The truth is out there Killbuck students search for facts in annual science fair
Killbuck Elementary fifth-graders and West Holmes Middle School Science Club members gathered in the gymnasium Monday, Feb. 15, finally getting a chance to show off their science talents at the annual science fair.After setting up nearly 10 days earlier, the fair never took place because of inclement weather. Finally, the weather broke Monday long enough to give them a chance to talk to judges, who made their rounds to discuss the scientific methods the students used in creating their projects.
The event gives students a chance to show off their science prowess in a different atmosphere than the everyday classroom setting.
“It’s great PR (public relations) for the school,” said principal Dave Wade. “I think its good that we have every single one of our fifth-graders do this. It’s a good chance for them to challenge themselves in a different learning environment.”
In addition to the Killbuck Elementary fifth-graders, West Holmes Middle School science teacher Brian Blake also brings any of his science club members who would like to participate and earn a shot at attending the district competition at Ashland University in April. He said 15 to 20 percent of the displays will receive that honor.
“I continue to be amazed with the creativity some of the kids show,” said Bob Hunter, who has headed up the science fair at Killbuck for years. “We start these before Christmas, so a lot of work goes into them.”
Many of the students were allowed to go into the various classrooms at school to poll students on different topics related to their projects. It gives the younger students a taste of what they can look forward to down the road. The students then give the younger kids an explanation of their projects before the actual judging, helping them become more comfortable with explaining what they tried to achieve.
For Hunter, it’s exciting to see the students get into the scientific learning method. He said that while most kids want to be right in creating their hypothesis, that isn’t necessarily what the scientific method is designed for.
“Right or wrong hypotheses don’t matter,” said Hunter. “What does matter is that each student is able to provide the necessary information to either prove or disprove their theory.”
Killbuck fifth-grader Sarah Schonauer seemed to grasp that concept. Her hypothesis on what will make yeast grow fastest was proved wrong by her experiments, but that was fine with her.
“There have been lots of scientists who have proven themselves wrong over the centuries, so I don’t feel bad about proving my hypothesis wrong at all,” said Schonauer. “I think we probably learn more from being wrong than being right anyway.”
Will Moss, who experimented with temperatures and hot air balloons, disproved his hypothesis as well, noting, “I really don’t care that my hypothesis was wrong. I just wanted to find out what temperature of air kept my balloon afloat the longest.”
The awards were supposed to be handed out Monday night at the chili supper, but weather denied that opportunity, so the students had to wait until Thursday evening to find out how they had done, and if they would be advancing to Ashland. Major awards were given to the top five, as well as the overall best, who receives the Carol Remington Award.
Each student had at least two judges talk to them about their science experiments, and the judges were amply impressed with what they saw.
“It’s tough not to give the kids a good rating because they all put so much work into their projects,” said county commissioner Rob Ault. “They’ve done a fantastic job, and it is encouraging to see kids get the chance to learn like this outside of the normal classroom setting.”
Lindy Rogers, who has seen his share of science fairs over the years, judged at Killbuck, Lakeville and Clark this year, and said he enjoys seeing the new, innovative ways students come up with for testing the scientific method.
“Each year, there are new ways to test and prove or disprove data. The topics continue to change as the world changes.”
Rogers said that the main thing he looks for in each student’s project is whether or not they learned from their experience, and how they went about proving or disproving their hypothesis.