On February 8, the gym at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School was buzzing with activity. Members of the public were welcomed to the school for a special event. The Middle School Talented and Gifted (TAG) students put on a science fair and shared their projects with the public.
CGD TAG Director Tanja Jensen said this was the first year for the science fair. She explained that the students had been working on their projects for a few weeks. “They started by choosing something they were interested in and a problem that they encountered with that topic,” Jensen said. “Then they formed a hypothesis and did research about it.” That research eventually resulted in their science fair project.
Students put together a display board detailing their project and then worked up a presentation about it. They eventually practiced in front of each other and their class. They even gave their presentations in front of a panel of judges (teachers) before they shared their projects with the public a couple of weeks ago.
Jensen said that 34 students participated in the science fair. “I was so proud of each and every one of the students who participated,” she emphasized. “I saw them take their own personal interests, complete research, and then share their learning with others. I watched them as they presented and saw them answering questions, sharing personal stories about their topic, and heard many people comment on the quality of the work.”
Jensen noted that the judges who viewed the projects had a very tough job. Students who placed included: 1st place- Kiernan Bremmer for Making Recycled Mats. 2nd place (3-way tie) – JD Morrical – Bottle Lamb Feed, Addy Howell – Recycling paper, Logan Legleiter – Crops. 3rd place (3-way tie) – Jillian Mewes – Plants and Music, Chaz Lane – Bacteria in our school, Blaire Askelsen – Recycling.
“The judges saw great things in each and every project,” said Jensen.
Moving forward, Jensen encouraged the students to sign up to attend the 2022 State Science Technology Fair of Iowa in Ames on March 25th.
