Students at Elkhorn South High School took on an elemental task last Friday. The reason? Extra credit. 

On the day known as “Element Day,” students who dressed up as their favorite element from the periodic table received, at the very least, 5 points extra credit in exchange for their efforts. Some students earned as much as 10 points. And the turnout was a massive success. 

Some students simply donned Superman-esc  signs taped to their chest that included the element’s symbol, atomic number, electronic configuration and recurring chemical properties. Others went all out, creating or recycling costumes they then adapted to fit the bill. A banana for Potassium (K.), neon clothes for neon (Ne), an Olympian gold medalist for gold (Au), a jug of milk for calcium (Ca), the list of clever ideas and inventions goes ion and on.  

Junior, Spencer VanDenBroeke dressed as the element Francium (Fr) wearing a striped shirt, red handkerchief, French beret, a curly moustache and of course, a French baguette.

“To make my costume I made a plan of how I wanted the finished product to look, and then I either asked friends if they had different parts of the costume or I just ran to Walmart and bought stuff.” said Spencer “I felt pretty confident in how I did compared to the rest of my peers since I put quite a bit of effort into the look.”

Students and staff members who have not yet experienced the tradition before may have felt some confusion watching The Energizer Bunny strolling down the hallway, but for Elkhorn South Veteran staff and students the day is always a crowd pleaser. 

To some the task may seem physic(s)ally  impossible but for others they were truly in their element so long as they kept their ion the prize. An entertaining and exciting day for chemistry classes, all in the name of science.