students prepared for the event with warm-ups and stretches led by the Saints Cheer Team and Sir Saint before dividing into smaller groups to start the STEM station rotation. At the end of the event, students were sent home with a Make Your Own Paint kit and STEM-inspired coloring sheets to continue their learning well after leaving.
Employees of Cornerstone and the New Orleans Saints led engaging physical activities at six STEM education stations, including:
When the football spins around the x-axis, or horizontal axis, it keeps the ball on its path.
- Fun Fact: Spinning the ball, or adding angular momentum, keeps the ball from tumbling wildly and provides additional aerodynamic forces for a straight flight.
When a player puts a spin on a football as they throw or kick it, the spin creates airflow over the ball as it travels, reducing drag and the effects of air resistance. Spin also helps counter the impact of gravity, which is always trying to pull the ball to the ground.
When players catch a football, their fingers, wrists, and arms act as shock absorbers by decelerating the ball gradually and minimizing impact.
Also, gloves with a neoprene sticky cover help grip the football better.
The amount of force and placement in a kickoff will determine how far and in what direction the football can travel.
- Force: A push that acts upon an object to speed up or change its direction or a pull that causes an object to slow down its motion.
Shoulder pads play an important role in protecting the player's body. Pads protect the shoulders during forceful tackles and absorb the shock of impact through deformation.
Deformation allows the pads to distribute the shock of the tackle through a larger area, so there is less pressure on the point of impact.
The engineering and design of sports equipment keep players safe and playing at the top of their game.
- Air bladder: The air bladder is located on the inside of the helmet and softens the impact of a hit on the head. Players inflate the air bladder in their helmets to customize the fit and minimize the transfer of impact through the helmet.
Focus on speed — Linemen tend to be slower than backs and receivers, and they often have larger bodies. This means their bodies have more inertia.
- Fun Fact: Inertial mass is the more correct term but might be confusing, so keep it as "inertia." When talking about a football game, these terms are interchangeable.
Both Cornerstone and the New Orleans Saints champion local education and join twice a year to host reading and STEM education rallies for the Jefferson Parish Public School System. In hosting the STEM Rally, Cornerstone welcomes the young minds of Jefferson Parish and the surrounding communities to embrace their future potential in the exciting world of science.
"The kids are really enjoying it. This opens them up to science and shows them that science can be fun. Science IS fun!" said William Briscoe, PE Teacher at Johnson Gretna Park Elementary.
"Today was a very fun-filled activity but geared toward STEM, which gets them to understand the game of football is not just a sport, it's science!" said Telia Guy, 3rd and 4th Grade Math and Science Teacher at Cherbonnier Elementary.
Jefferson Parish School Board Members Michael Pedalino (District 6), Steven Guitterrez (District 9), and Vice President Derrick Shepherd (District 5) were also in attendance. "Revolving around STEM, this is jobs, this is careers that kids are going to be exposed to for later on that they can learn about, get active about and have a great time learning about STEM activities and the STEM opportunities for them," said former science teacher and School Board Member Steven Guitterrez.
A proud partner of the New Orleans Saints, Cornerstone Chemical demonstrates our commitment to our community through educational programs that are making a difference in the lives of the next generation. Whether it's our reading rallies or our Cornerstone scholarship funding STEM higher education, we believe in doing our part to bolster tomorrow's workforce and create a lasting impact on our community along the way.
For more information about Cornerstone, read about our involvement in the New Orleans and Louisiana communities, or contact us directly today.