Hoosac Valley High Revives Middle School Science Fair
CHESHIRE, Mass. — More than 300 students participated last week in the first Hoosac Valley High School science fair since its renovation.
Science teacher Mindy Chapman said Friday's science fair marked the first time the event was held at the school since the middle and high school combined and reopened in 2012. She said students in Grades 6 through 8 worked as individuals or in teams to develop 58 projects.
"So it's our first science fair," Chapman said. "Students were able to pick a topic they were interested in …They have been doing a great job."
She said the science fair allows students to see that science goes beyond the classroom.
"It helps them realize that science is all around them and they are involved with science every day without even realizing it," Chapman said. "It can be fun and it is very hands on."
Students presented a variety of projects to different judges.
Colby Andrews' project stemmed from his love of Microsoft products.
"I wanted to test Windows' speed. I like Windows, it's really reliable and stuff," Colby said. "I dislike Apple very much. It's just not trustable or reliable."
Colby clocked boot up speeds at his table. He said he found that Windows 8 booted up the fastest but Windows 10 loaded websites quicker.
Jenna Levesque, Grade 8, wanted to know which soda was best at removing rust.
"We wanted to see if we could do something to help get rid of rust instead of using toxic chemicals," She said "We found that Mountain Dew was the most effective at this because it had the most caffeine and sugar in it. More than root beer and Pepsi."
She said the project did inform her of what soda not to drink anymore
Seventh-graders Emily Godfrey, Nicholas Alibozek and Sydni Jamros constructed a hover board. They built a wooden platform with an inflatable bottom. They connected a leaf blower to inflate the bottom, which raised the wooden platform off the ground.
Emily said the project jumped out at the team because it looked like a lot of fun.
Seventh-graders Trista Daury and Castyn Duteau studied toothpaste and tried to figure out what brand made teeth the whitest.
"Crest is the best," Castyn said. "We thought it would be a good project and we thought it would be good to know."
The science fair was made possible through a Gelfand Endeavor in Massachusetts Schools, or GEMS, mini-grant of $1,000. The grant is given to middle and high schools that currently do not host an annual science fair.
GEMS Director Kimberly Kamborian said it is important to hold science fairs in school.
"It can inspire them to peruse something in science ... school can sometimes force it but in a science fair students can engage science," Kamborian said. "Also, they can engage community members and reach out to ... possible mentors and ... it's a good experience to present to adults."
The first place project was "Eggs" by Jayne Civello, Shaleigh Levesque and Dana Canales.
Second place was "Endothermic Vs. Exothermic" by Brodie Lanoue and Carti'Air Graham
The third place project was "How Do Different Types of Flour Affect Rising Bread?" by Kristen Wilczak.
Chapman said 15 projects will go to the middle school Region 1 Science & Engineering Fair held at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Saturday, April 30.
Tags: HVHS, middle school, science fair,
