(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring future alums, appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on June 27, 2003)

A dead groundhog, cat and two dogs propelled four Bexley Middle School students to the top of the heap in the Christopher Columbus Awards competition.

The four girls beat out 2,000 other students Wednesday in the national competition, each snagging $5,000 scholarships for their roadkill composting project.

"All of us started bawling; we were so happy," said Friedberg after she and the other three girls returned from Orlando yesterday.

"Everyone at the banquet got up and started cheering and throwing confetti on us."

The girl’s "Now You See It, Now You Don’t" project tested how to compost dead animals into fertilizer without creating foul odors and environmental problems.

Led by Bexley science teacher Jon Hood, the girls composted a dead cat, a roadkill groundhog and two euthanized dogs in various mediums and found that composting in layers of sawdust was a simple, environmentally safe way to dispose of animal carcasses.

The project - one of 2,000 submitted to the competition nationwide - was selected as one of 10 finalists, winning the girls the Disney World vacation. At the resort, the teams presented their projects to a panel of five judges, who determined the winners.

Friedberg said the group hopes to continue the composting project in the coming months.

The competition is held annually to encourage middle-school students to explore scientific solutions to community problems.