GCDW: Area students visit, take part in Science Fair Day

March 16, 2017

via Greene County Daily World Area students attended the 33rd Annual Science Fair Day on Wednesday, held at WestGate Academy. According to a press release, 164 students from sixth grade and up took part in the science fair, competing for awards and cash prizes for the top three in each category. Projects were judged from behavioral science, biology, chemistry, consumer science, environmental science, physics and astronomy and inventions. Along with the Science Fair Day, 75 fifth graders from Bloomfield Elementary and 95 fifth graders from North Daviess visited on a field trip in order to get an idea for what the fair is like. According to Director of Business Operations Kimberly Frazier, the students taking part in the field trip were also exposed to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning through hands-on activities. “The Battery Innovation Center (BIC) taught them how to make batteries, they are doing gravity walls, scribble bots and a pyramid challenge with Wonderlab and they will meet with a beekeeper and master gardener,” Frazier said.
By Andrew Christman
Frazier added this year featured the most students to ever be at WestGate Academy for Science Fair Day. “It’s a lot of effort, but it’s worth it,” she said. COO of BIC Ben Wrightsman also noted there was a strong attendance and strong participation in hands-on learning.
 “A lot of the kids didn’t know they could make batteries with household items,” Wrightsman said. “This is something we will continue doing for coming years as well.”
According to Bloomfield Elementary fifth grade Language Arts teacher Jan Abrams, the science fair day gets better every year they attend. “Being a rural school, it’s hard to find the best field trips for our kids,” Abrams said. “These activities are very hands on and they have the opportunity to be exposed to STEM.” Abrams added Bloomfield plans to continue attending Science Fair Day for the foreseeable future. Bloomfield Elementary Principal Mary Jane Elkins stated fifth grade is ideal for students to make the field trip. “It’s a good year for immersion. It gets them thinking ahead and takes them from the elementary mindset to that of the junior and senior high,” Elkins said. Elkins also added she wanted to thank those at Crane and WestGate who made the trip possible for the students. “They put in so much effort and we are impressed with how it comes out,” she said.