Young Sheldons: Santa Rita Elementary Students Showcase Scientific Ingenuity

The students, organized into groups of 3-4, undertook diverse projects, spanning a range of intriguing questions. 

From determining the maximum number of pencils a plastic bag can hold to investigating the effectiveness of hand sanitizer against germs, the young scientists dove into their inquiries with enthusiasm.

For fifth-grade participants, the experience was particularly hands-on. 

Empowered to choose their groups and delve into self-selected topics, these students spent three weeks on their projects. 

Morgan Aguirre, a 5th-grade teacher, noted the students' passion and excitement, despite tackling challenging subjects. 

“They were allowed to pick the groups they worked with and had planning packets and templates to make sure they were answering the right questions,” Aguirre said. “The fifth-graders had more freedom to choose something they’re passionate about or interested in. For some of the students, you could just tell that they really are passionate about their project because they were so excited to share the information with people. It was hard, because they did pick some pretty challenging topics but I think that when they put more work in, they’re more excited about it.” 

In contrast, second-grade students, guided more closely by their teachers, dedicated a week to their projects, focusing on organizing their posters and detailing their responses. 

According to second-grade teacher Laci Rathmell, her students excelled in following directions and demonstrated adeptness in executing experiments.

 “I think a lot of it was more of how to organize their poster and how to write their response to everything,” Ms. Rathmell said. “With doing the experiments, they’re really great at following directions so they did a really good job at knowing how to do the actual experiment part.” 

A total of 62 science projects were presented at the Santa Rita Science Fair across the four grades. 

These projects covered a spectrum of experiments, such as testing mold growth on different types of bread, exploring the impact of water temperature on magnetic strength, and investigating the taste influence of a liquid's color.

The students showcased their projects to a panel of judges, consisting of Angelo State University students and professors. 

Judging criteria included adherence to the scientific method, enthusiasm for the project, knowledge, organization and visual appeal of the presentation, and a conclusive summary. 

The judges engaged students with questions about their findings and the learning process.

Among the notable projects were second-grade student Cayden and his group's exploration of "Rock Candy." 

The experiment aimed to determine if crystals could form from a solution of dissolved sugar and water. 

Cayden shared that the crystals took time to develop, with the breakthrough occurring after the Thanksgiving break.

“We learned that sugar can form crystals,” Cayden said, adding that the crystals do not form immediately. “We couldn’t really see any change,” he said. “We saw it for three days. The crystals didn’t really form. We saw just some crystals growing. Then it was Thanksgiving break. When we got back there were a lot of crystals.”

“Some of the projects worked really quickly and some, like the rock candy, worked not so quickly,” said Ms. Rathmell. “The rock candy one, we had to do the experiment and then go on Thanksgiving break. When we came back it had grown. They were all so excited. The first thing when they came back from break was to see if it had worked. It was really rewarding for them.”

The judges awarded projects in each grade category, recognizing outstanding efforts. 

Notable winners included the second-grade project "Lava Lamp," the third-grade project "What Makes Ice Melt Faster?," the fourth-grade project "Which Fruit Molds the Fastest?," and the fifth-grade project "Unleashing a Canine’s Play."

The coveted Grand Prize went to the fifth-grade project "You’ve Been Masked.”

San Angelo ISD commended all participants for their hard work and encourages ongoing exploration of science. 

For more information, visit saisd.org.