The RCS Science Fair was held Thursday, February 1st and Friday, February 2nd. It was great to see all of the fun projects completed by each of our classes. We are so grateful to our four judges, who are members of the scientific community, for coming out to the school on Thursday to hear 7th and 8th grade students present their projects. These students have worked very hard over the past year researching a question, testing their hypothesis, and analyzing the results. The judges worked together to determine which six projects would go on to compete at the Regional Science Fair held at JMU on March 6th. The results are as follows:
1st place
Jeremiah Esteban: "Dermajellogy"
Testing to determine which moisturizing agent helps skin retain the most moisture
2nd place
Henry Matter: "The Heat of an Old Flame"
Determining which of four types of wood produces the highest temperature when burning
3rd place
Josie Brumfield: "What's Up with Water Quality?"
Testing water quality of the North River from source to mouth
Honorable Mentions
Josiah Leach: "Amazing Airplane Action"
Testing how altering weight distribution changes the flight distance of a balsa wood plane
Virginia Velker: "The Tale of Three Foils"
Testing to find out which of three foil designs gives the greatest top speed to a hydrofoil
Madeleine Dunaway: "Bird Buffet"
Determining whether birds prefer premium seed over standard bird seed or seed with mealworms
Student projects were evaluated for:
• Proper understanding and use of the scientific method
• Thoroughness of research and experimental testing
• Skill and complexity
• Clarity of overall presentation
• Creativity
Many thanks to our judges: Nesha McRae, Keith Sandum, Justin Hormel, and Jerry Weniger for volunteering their time to help make our school science fair a success. Congratulations to all the 7th and 8th graders on a job well done!