THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504110159
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINDSOR LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
WHAT DOES A TEACHER do to encourage her students to dominate the winners' list in a schoolwide science fair?
Ask the kids in Ann Hill's eighth-grade science class.
``She kept reminding us that the project counted as six test grades,'' Nicole Green said. ``She was constantly asking, `Do you know what you're doing? Do you have any questions?' She wouldn't leave us alone.''
If a little nagging works, maybe it's OK once in a while, Hill admits, beaming with pride. Of the 27 winners in nine categories in the recent Windsor Middle School science fair, Hill's eighth-graders took 18 of the awards.
One of those students was Brandon Pitts, who captured the ``honorable mention'' award, just under ``best in show.'' In the physical science category, Brandon conducted various tests to see how different liquids affect the speed of light. The experiment was the result of simple curiosity, he said.
``You know how, when you put a spoon in a glass of water, the spoon looks like it's bent? I've always wondered why.''
So Brandon set up his experiment and devised a method of checking the refraction of light in a variety of liquids: glycerin, syrup, vegetable oil, mineral oil, motor oil, household oil and plain water.
``I found out that household oil is the most dense of the liquids,'' he said. ``It refracts the most light. Water is the least dense. Refraction slows down light. That's why the spoon in the glass looks bent. It's not the spoon that's bending, it's the light.''
Brandon was able to carry out his simple experiment with enough finesse to impress both judges: Edna King, a former school administrator now employed by Paul D. Camp Community College, and Debra Gamble, assistant principal at Windsor Elementary.
But it was a sixth-grader who slipped in and really grabbed the judges' attention. Bonnie Tominack captured ``best in show'' with her experiment on how temperature affects the germination of seeds, in the biological/life science category.
``I kept the seeds in the refrigerator at 50 degrees. In the cold, the radish and bean seeds did nothing. I kept the others on our kitchen counter, in a box, with a towel wrapped around the box. The temperature varied from 70 to 80 degrees, and those seeds sprouted.''
Bonnie's entry was a kind of dual experiment. At the same time she was testing the germination of seeds, she was also recycling.
``My parents were like, `Oh, we don't want to spend more money on another science project,' '' Bonnie said, pointing out her recycled materials. ``This backboard has been used since my brother was in fifth grade.''
Her brother, Ivan Tominack, is now in Hill's eighth grade class. In the biological/life science category, he came in just behind his sister, in second place.
Hill was co-chairman of the event along with Dolores Goffigan, who also teaches science. There were nearly 150 entries in the annual science fair.
The winners received trophies, medals and various prizes provided by local sponsors. Sponsors were: Isle of Wight County Farm Bureau, Cathy's Originals, IGA Grocery, Windsor Hardware, Windsor Pharmacy, Windsor Florist, Cal-Ray Grocery, Kmart of Virginia Beach, Marsha Stone, Windsor Middle School PTA and Hardy's Florist. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Bonnie Tominack holds a culture from her project. Her entire project
is behind her.
THE WINNERS
Health and medicine: Randi Eaton, first; Alice Bradshaw, second;
Rebecca Stanford, third.
Earth science: John McDonough, first; Brooke Cobb, second;
Terrence Ross, third.
Environmental science: Kristy Eley, first; Lucas Weaver, second;
Chris Sowell, third.
Engineering: Tiffani Pope, first; Justin Whitley, second; Kevin
Goerger, third.
Physical science: Brandon Pitts, first; Jennifer Meadows, second;
Amanda Saunders, third.
Biological/life science: Bonnie Tominack, first; Ivan Tominack,
second; Jennifer Howell, third.
Math and computer science: Jennifer Miller, first; Tammy Gaskins,
second; Learning Power Team (a group of seventh- and eighth-graders
who work together under the direction of teacher Janice Etchison),
third.
Chemical science: Katrina Fink, first; Dela Waldron, second;
Stephanie Phillips, third.
Behavioral science: Susan Frank, first; Shirley Seader, second;
A. Noelle Peerey, third.
by CNB