VALLEY – Most people are familiar with the Jeff Foxworthy television show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth-Grader?” But based on the results of audio-visual projects recently completed by students at Lafayette Lanier Elementary School, you might find that question difficult to answer.

A group of 10 fifth-graders applied what they learned in the classroom about graphic sources to create impressive displays of photos, videos, graphs and charts that brought history to life. One of the projects involved a complete account of the Titanic, the infamous cruise ship that struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sunk, despite claims by structural engineers that the vessel was “unsinkable.”

Students used sources of information through the internet to research the tragedy and documented their findings in a Powerpoint demonstration, complete with photos, graphs and historical data.

A second team of students chose to research the history of their school, constructed in 1935 through proceeds donated by the man for whom the school is named. The project actually began with the origin of Langdale Mill, the first of several textile manufacturing facilities throughout the Greater Valley Area that would later become West Point Pepperell. Photos were used to illustrate their historical research, including the Cotton Duck kindergarten, Langdale Auditorium, Sears Memorial Hall and the long-gone Langdale pool.

A third team distributed Google surveys to their fellow students to find out what they liked most about their school and things they would like to see added to the curriculum. Based on the responses provided, the team created graphs and charts to reflect the collected data. Results showed that the current favorite subject is science.