By David Marshall, Grade 6 Teacher, Farwell Elementary School

Which brand of laundry detergent cleans best? How do you turn milk into rubber? Do plants grow better when they are sung to? Students explored these and many other mysteries in preparation for Farwell School’s Sixth Grade Science Fair, hosted by sixth-grade teachers Loni Dion and David Marshall.

Sixth grader Christina Zahn explains: “We were playing a game called Science Fair. This is a science mystery game. We had to figure out who stole all the projects at a fictitious Brightsville School, and where the projects were hidden. Along the way we did worksheets that gave us clues and also gave us information about how to do our own science fair projects. The game lasted about three weeks, and then we were given time to do our own science fair projects, including experimentation, a notebook, and a display board.”

Sixth grader Stephanie Gagne describes the science fair itself: “The day before the science fair, each student gave a presentation in front of their class. This made it easier to give our presentation in front of other people. On the morning of the science fair, both classes got right to work setting up their stations to look respectable and neat. Then we explained our experiments to interested third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. Three judges walked around and rated each student’s display.”

In the end, there were three winners from each class. In David Marshall’s class, Jordan Ropella won first place with an investigation into which microwave popcorn leaves the fewest unpopped kernels. Christina Zahn, who explored whether adding sugar to water prolongs the life of cut flowers, won second place. Third place went to Devan Houlihan, who looked at what type of ball bounces the highest.

In Loni Dion’s class, the first-place winner was Samantha Howaniec, who tested which type of liquid is best for watering plants. Second place went to Amy Morin, who examined which brand of battery lasts longest. Caitlin Walton won third place by examining what method cleans tarnished pennies the best.

All students’ presentations were excellent, and they wish to express their appreciation to all the parents and guests who were able to attend their science fair.

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