By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CASWELL — Participants may not have competed for trophies during the Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School’s first Science Fair in recent history, but educators are confident that each of the nearly 40 participating students benefited from their experiences.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School fourth-grader Morgan Fuller explained how she made each intricate piece of her project on whales, which was entered into the school-wide science fair on March 21.
From first to eighth-grade, every student prepared a scientific display to share with parents, fellow students and community members during the May 21 Science Fair.
With all entries proudly displayed in the school’s cafeteria for the evening’s science showcase, a couple subjects were very surprising to see — like seventh-grade student Travis Hatfield’s imploding can.
Scientific findings aside, each student reaped the Science Fair’s educational benefits.
Teaching Principal Christina Davenport explained that as all but the school’s youngest students wrote reports on their subjects to accompany their displays, honing their academic skills like the ability to effectively research a subject, report their findings while citing sources and dynamically sharing information with their audience.
Davenport said that the Science Fair stemmed from a school exhibition that took place about two years ago; while the educators were brainstorming more school-wide projects, educator Ryan O’Neal suggested a science fair and the event was born.
Students of O’Neal’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade classes centered their science endeavors on an electromagnetic theme. Fourth- and fifth-grade students of Davenport’s class created projects focusing on life cycles and animals, and Debra Blanchette’s second and third grade classes focused on marine biology and oceanography. All created very visual displays to accompany their reports.
First-graders of Brandy Brissette’s class created float-sink projects to, as the title suggests, find out what floats and what sinks.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Delaney Rossignol, an eighth-grader at the Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School, elected to generate some edible electricity for her science project; she used tomatoes and lemons to create a “citrus battery.”
“The parents were a bit more involved with your younger projects,” Davenport explained.
The end result for all grade level’s scientific endeavors was an evening of educational fun while the students proudly shared their discoveries with approximately 70 spectators who attended the science fair.
“We had an excellent turnout and the students are all asking when they can do it again,” Davenport said. “We’re very impressed with how well [our students] did, especially since this was their first science fair.”
The next big school/community event is the second annual Variety Show on Wednesday, May 2. Proceeds will go toward purchasing new books for the school’s library.
While last year’s show featured student-only performances, this year’s Variety Show is open to the community for performers of all ages. For additional information on the upcoming Variety Show, call 325-4611.
