Kate Rivir won the Best in Show award at the Jefferson Elementary STEM Science Fair for her project that investigated the amount of bacteria found on cell phones compared to toilet seats. Photo provided by Warsaw Community Schools.
News Release
WARSAW – Jefferson Elementary hosted its first annual STEM Science Fair, bringing together students, families and community partners to showcase dozens of students’ hands-on experiments, engineering design projects and real-world problem solving. The evening also included a STEM Book Fair and family activities.
Students in kindergarten through sixth-grade presented projects that followed the scientific process, asked meaningful questions and demonstrated strong presentation skills as they shared their science, technology, engineering and math learning with judges, families and community members.
The Best in Show award was presented to Kate Rivir for her project, “Phones or Thrones,” which investigated the amount of bacteria found on cell phones compared to toilet seats. Kate’s project stood out for its strong use of the scientific method, detailed data collection and clear presentation of results.
Science Fair Award Winners
– Grand Champion, grades kindergarten-second: Sarah Rivir
– Reserve Champion, grades kindergarten-second: Hazel Herendeen
– Champion, grades three-six: Gwen Miller
– Reserve Champion, grades three-six: Hannah Cochran and Quinn Sands
– Best Engineering: Kenli Detlefsen
– Best Scientific Process: Elizabeth Faroh
– Judge’s Choice Award: Malachi Shorter
Community members who volunteered their time to serve as judges included Mark Sproles and Harry Goodman from Da-Lite Legrand; Derek Pike, Jefferson STEM instructional coach; and Scott McClintock, former Jefferson teacher.
“Participating in the Jefferson Elementary School Science Fair as part of our Better Communities initiative was truly inspiring,” Sproles said. “The students presented their projects with such enthusiasm and creativity, and it was rewarding to see the hard work and thoughtful exploration behind each one. Serving as judges was both an honor and a pleasure, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support and encourage the next generation of innovators.”
“I was amazed at the cool science projects that Jefferson students came up with,” Pike said. “Each student I spoke with had a strong understanding of the scientific process and explained their findings with confidence.”
Judges Mark Sproles, Derek Pike, Harry Goodman and Scott McClintock are shown observing a student project. Photo provided by Warsaw Community Schools.