In the busy months of spring, it can be easy to see schoolwork as a chore or lose sight of the joy of learning. However, Seabury’s sixth graders reminded us of the worth behind hard work with a host of impressive projects at this year’s Science and Engineering Fair!
Faculty member Katy Steinbacher, who teaches the Science 6 course, explains the fair’s parameters, saying, “As part of the sixth grade science curriculum … students are challenged to either use the engineering design process or the scientific method to complete a project that they’re interested in, something they’re passionate about.”
Passion was exactly what students showed, selecting a variety of unique projects. Sixth grader George Paul says, “I tested one expensive and one cheap shoe cleaner. I dirtied one pair of identical white shoes outside for roughly three minutes, and after that, I cleaned them on and off over warm water each, one with expensive shoe cleaner and one with cheap shoe cleaner for three minutes … I originally was going to use a bacteria slide and count the organisms to figure out which one was cleaner, but the bacteria slides melted over a hot pad, so I ended up doing a visual experiment.”
Sixth grader Lila Huebner also engaged the scientific method, saying, “I [tested] how yoga affects your flexibility, [and I learned] that doing yoga can really help your flexibility, so if you need to get more flexible in dance or something, do yoga.”
Sixth grader Abdul Alhafez chose an engineering-oriented project, saying, “For my Science and Engineering Fair project, I decided to get an RC … plane and test its stabilizer system, called the gear stabilizer system. I listed failures and listed … the conditions and where I’m going to fly it, and then I listed fixes, and then after that I flew it over the stage for people to watch … I liked flying it in front of people and showing how cool the product was.”
Students also showed appreciation for each others’ projects, with sixth grader Evangeline Miles saying, “My friend Sloane … got two different perfume bottles, but she put the same perfume in them, so they had the same smell, but [she] tested to see if people would think that the more expensive bottle had more expensive scent … The more expensive bottle actually did smell more expensive to some people.”
While the projects themselves were incredibly rewarding, participants agreed that the fair’s benefits extended beyond just experimenting. Paul says, “I think it’s a good assignment that reflects your knowledge and ability to learn in science, but it’s also a chance to educate other students of Seabury that might not be doing it.”
Similarly, Miles says that the fair is important to Seabury’s culture “because the new sixth graders get to teach other people that are in higher grades than them about things that they’re interested in.”
In addition, Steinbacher hopes that the fair will help push students to pursue learning, saying, “I strongly believe in the importance of students being able to apply their science and math knowledge outside of the classroom, and so this is the perfect opportunity for them to do that.”
With their projects completed, students have stores of advice for future participants. Alhafez says, “The advice I have is to not stress about it and pick something that you really like, and also to just go with the flow, like if you mess up on something, you can just put a piece of paper over it, like I messed up writing the word ‘flight’ on mine, so I taped a piece of paper over it, and it did turn out kind of cool.”
Huebner adds, “Don’t procrastinate, because … you have class time, but also do stuff at home too, so that at the last second you’re not piecing everything together.”
Similarly, Paul says, “My advice is to think carefully and be proactive about your science experiment and your board especially, because … even if it all works out digitally, you have to really measure things out to get them the way you want them on the board.”
It is no small task, but Seabury’s sixth-grade Seahawks brought research, experimentation and presentation together impressively. Alhafez summarizes their success perfectly: “You get to learn about something new … and also people get to see the work you put in, and you feel super proud of yourself when you finish it,” he says.
