Our own little Tommy Moody was featured in the Billings Gazette for his science project on the strength of paper towels.

From the Billings Gazette…

Before the Highland Elementary gym became a lunchroom Tuesday, it was crowded with young scientists for the annual science fair.

The event is something Tommy Moody, 8, wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to do. He’s a special-needs student in one of the self-contained classrooms at the school, and standing in front of his display with his fifth-grade “buddies,” he couldn’t be still for a second and could hardly speak.

His attention flipped from the three-sided display to a yellow ball being caught in a rolled-up room divider hanging from the ceiling. Then, just as quickly, his pointing arms were wrapped around Kathleen Herbert, 11, his “big buddy.”

“He’s happy all the time,” said Ben Bruner, 11.

The science fair paired students in Darla Williams’ fifth-grade class with special-needs students in Grace Katolas’ Life Skills class. Katolas’ students range in age from 6 to 9, and this is the first time students in both classes have worked together on science projects.

“We would never be able to do this without the buddies,” Katolas said.

Bruner and Herbert helped Moody with the project by testing the strength of different brands of paper towels. They weighted the wet paper towels with pennies until they tore. Herbert and Bruner applied the scientific method to the project, and Moody did much of the assembly of the display, coloring, cutting and gluing.

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