The students spent time in the schoolyard and around trees to locate cicada holes.

"We were able to find a lot of holes around pine trees located on the school property,'' said Brady.

Students used a plaster mix to pour into the tunnels. After sitting for two days, the mix hardened. Students then used a garden trowel to dig up the plaster.

It was a chance to see a model of the tunnel where the cicadas began the life cycle, and the enlarged chamber at the end of the cycle after 17 years.

"It gave them a chance to learn and become familiar with cicadas,'' Brady said. "Some of them actually did not believe cicadas came out of the ground. When they actually saw them, they were amazed. A lot of the students have adopted cicadas as pets and given them names.''

Student wins history contest

A Mercy Montessori seventh-grader will represent Ohio at the National History Day Contest in Washington in June.

Taylor Lanton was awarded first place in the Historical Papers category at the state competition in Columbus May 8.

Taylor's 10-page paper, "Brown vs. the Board of Education: Exploring the Path to Equality in Education,'' was judged best among 450 students' entries.

In preparing her paper, Lanton interviewed Mona Bronson, a fifth-grader in 1974 who was part of the lawsuit that would eventually help desegregate Cincinnati Public Schools. She also spoke with Nathaniel Jones, retired federal judge and NAACP volunteer. And she attended a special program on Brown v. Board of Education at Xavier University.

Taylor, 13, is the daughter of Laura Hughes of Pleasant Ridge.

This year's History Day contest drew more than 2,000 entries nationwide.

A million minutes of reading

Students and staff at Dater Montessori School, Westwood, reached a milestone this week.

They reached the "Million Minutes of Reading," a goal set in March.

Mary Shorten, a librarian who launched the program, said participants reached 1,033,829 minutes.

The program was started to promote reading among students and to encourage them to find new ways to have fun while reading, Shorten said.

POSITIVELY KIDS: Earns bachelor's degree

Erin Forbes has earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and sociology from Hope College, Holland, Mich. She is the daughter of Deb and Timothy Forbes of Maineville.

Leadership conference

Bridget Williams and Amy Scherpenberg, students at Indian Hill Middle School, were selected to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington.

They participated in educational activities and presentations led by individuals in high-level positions, as well as by young people who exercise leadership skills within their communities.

Achieves Eagle Scout rank

Joshua Kenney, a member of Troop 710 sponsored by White Oak Presbyterian Church, has achieved the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America: the Eagle Scout award.

For his service project, he built a commemorative brick grill for the 30th Anniversary of Forest Park Baptist Church.Joshua, the son of Barb and David Kenney of Colerain Township, will be a sophomore at Colerain High School.

Wins art contest

Brianne Cornelison, who will be a sophomore at Felicity-Franklin High School, was winner of the Cincinnati Nature Center's Clermont County High School Art Contest.

Her colored pencil drawing of pond life with water droplets, ripples, flowers, lily pads and frogs in a kaleidoscope pattern was featured on the Nature Center's Back to Nature fund-raising gala invitations.

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