Columbia Heights Geography
What major highway in the middle of Columbia Heights?
Central Avenue (or Highway 65).
These massive, spinning towers use engineering to turn blowing wind into clean electricity. What are they called?
Wind turbines.
What simple, invisible gas do humans breathe in to survive, which is happily produced for us by trees and plants?
Oxygen.
The three "R's" of environmental sustainability are Reduce, Reuse, and this third word, which involves turning old plastic bottles into new products.
Recycle.
Minnesota is famously known as the "Land of 10,000" what?
Lakes.
This large lake, shared between Columbia Heights and st Anthony , features a beautiful park, a fishing pier, and a popular walking trail. What is its name?
Silver Lake.
Engineers design these electronic eyes—often called photosensors or light sensors—to do what automatically when someone walks into an empty classroom?
Turn the lights off (or on) to save energy.
When light hits a mirror or a calm surface on Silver Lake and bounces right back into your eyes, what scientific phenomenon is happening?
Reflection.
What is the eco-friendly term for collecting leftover food scraps, fruit peels, and yard waste so they can decompose into rich, natural fertilizer for gardens?
Composting.
What is the official state bird of Minnesota, known for its beautiful black-and-white patterns and haunting calls over northern lakes?
The Common Loon.
Columbia Heights sits inside which Minnesota county?
Anoka County.
Instead of traditional gas engines, modern eco-engineers design vehicles powered entirely by large, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. What are these cars called?
Electric Vehicles (or EVs).
Sound cannot travel through the emptiness of outer space because it requires a medium, like air or water, to do what?
Vibrate (or travel as sound waves).
Coal, oil, and natural gas are energy sources that will eventually run out, making them non-renewable. What do we call resources like sunlight and wind that never run out?
Renewable resources.
What type of severe, rotating storm system can occasionally form during Minnesota's hot summer months, requiring people to seek shelter in basements or interior rooms?
A tornado.
Columbia Heights earned its name because it sits on a high ridge overlooking what massive, historic river to the west?
The Mississippi River.
In precision agriculture, farmers deploy special engineering gadgets into the ground to measure moisture levels so they don't waste water. What are these devices called?
Soil sensors.
Lightning is a massive, natural display of what type of energy?
Electricity (or static electricity).
What is the term for the harmful addition of trash, chemicals, or smoke into our air, land, and water systems?
Pollution.
What is the official street address avenue where Columbia Academy is located?
49th Avenue NE (900 49th Ave NE).
If you walked directly east from Columbia Heights, which neighboring city would you cross into first?
St. Anthony (or New Brighton).
What do we call the architectural practice of designing buildings that use their own solar panels, smart insulation, and efficient systems to generate as much energy as they consume?
Net-Zero (or Zero-Energy) building.
What is the scientific term for the process where a liquid slowly turns into a gas, like a puddle drying up in the school parking lot after a rainstorm?
Evaporation.
What do we call the trap-like effect where certain gases in Earth's atmosphere hold onto the sun's heat, keeping our planet warm enough for life but causing issues when there's too much of it?
The Greenhouse Effect.
When Columbia Academy was originally built back in 1965, it wasn't called the Academy. What was its original name?
Central Middle School (or Central Junior High)