Oak Creek Student-Made Soda Unveiled Today

A project that spanned two school years will have its official launch party Thursday.

A brand-new, cherry-flavored soda called "Knightro Fusion" will debut at the Taste of Oak Creek, set for 5 to 9 p.m. at the Oak Creek Community Center.

The soda is the work of students in Jim Buss's advanced placement chemistry class, and students of marketing teacher Michael Burden. 

Working with Oak Creek-based Black Bear Soda Company, the AP chem students spent six weeks mixing ingredients, conducting taste tests and adjusting the formula. When it was done, they passed it onto Burden's class, which conducted a naming contest, created a bottle label and formulated a marketing plan.

The entire school voted on the soda's name. "Knightro" is the name of the , and "Fusion" represents the combination of the cherry and vanilla flavor.

"In developing the new soda flavor for Black Bear, the AP Chemistry students learned how to design and conduct experiments for a specific research goal," Buss said in a news release written by - you guessed it - Oak Creek students.

"They learned that research success is dependent upon both individual experiments and the sharing of knowledge within the class team to produce the best tasting soda."

Burden told Oak Creek-Franklin School Board members Monday night the entire 2,000-student body got behind the project. After it passed a taste test earlier in the day, he gave each board member a sample to try.

Black Bear's sales from the soda will go toward scholarships for students, Burden said.

Thursday's Taste of Oak Creek, sponsored by the Oak Creek-Franklin Foundation for Education, features many area chefs and local restaurants. Money raised at the event will also go toward student scholarships.