For a small area like the South Wairarapa, 34 entries in the local schools’ science fair is a commendable effort. The fair was open to Years 5-8, and entries were limited to four per school. Nine schools participated and the honours were spread amongst them.
Eric Daube from Martinborough School explained that the brief was aimed at widening entries beyond the traditional experiment approach. Students were encouraged to “engage with science and come up with interesting questions to investigate”. The judges were very impressed both with the standard of entries and the imaginative ways students had taken the brief. As a result, there was a wide range of fascinating topics on display, including Worm Wee or Water, Hot Cups, The Sheep Restaurant, Loom Band Strength, Does Age Affect Memory, The Equine Mind, Noise versus Silence, and the Truth about Teeth.
This year, for the first time, the judges were senior students from Kuranui College, and Eric says that “they were outstanding – I’ve never seen such committed judges”. The six students judged in pairs and then moderated each other’s decisions. In total, 18 hours of analysis was involved, which is a remarkable demonstration of enthusiasm and thoroughness for the task. Eric commented that “they were a really impressive group of young people, especially in their work ethic, discussion, and feedback”, and noted that all the staff agreed completely with their decisions. He was also delighted by the sense of continuity, since several of the judges remembered submitting their own entries some years ago.
Results:
Year 5
1st Flyn Innes Tuturamuri
2nd Alex Mason & Josh Guild Martinborough
3rd Sam Hislop Kahutara
Merit Violet Patterson & Rebecca Johnson Carterton
Year 6
1st Felicity Wills Martinborough
2nd Mahoney Puketapu Kahutara
3rd Reihana Bragger & Tome Robinson Tuturamuri
Merit Connor Hislop Kahutara
Year 7
1st Astrea Morison-Reesby Martinborough
2nd Ceejay Dennes Greytown
3rd Ella Fenwick Greytown
Merit Julia O’Driscoll St Theresa’
Year 8
1st Liam Gerritson Greytown
2nd Amy Wood Kahutara
2rd Finn Bargh Tuturamuri
Merit Tom Willians & Cully Lockyer Gladstone
