Students show science skills
Photo by Nick Ianniello St. Regis freshman Jocelyn Dockter shows off her baking soda and vinegar volcano at Wednesday’s science fair. Each student in the fair presented their project to a judge as part of their individual scoring.
St. Regis students took over the gym to show off their science knowledge in a school wide science fair Wednesday.
“The kids know what they're doing; they're really into it,” said former Montana State University extension office employee and science fair judge Jim DeBree.
St. Regis students from fourth grade through high school seniors have been working on their science fair projects individually and in pairs since before Christmas, said St. Regis science teacher Chris West. The projects are a requirement for students in her science classes. “It's a big part of their grade,” West said. She has been teaching at St. Regis for six years now and this is the fifth year she has put on the school science fair.
“I'm really pleased, it's a lot better than last year,” West said.
Each student picks their own topic to research, which West approves to ensure that it is safe. The students do all their own research, and put together a project that either proves or disproves their theory, West said.
“I think it teaches them how to be a real scientist,” West said. “They learn how to do the experiment and do the research and present it.”
West said that she has all of the projects divided into medicine, psychology, earth science, forensics, motion physics, and application physics. She said that there are five judges chosen from St. Regis teachers and volunteers from the MSU extension office, and each student has to present their project to a judge.
“They're very articulate in the way that they explain it,” DeBree said, who added that the projects are judged on many different criteria, ranging from the hypotheses to the presentation. All of the participants in the science fair got a participation certificate and a gift certificate donated either by The O'Aces, Billy Big Riggers, OK Cafe, or Subway. West said there were winners chosen from fourth and fifth grade, sixth and seventh grade and in each category in the high school age group. There were also three overall winners picked from the high school projects.
The 10 best projects, which West said she chose based on their scores and how much time she had seen them put into the project, will be selected to go to a science fair at Butte Technical School March 13.
DeBree, who has not helped with the St. Regis Science Fair in three years, said he saw a tremendous improvement in the projects since his last appearance as a judge.
“What really impresses me is the support these kids get from the school,” DeBree said.
West said that many of the kids got materials for their projects from home. She added that she has a $750 grant from the Butte Technical School to spend on science fair materials.
Jello Maghinay, a Superior High School student, participated in the science fair. Maghinay was recommended to West by his Superior High School science teacher. He brought with him a robot arm and a miniature jet engine that he built almost entirely out of household objects.
Maghinay was the only participant in the fair from another school, but West said that after this year's impressive turnout, she'd like to include other schools in the competition as well.
The science fair was also fundraiser for the St. Regis Science Club. Science club members raffled off a portable DVD player to pay for a field trip to Glacier Park later this year. West said that some of the money also goes to a college scholarship for one science club senior.