I saw this headline and decided to tell a quick glory story. My middle school was very small - we're talking 14 people in the 8th grade class. It was also called Rainbow Bridge. Perfect school name for a teenage entering high school. NOT! Anyways, in an effort to make our school seem more "normal," the administration introduced the science fair thingy when I was in 6th grade. Participation was mandatory, but even if it was voluntary I still would have done something. I effing love science fairs.
6th Grade - GOT EGGS? - I partnered with Erica and we did a demonstration (1 of the 3 categories) of the life cycle of a chicken. We went to a farm in San Jose, got the eggs from the chicken, cared for them in an incubator, they hatched in my bathroom, and lived in my closet. The day of the science fair we brought them to school in Erica's old terrarium. The chicks were adorable and our project rocked! Result: 1st Place!
7th Grade - Which homemade lava lamp works the best? - I partnered with Vanessa and Sophia. Our experiment included three different lava lamp how-to procedures. One involved a chemical that burns holes in your skin! Needless to say, none of the lava lamps worked correctly, but it was totally rad. Result: 1st Place!
8th Grade - Which fertilizer is the best for plants? - Okay, by 8th grade we were out of amazing ideas I guess... plants and fertilizer, really? We somehow managed to come out on top again though! Result: 1st Place!
That's probably why I love science fairs so much.... I like winning! But really, even in middle school I always wanted to approach projects creatively and think outside of the box. I am really into the WOW factor (not to be confused with Week of Welcome. Eeek!) and I carried that with me to high school. In college it kind of disappeared, simply because how creative can you get with math? Not very.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT....
The Monterey County Science & Engineering Fair:
Open to the public at CSUMB, Bldg 29 (near 6th Ave and B Street). 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Winning projects will be on display from 10 am til 1 pm (when the awards ceremony starts). For more info call 831-755-0303 or go their website.
lo, i love you
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