Every year, Scheck Hillel eighth graders are granted the amazing opportunity to participate in the annual science fair where they present science projects they have been working on since the beginning of the school year. 

Being given this opportunity, the eighth graders have the ability to demonstrate how they approach scientific inquiries and their capability of resolving the solutions at the heart of their investigations. It is an intriguing and fascinating moment to see what these eighth graders have in store to share with the community. When asking Middle school science teacher, Dr. Williams – who runs the science fair –  what she finds unique about this annual science fair, she claims, “The science fair is very unique because it gives the students the opportunity to go through the process of doing authentic research. From beginning to end it is authentic research, going through a process, following it through, and doing scientific inquiry. Also, it is important to let the students know that they will encounter the process of trial and error. They may not get the results that they were looking for, but I want them to learn that that is a part of science.” The science fair is indeed not a short-term process; it is filled with trial and error until one receives the final results of their outcome. 

With a series of tests and trials having to be done in order to successfully complete their science fair projects, it can be said that the eighth graders most certainly had to devote a large sum of their time to reach the ultimate goal of finding the results of their experiments and eventually attend the science fair to share their observations and data with the school. When asking science fair contestants about their experience and process of investigating their science fair topics, most of them offered insightful and illuminating responses. For example, Scheck Hillel eighth grader and science fair contestant, Bina Sragovicz, who experimented on whether or not integrating superfoods into your daily diet will help you lose weight, states, “My experience was very rewarding in the end because even if it has been stressful at times, I got to put in the work, and I got to research and do all the fun things, and the process of the science fair. I was very glad to find my results and see all my work pay off and finally come here to the science fair!”

Yes, it is exciting and a bit nerve-racking to present a project that has been taken into action for the past few months, but what does it take to become a science fair finalist? What key elements captivate judges to choose your project as one of the few that go off to regionals and compete against every school in Miami-Dade county? Well, when asking Scheck Hillel’s teacher and Science Fair judge, Mr. Butler on his intake, he explains, “I’d say that there are two important parts. The first thing that catches your eye is a professional-looking display. That means it is colorful, organized, neat, and it has something that is going to catch your eye and bring you in. But once it catches your eye and brings you in, there has to be something real there. It has to be something that they are actually testing; it has to be an interesting question that makes you think, and a cool way they went about trying to figure out the answer.” 

What do former science fair finalists have to say about this year’s 2022 Science Fair? This year, Scheck Hillel Sophomore, and 2020 Science Fair finalist, Benjamin Herschman, had the special opportunity to take part in judging the Science Fair this year, in part with the Science Honor Society. When asked Benjamin about his views of this year’s science fair, he shared empowering and moving words about how the science fair has a great impact on every student. He claims, “I feel as though the science fair is an extremely important event as it not only allows students to learn more about topics they are not familiar with but also allows them to strengthen their love of science. As a cause, I am extremely happy to see so many 8th-grade students so motivated by the projects that they chose.”

A great thanks to Dr. Williams for allowing the eighth-grader to have this fulfilling and momentous opportunity to demonstrate the ability and skills they have learned and observed in prior science classes, and finally take on the initiative to complete and formulate their own research on a scientific inquiry.