One of the many events that some students at WHHS are often too familiar with is the Science Fair in eighth grade. The competition is mandatory for all students in the 8 Honors classes. Students chose partners or worked individually.

These students brainstormed ideas, created a hypothesis and eventually tested their idea using the scientific method and made a presentation to be judged.

The local Science Fair at WHHS was held on Feb. 7. Students who received a Superior rating from the judges moved on to the District Level competition at the University of Cincinnati on March 16.

Sarthak Dighe, ‘23 attended Districts and commented on the process. “I redesigned my trifold board, and I made my presentation shorter and included more points of interest instead of rambling, which I did at local science fair,” Dighe said.

At the District Fair, there were eighth grade students competing and college students showing off scientific exhibits such as fossils of Ohio and different types of fish. During their lunch break, students were allowed to walk around and view their peers’ projects and the other exhibits on display.

“I was judged two times by five people. Two in the first group, and three in the second. I felt very restless while waiting for the judges, as I thought I would be judged more in the six hours of the fair. Instead, I was judged twice in the first hour and waited for the other five,” Dighe said.  “They were extremely kind and seemed like they wanted me to succeed. However, they asked many questions, some of which I was unable to answer. When I couldn’t answer questions, they helped me to find solutions, but some of them seemed annoyed and almost condescending.”

For each category there were specialized judges. Since the judges specialized in different fields, they asked in-depth questions that had to do with the project, rather than asking generalized questions. When judging was complete, students could take a break.
Sophie Christian said, “I felt relieved after being judged because I felt like science fair was all done.”

At the District Level awards ceremony, students received cash awards and scholarships and qualified for State level competition and other science fairs.

“It was exhilarating. As soon as I found out I made it to state, I was euphoric. It became even better when I won a $350 award for my objective to find new disinfectants. I’m excited for the new projects I’m going to see. I’ll also be on my toes, as I’ve already gotten this far and want to go further to Nationals!”

WHHS students cheered each other when friends’ names were called. Christian said, “It was nice seeing all the people around me so happy when they won.”

“I would describe the overall experience as a long hard process but worth it in the long run,” Christian said.

“Overall, District was a great display of scientific prowess for many students. It helped students to see good examples of scientific method and engineering design, and it helped students to meet other students who have similar interests,” Dighe said.

Christian and Dighe gave advice for future 8 Honors students.
“I would say to rehearse your presentation. Judges love someone who is eloquent and can speak with confidence about something they know,” Dighe said.

“I would tell the future Honors kids to collect their data earlier and keep up with their work,” Christian said.

This year, the States competition is on May 11 at Ohio State University in Columbus. Those who qualified and decide to go will continue to prepare for the next level getting experience in competition and taking WHHS further into the competition. Their hard work paid off, and Whhs will be seeing some of their own advance further into competition, cheering those who move on!

DISCLAIMER: Abigail Soares, ‘23, participated in the District Science Fair and is a member of The Chatterbox staff.