On Friday March 31, 2023 the Chapel in Building two was a bustle of activity! Elementary school students equipped with clipboards, pencils in hand, searched for science projects to fulfill their scavenger hunt mission. High school STEM scholars purposefully interviewed their 7th & 8th grade peers. Proud parents walked the aisles of seventy science fair projects as the middle school students who worked hard on them stood by to articulately explain their research. The Timothy Christian School Science Fair was in full swing! Behind the scenes, students had worked hard and prepared well to make the event a success.
Does the water leftover from boiling pasta help plants grow? Do reusable water bottles harbor bacteria if you don’t wash them every day? Does proximity to a major city decrease drinking water quality? These are just a few of the questions you may have learned the answer to by visiting the science fair! Students in grades 7 and 8 worked diligently over the course of about 8 weeks to develop a testable question, design an experiment, collect data, analyze results, draw conclusions, and explain their findings using research. Culminating their efforts was the assembly of a display board that effectively communicated their work. 
Admittedly, science fair projects evoke feelings of fear and dread in both students and parents! So, why bother? Science fair projects are rich in applicable educational learning experiences for students! While not all students will pursue STEM careers, the project provides all learners with valuable experience in critical thinking, project management and planning, researching, presentation skills, and academic writing. These are all tools that will serve our students well in all areas of life! Additionally, the current national science standards place a heavy emphasis on skills such as planning and carrying out investigations, asking questions and defining problems, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, to name a few. By participating in a science fair, students hone their skills in all these areas simultaneously!
The winners of our TCS Science Fair had the opportunity to compete in the ACSI Regional Science Fair in Phillipsburg, New Jersey on April 21st. Students presented their projects and answered questions from a panel of science professionals. Alayna Osterberg and Vincent Moncada were selected to compete in the 7th grade physical science category while Sofia Morales was selected to compete in the 7th grade life science category. In 8th grade, Warren Powell and Aniyah Potts represented TCS in the life science category, while Elizabeth Waldron and Sammy Acquaviva represented the 8th grade in the physical science category. These students earned 1st place in 7th grade physical science, 2nd place in 7th grade life science, 1st and 3rd place in 8th grade life science, and 1st and 2nd place in 8th grade physical science!
Glory be to God, this year’s science fair was a success in all respects! Besides being an academically enriching endeavor for the students, my absolute favorite parts of the science fair are twofold. First, I love the way it creates an interactive event for our entire school community to participate in. Seeing preschoolers, elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, high schoolers, faculty, and parents learn and enjoy the fair makes my heart so full! Second, I love the way it showcases the students’ interests. Projects completed on sports, baking, pets, music, and exercise science showed the students how science can be found in all their favorite things and shows us what their favorite things are! 😊
