HOUSTON – April 4, 2016 – More than 300 Twin Creeks Middle School students eagerly walked into the campus gymnasium on March 23 to carefully construct their displays in the first-ever Twin Creeks Middle School Science Fair.
The event, which for a few hours converted the gym to a living science project, encouraged students to use their creativity, critical thinking and science abilities. It also brought dozens of other students together and almost two hundred parents, teachers and community members, to view the exhibits inside.
The projects submitted by Twin Creeks sixth, seventh and eighth graders were judged solely on their creativity and effort in each grade level, according to Sonya Simon, seventh-grade assistant principal.
“This year we wanted to offer our students an opportunity to participate and get them ready to look at a possible entry in the Houston Regional Science Fair next year.” Already planning ahead, Simon said, “Next year, the projects will be judged based on categories and grade levels. We will have various categories that will offer students a specialty in various areas of science, like biology, chemistry, and physics.”
The winners in each grade category were awarded first-, second-, and third-place medals and gift cards, donated by a parent who wished to remain anonymous. The donation totaled $450 for iTunes®, Chic-fil-A and AMC Movie Theaters.
Following are grade-level winners: Sixth grade – Jordan During, first; Perla Deleon, second; and Grace Wesley, third. Seventh-grade – Jenna Dillon, first; Jesus Martinez, second; and Isaiah Baines, third. Eighth-grade – Austin Ortega, first; Zuleyka Barragan and Hazel Amaya, second; and Erion Spencer, third.
Several Twin Creeks science teachers, community members and business partners served as judges at the event. They included Cheryl Celauro, Monica Smith and Melanie Zaborowske science teachers; Jalanta Smith, science teacher/development specialist; Neelam Singh, Spring ISD secondary science director; and Tom Jones and David Willis, ExxonMobil volunteers.