Stepping Out Into New Territory: Science Fair comes to Kosciusko High School.

There was a total science frenzy in my chemistry classes on Wednesday last week. As Winnie the Pooh said, it was a blustery day, a Winds - day.

We spent the whole class period in Chemistry on Roll Call. Each day my students complete a Ready, Set, Go (RSG) to get their brains warmed up. On this day they were to write five why or how science questions. Then they said their Roll Call. On that day it was to ask one of their questions. As each student said their roll call question,  I responded in depth to how that might work into a science project.

I told them the next day I was a tired man at the end of that day. I had listened to and responded to 84 possible science projects and wondered whether I really wanted to go through with this. Then I woke up in the morning and said a resounding YES. It will not be perfect and we will make some mistakes but we are going to do our best. If we do not get it started this year, it probably will not happen. So here we go.

It is good to remember Science is the quest for knowledge, not the knowledge itself.

Some day in January each student will have a table set up in the gym to display the findings of their project. We will invite parents and community members to see all the science queries of KHS scientists. Judges will assess the projects for the regional science fair. Those who get a first, second or third will move on to the state fair. And those who do well there will move on to the International Science Fair.

Most of my students will do individual projects.

• Some will be approved to do a group project through Exploravision.  (There are first, second the third place winners announced nationally.)

• Some will be approved to work on the Solar Car Challenge. (Students will build and then drive a solar car from Fort Worth, Texas to St. Paul, Minnesota in July 2016.)

• Some will be approved to work on the Rocket Contest.  (Students will construct and launch a rocket that reaches 850 feet altitude and lands two raw eggs in its payload safely. If these results are achieved, students will compete nationally in May.

• Fifteen students will be selected for the Science Olympiad Team. (Students compete in 23 categories in the regional. First and second place teams go to state.)

  

  Science Olympiad 23 competition categories

All project proposals are due Friday, October 9. The proposals should include the science question that will guide the research, a procedure for answering the question, and one source. 

Upon completion of their project, each student will have:

• recorded findings in their lab book, 

• recorded pictures and videos of the process,

• completed a 3-5 page scientific research paper,

• and be nudged into a brighter future as the result of completing this. 

P.S. Physics students will be doing a project as well.