TJ AP Physics and AP Chemistry students judge Samuel’s Elementary Science Fair.
Photo by Jeff Schreiber
On January 26th, some of TJ’s AP science students took their knowledge and expertise of the natural world to Samuels Elementary School for its annual science fair, participating as judges for a plethora of poster boards and dioramas made by the students and displayed in the gymnasium.
As the judges arrived at the school’s front entrance around 8:00 a.m., they were greeted by a complimentary breakfast and a rundown of the judging process by PTA member Jeff Schreiber. “You’ll be judging the best of the best projects, so don’t worry about being critical,” noted Schreiber while handing out clipboards, score sheets, and pens.
After receiving directions regarding the judging process, the Spartans dispersed, pulling out students from their classrooms and leading them to the gym. Students would then explain their project, as well as the steps they took to achieve their final results. Judges would then evaluate the project on a scale of 0-80 using a variety of subcategories such as creativity, quality of work, and the project’s aesthetic appeal.
Not only did the TJ judges get to evaluate the projects numerically, but they also decided upon the top three projects of each grade, along with the Wizard Award –given to the most creative, but not necessarily the best executed project – and honorable mentions.
TJ started sending judges from AP science classes to Samuels due to the contact made by AP Physics Teacher Nelson Vore regarding the science fair. Vore hopes to continue sending students as judges in years to come. “I think it gives TJ great publicity,” said Vore. “The AP students seem to have a lot of fun with the kids and, of course, it’s a thrill for the kids doing the projects. Unless our AP students decide to revolt one year, I plan to keep doing it.”
According to the TJ attendees, both the kids and the judges gained knowledge and had fun during the fair. “It was a blast. I really liked being around all the kids,” said Senior AP Physics Student Marelle Davey. “They were all so goofy, and yet so cute. It was great to see what they did, and it was a total flashback to the projects I used to do when I was in elementary school.”
Davey also notes that the kids, while sometimes very confident, were also nervous during their presentations. “Most kids did a really good job, but some wouldn’t talk because they were petrified,” said Davey. “A few were talkative, but most were really scared. One of them didn’t say anything at all. But, for the most part, the judges were able to get the kids to say what they needed by being supportive.”
The fair displayed a wide variety of project ideas, from experiments with electrical circuits to research projects on solar activities. According to Senior AP Physics Student Grant Maloney, one of the most interesting projects was a research board discussing how the human jaw moved. “I was totally shocked at how much the kid knew about the muscles off the top of his head,” said Maloney. “I actually learned a lot from him.”
In addition to biological experiments, there were also numerous projects covering electrical subjects. “A few projects did electrical circuits through fruits and potatoes,” said Davey. “It was really impressive that elementary kids would be able to understand electricity to the extent that they did.”
After viewing a variety of projects and knowledgeable students, TJ’s AP judges felt not only smarter, but also immensely reminiscent. “I went to Holm Elementary, and Samuel’s has a lot of similar kids, and the exact same layout,” said Davey. “I felt totally nostalgic.”
