Dozens of students from across the Merced City School District presented impressive projects during a districtwide science fair on March 1. The event took place at the MCSD Professional Development Center, located on Brookdale Avenue. Each of the district’s 14 elementary schools had the opportunity to display three projects, and each of the four middle schools could select up to six student projects.
The entries included everything from wind power experiments to a test of drinking water quality to a video game for the blind. The students behind those projects shared their work with eight judges from a variety of sectors throughout our community, including representatives from UC Merced, the Merced County Office of Education, the Grassland Environmental Education Center and other professionals with backgrounds in science and engineering.
The judges selected the top 20 projects to move on to the countywide STEM Fair on March 22. That event will take place at the Merced County Fairgrounds and is organized by the Merced County Office of Education. The judges also named a first, second, and third place winner for each grade level from fifth through eighth. They are:
5th grade:
1st place – Dana Saeteurn, “A Video Game for the Blind”
2nd place – Claire Chuang and Sophie Zhu, “Potato Chips”
3rd place – Ryan Costa & Diezzel Munoz, "Can We Create a Safe & Easy Way to Pick up Glass?"
6th grade:
1st place – Kayla Alvarado, Julian Ponce & Lesly Navarro: “Paper Robotic Hands”
2nd place – Maria Ramos, Jacqueline Reyes & Julian Soriano: “We Got the Power”
3rd place – Donovan Magana: “Art Bot”
7th grade:
1st place – Jonathan Lopez: “Magnets Charge”
2nd place – Marina Aguilar & Nathan Helms: “Hydroelectric Light”
3rd place – Aidan Mondo: “Can Certain Materials Block Wi-Fi Signals?”
8th grade:
1st place – Anthony Garcia, Alex Hinastrosa & Abigail Deleon: “How Long Will it Take to Crack Your Password?”
2nd place – Cristal Esquivel-Salas, Aaliyah Martinez & Joslin Diaz, “Is the Bottled Water We Drink Actually Healthy?”
3rd place – Allen Arganda & Jesus Zaragoza, “Comparison of Dissolving Times of Alka-Seltzer in Water, Coca-Cola, and Gatorade”
Rivera Elementary
Students at Rivera Elementary participated in the school's first annual science fair on February 22. The projects included everything from investigating the role of gravity and angular momentum on the "water bottle flip challenge" to a test of which popcorn brands pop the best. Principal Puckett says it was a great event with a wonderful parent turnout as well.
Students at Givens Elementary participated in their school science fair on February 27. The event featured a total of 10 projects by 5th and 6th grade students, including volcano experiments, a way to make clean water, and a video game designed for the blind. A UC Merced researcher and two doctoral students served as the judges.
Some of these students will now take part in the districtwide science fair at the Professional Development Center (1730 E. Brookdale Drive) on Wednesday, March 1. Student work will be on display and judged throughout the day, and the public viewing and awards ceremony will take place from 4-6 p.m.
Givens Elementary
Givens Elementary
Givens Elementary
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Givens Elementary
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Rivera Elementary
Students at Chenoweth Elementary took part in a patriotic program on Friday, just before the President's Day weekend. They shared the "ABC's of America" through speeches and songs. The performance featured first and second grade students, and the audience was filled with their family members. The children told the crowd this was a chance to share what they've learned and to celebrate our country and its history. Students were also encouraged to wear red, white, and blue.
Each grade level at Chenoweth has the chance to take part in a special language arts assembly with various themes to fit their classroom lessons.
Students at Franklin Elementary School enjoyed the star treatment on Friday. Those who had perfect attendance throughout the entire second quarter had a chance to walk the red carpet – or dance down it – while their classmates and family members cheered for them. They received certificates of achievement and special water bottles featuring their school colors. The Parent Teacher Club also provided juice and snacks during the assemblies, which took place throughout the day for each grade level.
This celebration is one of many ways schools throughout the Merced City School District provide incentives and recognition for outstanding attendance. Those efforts support the district’s goal to maintain an average daily attendance of 97 percent. Research shows good attendance is a critical component of student success.
Franklin Elementary serves students in transitional kindergarten through third grade. More than 100 of those students were recognized for having perfect attending during Friday’s assemblies.
Three students from the Merced City School District were among those honored during the Merced County Speech Festival awards ceremony on February 8th at the Merced County Office of Education Clark/Newbold room.
All three of the MCSD winners attend Burbank Elementary. Fourth grade student Abby Samuelson earned second place for her speech entitled "Cursive." Fourth grader Rylan Post received an Honorable Mention for his speech called "Disabilities. Fifth grader Jessica Ma also earned an Honorable Mention for a speech entitled "Fable-Castle of Hope."
Congratulations to all of the students who competed and received awards for their efforts!
