St. Mark Students Advance to CT Science and Engineering Fair

On Thursday, December 7th St. Mark School in Stratford held their annual Science Fair. Students in grades 5th through 8th participated in 2 months of project research, experiments, and data collection in preparation for their presentations to go on display. All work was conducted during classroom time in accordance with St. Mark’s blended learning curriculum. This innovative approach allowed students to independently utilize school resources for digital research and instruction as well as one-on-one face time with their teachers.

A panel of 8 judges interviewed students in grades 6th through 8th. Principal Scott Clough announced awards for first, second, and third place winners along with 2 honorable mentions per grade.

In the 8th grade there was a first place tie awarded to both Michael LaMonica IV for his project “Stealthy Shapes” and Kaitlyn Szczepanski for her project entitled “Are You a Fan of Wind Turbines?”

Michael’s enthusiasm for Star Wars and Star Trek lead him to his project’s objective of determining if angles and textures of three dimensional shapes affect the scattering of light. The science fiction story lines which frequently include ships becoming invisible to radar detection, gave him the idea to apply such a concept to light detection and test a shape’s stealth to light by using a lux meter to measure his findings.

Kaitlyn was intrigued to continue research from her last year’s project on solar energy. She chose to test several variables toward the efficiency of wind turbines. By building a series of horizontal axis wind turbines and vertical axis wind turbines with various blade types, she was able to conclude which type was most efficient.

The top three projects in grades 7th and 8th will go on to compete at the 70th Annual Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair March 12-17, 2018 at Quinnipiac University.

The following is a complete list of St. Mark students who were awarded for their work:

6th Grade

1st Place: Which Detergent Works Best -- Taylor Batterton & Jessamyn Ramonas

2nd Place: Which Plastic Wrap Prevents... -- Rebecca Kirn

3rd Place: How Does Height Prevent Splatter Patterns -- Nina Ferik & Jackie Gibson

Honorable Mention: Liquids In the Air -- Matthew Krekoska & Michael Morales

Honorable Mention: Does Time Fly As You Get Older -- Justin Tayman

7th Grade

1st Place: Don't Rain On My Raddish --Skyler Johansen

2nd Place: Rust Acidity -- Elizabeth Long

3rd Place: Dirty Composition -- John Pastorok

Honorable Mention: Witness This -- Amanda Bike & Madison McMahon

Honorable Mention: Conduct or Insulator -- Anthony Scioscia

8th Grade

1st Place (TIE): Stealthy Shapes -- Michael LaMonica IV

Are You A Fan of Wind Turbines --Kaitlyn Szczepanski

3rd Place: Lights, Camera, Refraction -- Julia Sciallo

Honorable Mention: Animation Tube -- Mya Zayas

Honorable Mention: Cooking with Solar Energy -- Caroline Workman