L-R: William Keener, Aleah Dye, Robert Twist and Rebbicca Newlon
pose with awards for their science projects, which were entered
in the recent First Annual Environmental Science Fair held in
conjunction with Family Fun Day at Calhoun County Middle High School.
Submitted by Stephen Rowley
American Red Cross
The Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and AmeriCorps held the First Annual Environmental Science Fair on May 14th, at Calhoun Middle-High School, in conjunction with Family Fun Day. The American Red Cross extends its appreciation to Jean Simers for graciously allowing them to be a part of the festivities.
Science projects at the fair were categorized into two divisions, Division I for 5th and 6th graders and Division II for 7th and 8th graders. In addition to their entries, each student also went through an interview process with the judges. Those in charge of judging the projects were Carol Healy, Freeda Bradley and Megan Healy-Bleichner, each of whom have had years of experience in the various sciences.
AmeriCorps and The American Red Cross would like to thank all the judges who gave up their Saturday to evaluate the outstanding projects. All of the judges stated how impressed they were with all of the projects and with how well the students represented the quality of education offered by Calhoun County Middle-High.
The contest was a close one (the difference between the grand champion and last place was only 21 points), given the hard work that the students devoted to completing the projects. The judges selected two first place winners, one in each division, and they received a $50 gift card to Walmart and a ribbon. The second place winner received a $25 cash prize and a ribbon, and the grand champion received a Nintendo Wii and a ribbon. All prizes were made available through donations made by anonymous individuals, and we would like to thank all of those who donated so generously to this event.
Division I Winners: 2nd place William Keener, Lemon vs. Potato Battery;
1st place Robert D. Twist IV, Yeast Catching Factory
Division II Winners: 1st place Rebbicca Newlon, Hydraulic Fracturing;
Grand Champion Aleah Dye, Oil Absorption.
We hope all the students who participated had a fun time and enjoyed learning new facts about environmental science.
AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, engages West Virginians in solving community-identified issues through service. Members of this national service program meet the state's critical needs in the focus areas of disaster services, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, opportunity, and veterans and military families. AmeriCorps State programs are supported in part by grants from Volunteer West Virginia, the state's Commission for National and Community Service as well as other public and private resources. Volunteer West Virginia is a division of the Office of the Governor. The agency encourages individuals to strengthen communities through service and volunteerism.
If you would like to learn more about AmeriCorps or the American Red Cross, please contact Michelle or Megan at (304)588-0717, or you can stop in at the Calhoun Courthouse Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for more information.
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