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Jefferson County K-12
Jefferson County K-12 (JCS) held an inaugural Middle School Science Fair on Dec. 14, 2022. Science fairs ask students to design and perform their own experiments and discover the nature of science for themselves. JCS students captured the heart of small-town America with their projects that ranged from investigating tornados and their formation to plant growth and care to modeling volcanic eruptions with various chemicals.
“It was nice to see students get interested in topics that concerned their lives and possible futures,” middle school science teacher Mark Hallett said. “Having a connection to science that you can see in your everyday life really helps the subject come to life.”
The science fair was filled with both simple and complex projects. Kahylyn McCray (7th grade) won first place with a volcano project. In developing her version of the popular science fair topic, Khaylyn prepared several different reactions to replicate the explosive force of a volcano. The classic baking soda and vinegar trick just wasn’t enough for her. She tried Coke and Mentos, citric acid and baking soda as well as a few other combinations.
“Khaylyn’s volcano might seem simple on the surface, but it captures what scientists do in the real world,” Hallett said. “She took the time to research, investigate the world around her, then model it in a way that provided insight into the topic.”
Second place winner Jakila Joyce (7th grade) investigated seed size and sprouting. While originally her project seemed to have failed, she persevered and discovered some hard facts about plant growth. She learned the importance of balancing soil moisture, soil nutrients and seed type to ensure sprouting.
Third place winner Quejes Grayer (7th grade) investigated how different chemicals affect the world around us, namely carbonic acid, or acid rain. Using local rocks, Quejes found that stronger acids can indeed weather and erode them faster than expected. He even ended up with one rock that broke down into nothing more than sand.
“The result was so fascinating that all of us science teachers are trying to find a way to use it in our classrooms,” Hallett commented.
Honorable mention was presented to Mariana Preza-Carrichi (6th grade), whose project centered around how plants grow in darkness.
The fair ended with a Science Celebration where the winners were announced. Visitors had a blast looking at the various projects and seeing what the students had been doing.
“It was great to see the parents want to be involved more,” Hallett said about the celebration. “Reaching out to parents and getting them involved in their students’ education is a critical part of any school, but more so here in Jefferson County. We are looking forward to next year and involving parents even more. Several students also showed off their creativity, and it was super exciting to see the artistry and design that some students have a knack for.”
Hallett stated that the school plans to continue the science fair each year as it provides a practical, hands-on way to learn about science.
“We hope to involve our eighth-grade students more next year, and maybe even let high school students have a fair as well,” Hallett said.
Later this year the fourth and fifth grade students will be participating in an Elementary School Science Fair as well.
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