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Ugly Bug Contest

The Oklahoma Ugly Bug Contest is hosted by the Oklahoma Microscopy Society and is a statewide competition for elementary schools to find the "ugliest" or most unique bug native to Oklahoma. Last year and this year Casady fourth graders have participated in the contest, working with their families to locate the ugliest bug that they can find.
"The purpose of having students do the contest is to have an understanding of the relationship amongst organisms and how they interact in their ecosystem," said Mrs. Meredith Mayernik, who has organized and run the competition in the fourth grade the past two years. 
 
The rules for the contest are clear:
  • The bug submitted must be native to Oklahoma.
  • Spiders and scorpions (arachnids) are not allowed to be submitted to ensure students are safe while in search of the perfect insect.
  • Winning schools at the state level are awarded a stereo microscope equipped with a camera.
Casady fourth graders spent the past month searching for the perfect bug to bring and submit for our internal contest this year. Once all the bugs had been collected they were put on display in the Lower Division Common Room for the rest of the division to see and vote for their favorite bug. Casady's contest was to determine which bug would be submitted for the state competition.
 
This year, Mrs. Mayernik set up an easy, touch-free voting system. Each bug had its own QR code that students were able to scan with their iPads to vote. It made for a quick, easy process that allowed the whole building to get involved!
 
"I wanted students to have the opportunity to get out and observe the bug world around them and see bugs in their natural habitats, and just have fun," Mrs. Mayernik said.
 
This year's top three bugs in the Lower Division were:
  1. Briley Edgmon's female Rhinoceros Beetle
  2. Abigail Jacob's centipede
  3. Isaac Heidebrecht's grasshopper
Briley's beetle will advance to the state competition and represent Casady!
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Casady School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory, Episcopal day school serving students in pre-k-12. Educating Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Casady School is a PreK-12, independent, college preparatory Episcopal day school committed to deeper-level learning. Casady School welcomes a student body that reflects the diversity of the world around us and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletics, and other school-administered programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School.