Did you know that Coca-Cola cleans pennies better than white
vinegar? Or that beeswax is an alternative to store-bought crayons?
These are just a couple things revealed at the annual
diocesan science fair at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax April 13.
The gym was filled with experiments from out of this world — growing plants on
Mars — to an arm’s length away — the best product for keeping hands clean.
Roughly 100 judges from the science community descended on
Paul VI early Saturday morning to review the projects. Oblate Sister of St.
Francis de Sales Frances Carol Eder, a teacher at Holy Cross Academy in
Fredericksburg, and Leslie Lipovski, diocesan assistant superintendent for
curriculum, instruction and assessment, served as chairpersons.
Hannah Grace Frieden, a student at St. Leo the Great School
in Fairfax, took top of the fair. St. Mark School in Vienna took top school.
Shane Seegers, middle school science teacher at St. Mark
School, said the recognition of top school “is a positive testament to our
commitment to science. The students worked hard all year long and it’s further
confirmation of that work.”
While the experiments teach students different things about
the scientific world, it also prepares them for their roles in the future.
“It helps students prepare for interviewing,” said Cheryl
Day, science teacher at Holy Family School in Dale City. “Part of this is
teaching them to present and express their ideas clearly and to come out with a
high quality, scientifically based project.”
Erica Palaza, principal of Sacred Heart Academy in
Winchester, said the science teacher does an excellent job teaching the
scientific process but also how students should present themselves to a judge.
“It leads into interview skills when they are older,” said Palaza. “It’s not
just about science.”
The fair, hosted by the Office of Catholic Schools, brought
together 266 students from 29 schools with their top experiments in 13 science
fields, including botany, chemistry, computer science, earth and space
sciences, and microbiology.
Michael Thieman, science teacher at Holy Spirit School in
Annandale, said participating in the science fair teaches critical thought.
“It’s looking at what’s happening around us. Too much of what kids do nowadays,
they only have to turn it on, and it just works,” he said. “They need to
understand the critical thinking behind it.”
Some students were surprised at the results of their
experiments.
Eighth-grader AJ Pollock, who took second place in chemistry
from St. Louis School in Alexandria, experimented with what liquids would clean
pennies the best. “I was surprised by my results because I wasn’t expecting
Coca-Cola would overcome my hypothesis, which was white vinegar, because I
didn’t think it was that acidic.”
Holy Family eighth-grader Carley Dailey experimented
with smoke and spiders. “I did this experiment to prove that things like
pollution and secondhand smoke not only affect humans, but also animals,
insects and their habitats,” she said.
See below for a full list of Science Fair winners for 2019:
Overall School Winners
1st: St. Mark School, Vienna
2nd: Holy Spirit School, Annandale
3rd: St. Leo the Great School, Fairfax
Top of the Fair
Hannah Grace Frieden, St. Leo the Great School, Fairfax
Behavioral Sciences
1st: Eleanor McNichols, St. Rita School, Alexandria
2nd: Lilia Miravite, St. Bernadette School, Springfield
3rd: Sofia Tehrani, St. Rita School, Alexandria
HM: Frankie Anstett, St. Mark School, Vienna
Biochemistry
1st: Brigid Morrow, St. Joseph School, Herndon
2nd: Trevor Donnelly, St. Mark School, Vienna
3rd: Abby Walsh, St. Thomas More Cathedral School, Arlington
Botany
1st: Katherine Christine West, St. Leo the Great School,
Fairfax
2nd: Caroline Fletcher, St. Thomas More Cathedral School,
Arlington
3rd: Jacqueline Lopes, Our Lady of Good Counsel School,
Vienna
HM: Andrew Parker, St. Patrick School, Fredericksburg
Chemistry
1st: Anna Bohli, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
2nd: Andrew Pollock,
St. Louis School, Alexandria
3rd: Chris Chong, St.
Mark School, Vienna
HM: Isabella Neely, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
HM: James Parker, St. Patrick School, Fredericksburg
HM: Isabelle Vu, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
Computer Science
1st: Andrew Pearce, St. Joseph School, Herndon
2nd: Soham Rajeshirke, Holy Cross Academy, Fredericksburg
3rd: Joseph Rastovski, St. Louis School, Alexandria
Earth and Space
Sciences
1st: Keira Gomes, Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Vienna
2nd: Juliana Brown and Jasmine Nguyen, Holy Cross Academy,
Fredericksburg
3rd: Anthony Olivera, All Saints School, Manassas
Engineering/Technology
1st: Sean Wilcox, St. Mark School, Vienna
2nd: Maria Wise, St. Anthony of Padua School, Falls Church
3rd: Mariella Lionato, St. Mark School, Vienna
HM: Adam Crossin, St. Andrew the Apostle School, Clifton
HM: Samantha Rough, St. Louis School, Alexandria
Environmental
Sciences
1st: Erich Laughlin, St. Agnes School, Arlington
2nd: Paulina Gomez, St. Agnes School, Arlington
3rd: Giorgia Susi, St. Agnes School, Arlington
Mathematics
1st: Cecilia Meunier, St. Theresa School, Ashburn
2nd: Jackson Robbins, Sacred Heart Academy, Winchester
3rd: Joseph Tashjian, St. Andrew the Apostle School, Clifton
Medicine and Health
1st: Hannah Grace Frieden, St. Leo the Great School, Fairfax
2nd: Bethel Girma, St. Ambrose School, Annandale
3rd: Allison Dunnegan, St. Anthony of Padua School, Falls
Church
HM: Liliani Horcharoen, St. Michael School, Annandale
HM: William Hughes, Holy Cross Academy, Fredericksburg
HM: Bianca Linares, Sacred Heart Academy, Winchester
Microbiology
1st: Sarah Terpenning, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
2nd: Ella Newton, St. James School, Falls Church
3rd: Madison Cervenak, St. James School, Falls Church
HM: Hanna Richards, St. Anthony of Padua School, Falls
Church
Physics
1st: JT Glenchur, St. Mark School, Vienna
2nd: Clement Jean Pierre Lede, St. Leo the Great School,
Fairfax
3rd: Maximilian Esteban Meer, St. Leo the Great School,
Fairfax
HM: Dylan Akiyama, St. Veronica School, Chantilly
HM: Claire Gibbons, Holy Spirit School, Annandale
HM: Catherine Molnar, St. Veronica School, Chantilly
HM: Olivia Newberry, St. James School, Falls Church
HM: Gavin Oglesby, Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Vienna
Zoology
1st: Sophia Spizuoco, St. Joseph School, Herndon
2nd: Carley Dailey, Holy Family School, Dale City
3rd: Margaret Kelley, St. James School, Falls Church; Reid
Osborne, St. Bernadette School, Springfield
