Honors students compete in Science Fair

    Students, waiting in anticipation, stood by their experiments for the arrival of the judges. Experiments and projects, one by one, were placed upon the many bright red lunch tables in the cafeteria. After weeks of planning and working, their projects were finally going to be judged. All they had to do was answer the grueling questions and evaluations of the judges.

    Participants had thought of a experiment topic, created a procedure and experiment, and wrote their final conclusions. Friday was the day when they showed off their work. It started like any other white day. Classes were normal and homework was piling up. At 1:30 p.m. those participating in this year’s Science Fair were excused from class and sent to the cafeteria for the official event. Judges were assigned categories to judge and met in the science lounge to receive their judge ribbons.
   
    Meanwhile, students from grades 9 through 12 set up their presentation boards and examples of their experiments and began their competition against the many creative innovations of other students. There were so many interesting and fascinating projects. The students searched for their friends and glanced over each other’s work and made comments and wished each other good luck for the presentation they would give to the judges.
  
     “It’s fun to see everyone else’s projects and to see the effort that was put into it,” said freshman Olivia Ko.
   
    When the judges made their entrance through the doors, stomach butterflies flew and nerves wanted to be settled. Some students, however, did not experience the nerves as much as other did. One of these fortunate students was freshman Maha Shah.

    “I knew my project pretty well. I did a lot of research, so I was not as nervous. Many people used note cards, but I did not because I was familiar with my project.”
   
    The judges made their way around the 14 different categories: astronomy, behavior and social science, bio-chemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, environmental management, environmental science, medicine and health, micro-biology, physics and zoology.
   
    The projects ranged from an analysis of popcorn and kernels to a mechanical Lego arm that could carry egg. Even though the Science Fair was a requirement for Honors Science students, it was sensed that they were proud of their work and even enjoyed performing their experiments.

    Diana Rosario, the Alcohol and Drug Youth Services counselor, judged eight projects. “I’m just so impressed by the level of knowledge and creativity. It was my first time judging and I was blown over,” she said.

    So many teachers, who were also judges, including social studies teachers Joseph Valentino and John Hawes and science teacher Xiara Davis, looked at the projects and presentations in awe and amazement. Davis was very impressed and said “the concept was pretty amazing. The students’ work and thought process was more developed than I thought it would be.”
   
    As the judging was occurring throughout the cafeteria, hopeful participants waited for their own chance to exhibit their knowledge of their own experiment. To complete their day at the fair, the participants were required to be evaluated and graded by at least two judges. As the judging came to a close and the boards were folded, the files turned in and the students left, the judges stayed behind. There was still more to the puzzle of that day. Everything for the Fair fit together perfectly and smoothly with the guidance of the men in charge. Science teachers Isaac Boakye and Steven Fenchel took the lead during this day to make it happen.

    The judges congregated together and chose the first and second place winners and decided which two lucky students from each category would be joining other regional winners from around Fairfax in Fairfax County’s Regional Science Fair.

    2008’s Science Fair has come and gone, but the planning has already begun for next year.  Annandale students demonstrated their creative and mind-boggling innovations during this year’s Science Fair and proved to the judges what they are capable of.