Although students weren’t present in person for the district fair, they will still receive the trophy or ribbon and the certificate that they would have received at a regular fair. Those will be sent to the student’s home school.

JANUARY 21, 2021 – Winners in the annual Winston-Salem/Forsyth County District Science Fair have been announced.

In a normal year, students who win the science fairs at their schools head to the District Science Fair. In past years, it has been held at Kaleideum North. There, judges would talk with them about their projects and ask questions before choosing winners.

Students and parents also had the opportunity to visit with each other, and leaders in the Science Department visit with them and their families.

“We like to see our students,” said David DeLade, the Director of K-12 Science. “We like to hear what they did.”

This year, the District Science Fair was virtual, and there were no judges from outside the school system. Leaders from the Science Department chose the winners based on materials that students submitted. Those materials included recorded video presentations along a series of slides that included such categories as “Problem or Question,” “Framework, “Findings, and “Interpretation & Conclusions.”

In a typical year, more than 200 projects might be included in the district fair. Usually, most of the district science fair participants are in elementary or middle school, with a smaller number from high school.

This year, there were no high school projects, and fewer elementary and middle projects. Altogether, there were 62 projects.

Although there were fewer submissions, the quality and creativity was as strong as it ever is, DeLade said. “What was steadfast was our students’ dedication to science and love of learning.” 

“We had some amazing projects.”

And the students’ presentations were impressive. In their videos, many of them didn’t refer to notes or read from a script. They simply spoke about their project.

It was great to see that, DeLade said.  

And with the videos being recorded at home, people in the Science Department felt a sense of connection with students as they demonstrated their projects in such places as the kitchen or outside their home.

“It was really great to see these students do their projects,” he said.

Serving as judges also helped the members of the Science Department connect with students. Although they visit with students and ask questions every year, the additional focus that comes from serving as a judge provided an even greater understanding of the students’ projects.

“It was really a treat,” he said.

Winners from the District Science Fair will go on the Region 5 science fair, which will be held virtually Feb. 25-27.

With so many school systems participating in a regular year, the submissions from WS/FCS to the regional fair are usually limited to 21 projects. Because some smaller districts aren’t competing at the regional level this year, WS/FCS was told it could submit more projects, and 30 projects are being submitted.

DeLade made a point to thank Judy Day, who retired from N.C. State University and now serves as the Director for the Region 5 Science Fair, which is sponsored by the N.C. Science Fair Foundation.

“She has been really great in this process,” he said.

Winners at the regional level will go on to the state fair.

“I think from looking at the projects, we are going to have some serious contenders for the state once they pass the regional,” DeLade said.

K-2:

K-2 Division
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Lilly Long	Speas Global	1	The Marshmallow Match-Up
1	Wesley Kiell	Jefferson ES	K	How drag changes the distance a paper plane flys
2	Mrs. Staffel’s Class	Konnoak	MC	A Color Symphony
3	Mrs. Hartfield’s Class	Konnoak	MC	Melting Candy Canes

3-5 Division:

3-5 Biological Sciences
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Grant Whalen	Brunson	5	Do Worms Help Indoor Plants Grow?
2	Michael Mastrotatoro	Vienna	4	Is Your Breakfast a “Nail-Biter”?
3	Gabriella Berlinger	Meadowlark	3	Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, Oh My!
4	Malaki Grey	Kimberley Park	4	Different Masks and Their Effectiveness

 

3-5 Earth/Environmental
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Ansha Narayan	Brunson	3	Humidity and Fans Relationship
1	Ella Lukan	Meadowlark ES	3	Lego Brick Test
2	Isaac Mastrotatoro	Vienna	3	Why are Streets Salted Before Snow?

 

3-5 Physics/Math
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Darshini Sivakumar	Jefferson ES	4	Static Electricity
2	Tobe Pont	Brunson	5	Wild Wings: Testing the Flight Dynamics of Open vs. Wing Gliders
3	JaNiyah Demps	Walkertown ES	5	Traveling Water by Paper Towels

 

3-5 Engineering/Technology
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Sriharini Muruanandan Kirthika	Jefferson ES	3	Smart Searcher

3-5 Chemistry
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	J’ayla Demps	Walkertown ES	3	Lava Lamp
2	Jowell Dominguez-Bernal	Konnoak	3	Which Liquid is Best Removing the Shell of an Egg?
3	Ajanee Davis	Kimberley Park	4	What Happens to Apples?
4	Samantha Hernandez-Ramirez	Kimberley Park	3	Elephant Toothpaste

Junior Division 6-8:

Junior Bio-A
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Kennedy Wells	Hanes	8	Colors All Around Us.
2	Yasmine Ajam	Hanes	7	Wave Goodbye to Weeds

 

Junior Bio-B
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Harshika Chenchu	Meadowlark MS	6	The Power of Eyes
2	Eliza Resuello	Hanes	8	Dying To Know
2	Olivia Lundquist	Wiley	6	Which Drink is Most Harmful to Your Teeth

 

Junior Chemistry
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Aryan Saha	Hanes	7	Dreaming…Waste Free World
2	Ashley Craun	Hanes	7	Are We Playing In Liquid Pollution?
3	Madilynn Fortney	Hanes	8	What Fruits Will Ruin Your Gelatin Dessert?

 

Junior Earth/Environmental
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Aryaman Shukla	Hanes	7	Pellet for Thought
1	Eleanore Klaimore	Hanes	7	Whimsical Water Walkthrough
2	Avery Ehrman Colin Ehrman	Wiley	6/8	Does The Sun Heat Salt Water and Fresh Water At The Same Rate?
3	Kate Rose	Wiley	6	Drinkable Water

 

Junior Physics/Math
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Simon Tonidandel	Hanes	7	Infrared Thermometers Are Hot Now, But Should We Put a Freeze On Buying Them?
2	Aleksandra Scarlett	Hanes	8	Mechanical Magnetism To Biol Water
2	John Archer	Hanes	7	What Is The Best Launching Angle To Make a Rocket Travel The Maximum Distance?

 

Junior Technology
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Matthew "Asher" Lisi	Hanes	7	A Handy Hand
2	Rachit Chandrakul	Paisley IB	6	Developing Innovative Technology to Empower the Special Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic
3	Maxwell Kremidas	Paisley IB	6	Batteries: Boom or Bust

 

Junior Engineering
Rank	Student Name	School	Grade	Project Title
1	Kristopher Burch	Hanes	8	High Speed Travel In a Vacuum Tube