Elementary Edition
Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Seven county projects won first place in their categories at the Regional Science Fair, and the students who presented them will move on to the State Science Fair at Fairmont State University March 28.
Two elementary school students placed first in their categories and will have a chance to win on the state level later this month.
“Horse treats, anyone?”
Hillsboro Elementary School third grade student Jolene Workman has been around horses all her life. In fact, she rode a horse for the first time soon after she learned to walk.
So, when it came time to choose a subject for her science fair project, Jolene – daughter of Andrew and Jessica Workman – didn’t have to look too far.
“I like doing stuff with my horses, and it’s something I know a lot about,” she said.
Jolene has seven horses, and she used them as part of her experiment.
“My goal was to find out what treats my horses like the best,” she said. “I tried apple, molasses and peppermint.
“I found out that they like peppermint.”
Although she was a little nervous at the regional fair, she was very happy to learn she’d won first place and would be moving on to the state level.
“What makes pop cool down the fastest?”
That’s the question Marlinton Elementary School fourth grade student Madalynn Landis set out to answer with her science fair project.
To some, it seems like an easy answer – just use ice. But, Madalynn – daughter of Johnny and Anna Landis – found there is an even better way to cool down “pop” on a hot day.
“We didn’t even buy anything to do this experiment, except for the pop,” she said. “You have [all the materials] at home, unless you run out.
“My hypothesis for what would cool down the pop – was salt, ice and water,” she continued.
“I had a lot of judges ask me: ‘what does water have to do with anything,’ and I told them every time, to stir the salt around in the water to make sure that it makes every inch of the pop cold.”
Madalynn said it’s best to use cans of pop and place them in a pot or bowl with the ice, salt and water mixture, but do not put the bowl in the freezer.
“We did the pop, and we set it in the freezer because we thought everything needs to be in the freezer,” Madalynn said. “Well, after fifteen minutes, we totally regretted that!
“Some of it froze and took up most of the space which made it explode.”
Madalynn said she was excited to win at the regional fair and is a little nervous, but ready to present her project on the state level.