Highland County represented at District 17 Science Day
By
Randy Sarvis-
Eighty-eight high school, middle school and elementary school students converged upon Wilmington College March 17 to present their projects at District 17 Science Day.
It was the eighth year the College hosted the event for students of Clinton, Fayette, Highland and Brown counties that earned superior ratings at their local science fairs.
Dr. Russell Kincaid, associate professor of mathematics at WC, coordinated what he described as a “very successful” Science Day.
“Any time you have that many talented students present their projects, there are sure to be some that strike you in their originality and quality,” he said. “It does not matter what a person’s level of education may be, they will learn something new when they look through our project displays.
“I know I learn something new every year.”
Kincaid noted that while District 17 is among the state districts with the lowest population, it consistently has one of the highest rates of superior scores at the state competition.
“This year, we have 25 projects which received superior ratings, and we hope that all the students involved with these projects get the opportunity to compete at the state competition in May,” he said. “The dedication of the teachers and parents, as well as the efforts of the students in performing the research, is commendable.”
The students presented research that covered a wide range of topics including agriculture, biotechnology, energy, environmental sciences, information science and technology, botany and material science.
Students represented 11 schools within Ohio’s 17th District, including Blanchester High School, Eastern Junior High School, Fairfield Local Middle School, Fayetteville-Perry Middle School, Georgetown Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High Schools, Hamersville Middle School, Lynchburg-Clay High School, Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Junior High School and Wilmington Middle School.
In Highland County, Fairfield Middle School science teacher Raymond Friend brought one individual, Peyton Heizer, as well as four teams to Wilmington College for the event: Justin Carpenter and Mitchell Rose, Seth Allen and Jacob Gebhart, Brittany Cox and Grace Shaffer, and Amber Arikat and Sarah Buddelmeyer.
Lynchburg-Clay High School science teacher Lara Hamilton brought 11 students, including Cori Lay, Dakota Baker, Benjamin Jones, Neil Rowlands, Christopher Skaggs, Marissa Ayres, Matthew West, Erin Spidel, Kelsey Clinton, Abigail Roush and Alex Pinkerton to the competition.
Of these students, Cori Lay, Benjamin Jones, Neil Rowlands and Christopher Skaggs qualified for the state competition.
Special awards of scholarships and cash prizes were presented in special categories. The Ohio Soybean Council awarded a cash prize to Jenna Griffith of Georgetown.
The Southwest Ohio Water Environment Association Committee awarded cash prizes to two individuals and one team judged to have the best environmental projects. Wesley Wolf of Georgetown received first place, while Andrew Day of Hamersville received second place and the team of Caley King, Megan Ogden, and Ashley Prine from Hamersville received third place.
Wesley Wolf of Georgetown received a Governor’s Award for Environmental Studies Research, and Janell Dean of Wilmington received a Governor’s Award for Agricultural and Food Research.
Support for the district science fair was provided by a number of businesses within the 17th District. These include Damon’s Bar and Grill, Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, #1 China Buffet, Royal Z Lanes, Subway, Jen’s Deli and Beaugard’s BBQ in Wilmington; and Dakota’s Roadhouse, La Cascada, Ponderosa, Alley 21 and Pizza Hut in Hillsboro.
Wilmington College provided the facilities.
Kincaid lauded the work of the many WC community members that assisted, including Dr. Donald Troike, a professor of biology, who coordinated the judges, scoring and prize determination, and Melo-Dee Frederick, a support staff member in the sciences, who provided logistical support and on-site coordination for the event.
“Numerous judges, including Wilmington College faculty, students and members of the community, graciously gave of their time to make this event possible,” Kincaid said. “The time and efforts of all these individuals, as well as the students, teachers and parents, made this event a success.”[[In-content Ad]]
It was the eighth year the College hosted the event for students of Clinton, Fayette, Highland and Brown counties that earned superior ratings at their local science fairs.
Dr. Russell Kincaid, associate professor of mathematics at WC, coordinated what he described as a “very successful” Science Day.
“Any time you have that many talented students present their projects, there are sure to be some that strike you in their originality and quality,” he said. “It does not matter what a person’s level of education may be, they will learn something new when they look through our project displays.
“I know I learn something new every year.”
Kincaid noted that while District 17 is among the state districts with the lowest population, it consistently has one of the highest rates of superior scores at the state competition.
“This year, we have 25 projects which received superior ratings, and we hope that all the students involved with these projects get the opportunity to compete at the state competition in May,” he said. “The dedication of the teachers and parents, as well as the efforts of the students in performing the research, is commendable.”
The students presented research that covered a wide range of topics including agriculture, biotechnology, energy, environmental sciences, information science and technology, botany and material science.
Students represented 11 schools within Ohio’s 17th District, including Blanchester High School, Eastern Junior High School, Fairfield Local Middle School, Fayetteville-Perry Middle School, Georgetown Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High Schools, Hamersville Middle School, Lynchburg-Clay High School, Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Junior High School and Wilmington Middle School.
In Highland County, Fairfield Middle School science teacher Raymond Friend brought one individual, Peyton Heizer, as well as four teams to Wilmington College for the event: Justin Carpenter and Mitchell Rose, Seth Allen and Jacob Gebhart, Brittany Cox and Grace Shaffer, and Amber Arikat and Sarah Buddelmeyer.
Lynchburg-Clay High School science teacher Lara Hamilton brought 11 students, including Cori Lay, Dakota Baker, Benjamin Jones, Neil Rowlands, Christopher Skaggs, Marissa Ayres, Matthew West, Erin Spidel, Kelsey Clinton, Abigail Roush and Alex Pinkerton to the competition.
Of these students, Cori Lay, Benjamin Jones, Neil Rowlands and Christopher Skaggs qualified for the state competition.
Special awards of scholarships and cash prizes were presented in special categories. The Ohio Soybean Council awarded a cash prize to Jenna Griffith of Georgetown.
The Southwest Ohio Water Environment Association Committee awarded cash prizes to two individuals and one team judged to have the best environmental projects. Wesley Wolf of Georgetown received first place, while Andrew Day of Hamersville received second place and the team of Caley King, Megan Ogden, and Ashley Prine from Hamersville received third place.
Wesley Wolf of Georgetown received a Governor’s Award for Environmental Studies Research, and Janell Dean of Wilmington received a Governor’s Award for Agricultural and Food Research.
Support for the district science fair was provided by a number of businesses within the 17th District. These include Damon’s Bar and Grill, Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, #1 China Buffet, Royal Z Lanes, Subway, Jen’s Deli and Beaugard’s BBQ in Wilmington; and Dakota’s Roadhouse, La Cascada, Ponderosa, Alley 21 and Pizza Hut in Hillsboro.
Wilmington College provided the facilities.
Kincaid lauded the work of the many WC community members that assisted, including Dr. Donald Troike, a professor of biology, who coordinated the judges, scoring and prize determination, and Melo-Dee Frederick, a support staff member in the sciences, who provided logistical support and on-site coordination for the event.
“Numerous judges, including Wilmington College faculty, students and members of the community, graciously gave of their time to make this event possible,” Kincaid said. “The time and efforts of all these individuals, as well as the students, teachers and parents, made this event a success.”[[In-content Ad]]