Diggin’ up treasures

Noami Rodriguez was digging her class activity Thursday - literally.

In fact, she got elbow deep in cold, brown dirt diggin' it so much.

The 7-year-old Murry Fly second-grader picked up her 12-inch hand shovel and expected to find treasures underneath the earth.

"OK, I think I dug the deepest," she said. "There's got to be something in here. I want to be rich."

Noami, a Murry Fly student who attends gift-and-talented classes at Noel, was one of about 120 students from the Ector County Independent School District's elementary GT program to participate in the dig, which gave students hands-on archeological experience, Noel GT teacher Omega Loera said.

Students dug into the soft, brown earth that was marked off into grids and searched for whatever artifacts they could find.

Pam Hicks, ECISD coordinator for advanced academic services, said the students participate in the dig every other year coinciding with their study of Egyptology. In other years the students have learned about Chinese civilization, she said.

During Thursday's dig, which took place at Ken and Sue Kettle's wheat farm in Gardendale, Noel GT first-grader Joshua Lopez scooped up circular items, an L-shaped metal piece and other objects.

Following each find, he logged the discovery on a sheet of paper and later sketched each item.

"I keep finding artifacts and stuff," the 6-year-old said, noting many of the objects seemed old and interesting.

Noami said she enjoyed the dig because any type of artifact could pop up.

"You can dig up something, and it might be the city Atlantis - if you believe, it might come true," she said.