Socorro ISD Science Fairs Sharpens Research, Presentation Skills for Students
More than 900 Socorro Independent School District elementary and middle school students participated in the annual district-wide science fairs in the fall.
“This is a good experience for a student,” said Danielle Navariz, elementary science instructional officer. “It’s important. Not only are they learning about science, but they are improving their presentation skills. The students have been preparing for months on their projects, culminating with the science fair.”
Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students created projects in various categories, including behavioral and social science, earth and environmental science, life science, physical science and engineering.
John Drugan School was named the sweepstakes winner again. Two Drugan students, Sophia Smith, fourth grade, and Christopher McDonald, fifth grade, also took sweepstakes. Smith’s category was behavioral and social science. McDonald had an earth and environmental science project.
James P. Butler Elementary third grader, Midori Moreno, was the sweepstakes winner for her physical science project.
At the middle school level, sixth- through eighth-grade students showcased projects in various categories, including sciences, behavioral and social science, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, cellular and molecular biology, earth and environmental sciences, mathematics, plant sciences, system software and translational medical science.
John Drugan again had top winners in several categories. Sixth-graders Aiden Veik and Fatima Franco won sweepstakes in the life and engineering categories, respectively. Joaquin Roman, a Montwood Middle School sixth-grader as well, took home the sweepstakes win in physical science.
In the seventh grade, Arella Orrosco and Gabriel Ramirez, both from John Drugan, and Mercedes Lopez, Socorro Middle School, were sweepstake winners. Orrosco took first place in life, Ramirez was tops in physical science and Lopez won the engineering category.
Eighth-graders Alan Martinez and James McDonald, from Drugan, and Samuel Fierro, from Ensor Middle School, took sweepstakes. Martinez and McDonald earned first for life and engineering, respectively. Fierro won for his physical science project.
Students worked hard on their projects, spending time researching, experimenting and creating their storyboards.
“This science project was based on my desire to be an architect,” said Roman, a middle-school sweepstakes winner. “I wanted to find the best building material and it turned out to be adobe. It was so much fun doing this and it will help me when I become an architect.”
The first-place winners, 66 students, from the middle school science fair advanced to the Sun Country Regional Science & Engineering Fair, which will be March 2 at Pebble Hills High School.
