Out of 80 student participants at the fifth annual Hope Christian Academy Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math Fair, three were recognized as top overall scorers and one was named Crowd Favorite.
In an age when some have moved away from science fairs, I push to continue,” said HCA instructor Adina Leon, coordinator for physical and biological sciences. “It’s about the process for me. Students recognize a problem, research to learn more, develop a plan to investigate a solution to their hypothesis, conduct a controlled experiment, analyze their results, form a conclusion, visualize their data, and then present their findings.”
Students were required to present their final projects in class oral presentations, to the event judges, and to the student body and other guests at the event. “These are the life skills I trust our students will take with them along with a confidence that they can solve a problem in their path.”
Penny Hunt, coordinator for arts, asked her students to base their projects around the famous Winnie-the-Pooh characters. “Based on the theory that A. A. Milne meant to represent psychological disorders in his Winnie-the-Pooh characters, students researched what disorder each character supposedly represented,” she said. Each student then was tasked with conducting a research paper on their chosen psychological disorder followed by a “character analysis … and to also determine whether or not the character they chose truly reflected the mental disorder they researched,” Hunt continued. Additionally, each student participant took a Pooh Pathology test to see which character they were most like.
Leon said, “The feedback from the students this year referenced their surprise at how well they improved in speaking in public, how they loved teaching younger students, and how proud they were to share their learning with others.”
Back (l-r): Brendan Musser – 11th (Honors – Biological), Alyssa Hunt – 10th (High Honors Biological), Kylie Maloy – 8th (High Honors Physical Science), Adam White – 9th (High Honors Physical Science), Instructor and event co-coordinator Adina Leon, Noah Leon – 8th (High Honors Physical Science).
