Student contest

Unfortunately, the 2003 student songwriting contest suffered from a paucity of entries. Nevertheless, we would like to acknowledge the following submitted songs....

Solar System Rap: Celebrate!

Tune: Celebration
From: Kool & The Gang

By Andrew and Joshua
Belvedere Middle School
Los Angeles, CA

We're going around a system that is solar.
With planets shaped like the ball of a bowler.
We're going to where you can see in Hubble.
And my fee is non-negotiable.

Mercury in size is #8.
All in all, I think that's great.
It takes 88 days to orbit the sun.
And it's planet #1.

Venus has clouds you can't explore.
They're filled with H2SO4.
It always spins in retrograde.
That fact has some people dismayed.

Earth is the planet on which we reside.
You won't freeze and you won't be fried.
The average temp is 72 Fahrenheit.
Now on to Mars, where freeze you might.

Mars is known for the God of war.
From Mercury to Pluto, it's #4.
There is no one living there,
Due to the fact that there's no air.

Jupiter in moons has 40 complete.
(I'm just getting started. Stay in your seat.
Jupiter is full of colored gas.
And if you'll pass, you'll freeze, freeze, freeze.

Saturn in size is #2.
And its rings are really cool.
It has 30 moons. Yes, it's true.
You know that I wouldn't lie to you.

Uranus is named for the God of the Skies.
Voyagers 1 and 2 did a fly-by.
Uranus is a little blue and green.
It's the methane gas. You know what I mean.

Neptune's rings go left and right.
They're there all day and night.
The temperature's minus 260 degrees.
If you went there, you would freeze.

The planet, Pluto, is really cold,
Named for the God of the Underworld.
The planet Pluto has one small moon.
You know that I wouldn't lie to you.

Now we're back at Belevedere.
Our trip to the planets took us less than a year.
We think outer space is really cool.
So you gotta go there. Don't be a fool.

Solar System Rap: More, More, More

Tune: More, More, More
From: Andrea True Connection

By Kimberly, Elena, Letty, and Nancy
Belvedere Middle School
Los Angeles, CA

Listen everybody, this is Kimberly.
We're gonna rap astronomy, my friends and me.
We're taking a trip around the solar system,
So hurry up - you'll get some wisdom.

It's the closest to the sun,
Mercury is planet number one.
Solar wind made Mercury small.
It became the second smallest of them all.

Venus has a thick atmosphere.
Its days are longer than its year.
It's the hottest of them all.
Venus has no moons at all.

This planet is known for human life.
It has water, steam and ice.
Planet Earth has breathable air,
And is protected by the ozone layer.

Mars is named for the God of War.
Viking and Rover did explore.
There was evidence of water here.
Mars has a very thin atmosphere.

Jupiter has many layers of gas,
And it rotates very fast.
Jupiter is the biggest of them all,
But its core is very small.

Saturn's size is number two,
Explored by Voyagers One and Two.
Cassini will send pictures for us to see.
The temperature is minus 220 degrees.

Uranus is the Greek God of Sky.
Stick around and I'll tell you why.
Its atmosphere is full of methane gas.
We learned that in Del Monte's class.

Neptune is named for the God of the Sea.
It's all blue, as you can see.
Neptune's Great Dark Spot is no more,
And its size is number four.

This planet has not yet been explored.
Pluto is named for the underworld lord.
Charon is the name of Pluto's only moon,
But it won't be explored anytime soon.

Now we're back in East L.A.
We heard the Shuttle was lost that day.
We dedicate our rap to those astronauts.
We hope you're at peace - and thanks a lot.

Ele-Mant!

Tune: I Will Survive
From: Gloria Gaynor

By Geoff Teater
Beech Grove High School
Beech Grove, IN

There was once a man who loved chemistry.
He even loved his dear teacher, Miss Grizzlety.
She gave out tons of homework.
Boy, did he love that, too!
Elements, compounds and equations
Were going through his head like one big zoo.

There was one thing he didn't like,
One thing he couldn't clench.
He just couldn't grasp
And get all those elements.

When he walked down the hall,
And stepped into class,
And to the teacher he said,
"Chemistry is one big blast!"

The teacher started singing,
And then she started to dance.
Elements are fun, just give them a chance.
He walked home from school.
He jumped his normal fence.
He just couldn't stop thinking
About those 109 elements!

Chorus:

Elements are fun.
Elements are fine.
All of them, including numbers 1 to 109!
They tell you all the traits,
And with whom they can mate.
Just look to the table; It's easy and it's great!

From Hydrogen to Radon,
And the others he thought were dumb.
Atomic numbers, masses, and symbols
Were pounding in his head like one big drum!
The protons equal the atomic number, which are in the nucleus.
They can be a hassle and they can be a fuss.
Always take your time
And read the number right.
Your quiz and test scores will be a pretty sight!

Elements are pure,
Which means they are the same throughout.
The boy is starting to clear his doubts.
They are grouped by atomic number,
And their special mass allotted.
If you can remember these, any elements can be spotted.

Half Chorus:
Elements are fun.
Elements are fine.
All of them including numbers 1 to 109!

If its groups equal columns
And the periods equal rows,
Just look to the creator
Dmitri Mendeleev knows!

The student now knows elements
Even better than before.
He loves to study them,
When we comes through that classroom door!

Thank You, Chlorophyll!

Original tune and lyrics by Louis B. Yoelin

Columbia College
Chicago, IL

(verse 1)
Oh, chlorophyll, you feed me,
Even if it's indirectly.
We would not exist. Photosynthesis
Is what we need to live.

(verse 2)
The chlorophyll takes sunlight,
Changes it to food for plant life.
We would not exist. Photosynthesis
Is what we need to live.

(chorus)
The sun shines down,
Absorbing through the leaves.
This energy is used to feed the trees,
And all the plants, then all the ants
And all the animals.
They eat the plants, then do a dance
To thank the chlorophyll.

(verse 3)
The nature of this function
Allows everyone a luncheon.
We would not exist. Photosynthesis
Is what we need to live.

(repeat chorus)
(guitar solo)
(repeat chorus)

And every animal
From here to Istanbul,
We thank you, Chlorophyll!

* * * * *

The links below lead to results from previous contests....

2002 winners

2001 winners

2000 winners