SALISBURY — Sacred Heart School announces that it had two winning students at the recent regional-level North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair: sixth-grader Jacob Shores and fourth-grader Evan Miller.
The regional fair at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Feb. 16-17 hosted more than 350 projects from 10 North Carolina counties.
The regional fair followed Sacred Heart’s school-wide fair in January. Students chosen for the elementary division were third-grader Aidan Melton, fourth-grader Evan Miller and fifth-grader Mary Kathryn Aycock. At regionals, Miller was awarded the CMS STEM Award for excellence in elementary STEM research and work performed. His project was entitled “SMILE: Which Whitening Toothpaste Works Best?” His results found that Sensodyne toothpaste worked best.
Students chosen for the middle school division were sixth-grader Jacob Shores and seventh-graders Bree Whittingon, Drew Hansen, Lillian Rattz and Bryce Mason.
At regionals, Shores was presented with numerous awards for his entry entitled “Operation Conservation: Using Variable Rate Irrigation to Conserve Water in Production Agriculture.”
Shores won the Broadcom Masters Award, presented to the overall top 10 percent of projects at the junior level. This award nominates him as a semi-finalist for a chance to present his project to the Society of Science in Washington, D.C., in October. There, he will compete against as many as 2,500 semi-finalists from 37 states, Puerto Rico and the Department of Defense overseas.
In addition, Shores won the Naval Science Award presented by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. This award was established to encourage the interest of middle and high school students in science and engineering, reward their scientific achievements, and encourage them to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Also, Shores placed second overall for Junior Engineering, which qualified him to compete at the state level at the 2018 North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair at N.C. State University.
When asked why he chose this project, Shores replied that he “had always liked building contraptions. I liked this project because it involved engineering and agriculture. Plus, I only needed a few simple materials: water, a glass measuring cup, styrofoam cups, clear plastic cups, straws, scissors, a ruler and a lab notebook. I found out that it was possible to control the flow of water using different diameter straws. It was fun. The judges told me that my project was ‘simplistic, but very useful.’”
“We are so proud to say that our students participate in our state’s science fair and are ecstatic to learn that we had two big winners,” said Hillary Shores, middle school science teacher. “Over the past few years, Sacred Heart has adopted the New Generation science standards, purchased new science curriculums, formed a fabulous relationship with The Leopold Society, and added new science enrichment and STREAM lessons into our daily lessons.”
“Sacred Heart is committed to science, technology and our STREAM Curriculums,” said Principal Tyler Kulp, “but this year our teachers are emphasizing engineering and problem-solving. (STREAM is STEM with added integration with Religion, Agriculture and Arts.) Our students’ minds are exploding with these lessons. Their young minds are brilliant when put in the right learning environment full of experimentation and exploration.”
— Robin Fisher
CHARLOTTE — Six Charlotte Catholic High School band students won acceptance into the University of South Carolina Honor Band. The annual clinic, held recently at the Koger Performing Arts Center in Columbia, S.C., hosted more than 400 high school musicians from around the Southeast.
Upon arrival, students auditioned against each other for placement in one of four bands. A renowned collegiate music educator directed each band. While rehearsing over the weekend, students enjoyed performances by the University of South Carolina Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and Jazz Band, as well as the adult community band, the Palmetto Concert Band.
Four of the six students won positions in the top performing ensemble. Pictured are (from left): Ian Russell, Patrick Macalintal, Emma Joseph, Abbey Roper, Ben Ranzinger and Evan Woody.
— Timothy W. Cook