STANWOOD — Talk about efficient.

Elementary students from across the Stanwood School District designed dragsters, built bridges and constructed rockets Monday — all before lunch.

The Stanwood High School Technology Student Association welcomed more than two dozen third- through fifth-graders for the day, helping them explore math and science through hands-on projects.

It was a chance for the older students to become teachers.

Taryn Hynek, 17, a junior, said it was odd sitting beside students half her age and seeing how she used to act.

“They were a lot smarter than I thought they were going to be,” she said. “I was really amazed how smart they are.”

Kevin Kline, a senior and the president of the high school’s technology student association, reached a similar conclusion.

“They knew about aerodynamics and streamlining,” he said. “I didn’t know they would know that. I was impressed.”

The fifth annual Technology and Engineering Day gave the high school students a chance to raise money for upcoming technology competitions through the $25 registration fee.

The younger students were able to learn about structural design, vehicle design and problem-solving skills. It also gave some of them a place to go while their parents were at work on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Ross Short, who teaches architecture and engineering design at the high school, hopes the older students learned a lesson from the younger ones.

When given a task, the youngsters stayed focused and worked quietly, he said with a laugh.

“They don’t really talk while they are working,” said Michael McCune, 16, a sophomore. “It’s kind of weird.”

The morning was spent designing and building and the afternoon was a chance to test their products.

Bridges were constructed with toothpicks, wooden skewers and gum drops. More than half the 51/2 pounds of gum drops mysteriously disappeared during the construction phase while students learned concepts about forces and strength.

While students worked on their bridges and rockets, the cars they designed were manufactured using a laser engraver. In the afternoon, the cars were raced, propelled by carbon dioxide cartridges.

Alex Kelley, 11, a fifth-grader, said he enjoyed his day at the high school, particularly designing a car and building a rocket.

“I really liked working on the blueprints, but the rockets are awesome,” he said, puffing through a cylinder that lifted his rocket to the ceiling of the high school library.

Braeden Hood, a third-­grader from Cedarhome Elementary School, was eager to see how his birch plywood car would look and perform.

“I have never made a car like this before,” he said.

Short, the teacher, said the day was about more than science.

“It is also a chance for them to work with kids and how rewarding it can be to help their community,” he said.

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or e-mail stevick@heraldnet.com.