Students in both the Lower School and the Middle School had the chance to explore science and innovation thanks to recent project fairs in each division. The Lower School’s Science and Innovation Fair, open to students in fourth and fifth grades, took place on Jan. 28, while the Middle School Science Fair was on Jan. 31. Participation in both events was optional.

Building on last year’s Middle School event, which was organized in partnership with Upper School students with a passion for science, planning committees in both divisions were supported by Olivia Rivera ’25 and Jonas Lisson ’25. 

Lower School Science and Innovation Fair

Nearly 30 fourth- and fifth-graders accepted the challenge to participate in this new Lower School event, which was planned by a committee comprising third-grade teacher Gabe Clark, IDE teacher Danny Carlson, flexible teacher Lindsey Pendry and Assistant Head of Lower School for Student Learning Erin Cole.

“Students were able to complete either a Science Project or Engineering and Design Project based on the guidelines laid out on the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair website,” Cole explained. “Four students also chose to have their project reviewed by our team and advanced to the regional fair in February.”

Interest in such an opportunity was already high, the committee said, and it offered an authentic way for students to explore the particular aspects of science or innovation and design that they were interested in.

“In prior years, families reached out to the Lower School Leadership Team regarding extension opportunities in science. We knew the Middle School division conducted a science fair, so we consulted with them along with the Upper School students that assisted them to develop this program,” Pendry explained. “Students were able to choose topics they were passionate about.”

As they walked around the Lower School Dining Hall to view the projects, members of the committee said they were struck with the range of topics and how students made them their own.

“As a creative, I particularly connected with the projects that merged science and creativity — two areas that many people think of as mutually exclusive,” Carlson said. “The connection between these two disciplines was on full display as Amaris Grace Riley ’33 integrated her love of science with her passion for dance in her ‘Dancing Motor Ballet’ project. Athena Tong ’33 incorporated bio-engineered ‘yarn’ made of algae to make an ecologically conscious media that she can use in her creative endeavors.”

“It was thrilling to watch students express their passions in ways they might not usually get to in the classroom,” Clark added. “We saw them designing musical plant experiments, investigating dog cleanliness, unraveling the mysteries of water and even making rock candy. The best part was seeing how excited and engaged they were as they shared their projects — it was clear how much they loved what they were working on!” 

All participants received ribbons and a personalized pen made by Carlson using equipment in the Lower School Innovation Hub. Congratulations to these students for the recognition their projects earned:

Science

• First Place: Samuel Pyle ’32 
• Honorable Mention: Arabella Solomon ’33
• Honorable Mention: Athena Tong ’33 

Innovation & Engineering

• First Place: James Hoverstad ’33
• Honorable Mention: Henry Slater ’33
• Honorable Mention: Graham Smith ’32

Third- through fifth-grade classes were invited to join participants’ families in exploring the project showcase. Organizers hope the opportunity will motivate even more Ravens to get involved in the future.

“Our main goal was to create an environment where Lower Schoolers could explore their interests and see their enthusiasm come to life in their projects. I wanted them to feel encouraged to ask questions and take pride in their research and feel confident sharing it,” Jonas said. “The highlight for me was the excitement of students as they saw their classmates’ projects. Countless classes came to see them, and I loved to see kids run up to their friends to see their project. The presenters and their friends were excited to learn new things together and share what they discovered.”

Middle School Science Fair

The Middle School Science Fair, which took place in the Keim Center for Innovation and Research just a few days later, showed the same spirit of curiosity and innovation. As in the Lower School, this event also followed the guidelines established by NCSEF.

According to Middle School science teacher Michelle Nunalee, 25 students opted to get involved in the Science Fair this year, some working alone and others in pairs or threesomes to complete a total of 14 projects. Topics ranged from the effects of antimicrobial substances on bacteria to understanding the phenomenon of “catching” yawns. 

Upper School students served as judges in two categories — Science & Engineering and Demonstration — and recognized the following students for their work:

Science & Engineering

• First Place: Maximilian Solomon ’30, HELIOS: A Novel Machine Learning Pipeline for High Accuracy Exoplanet Detection via Light Curve Interpretation with Optimized Fourier Analysis and SMOTE Synthesis
• Second Place: Ethan Cates ’30, Gaming at Grandma's
• Third Place: Sophia Dong ’30, Going Green: Charging Phones with Solar Energy

Demonstration

• First Place: Alaina Brown ’29 and Sophie Boram Allen ’29, How Do Vocal Cords Work?
• Second Place: Joshua Ball ’30, How ROVs Work and How They Help Marine Biology
• Third Place: Toby Brown ’29, Animals in Space

“Maximilian’s project stood out because it is truly exceptional work completed at a college level or higher,” Nunalee noted. “He developed his own AI model for exoplanet detection and can speak eloquently and knowledgeably about the work he did. He completed all of the coding on his own.

“I am so proud of all of the Middle School students who participated in the Science Fair,” she continued. “All of the projects were high quality, and their knowledge of the topics was impressive. I loved seeing them apply the scientific process that we have learned in class to their projects at home.”

The Upper School organizers agreed. 

“It was such a joy to help facilitate this Middle School Science Fair, and it was so inspiring to see the hard work of each student! Not only were their projects thorough and innovative, but their verbal presentations were quite impressive,” Olivia said. “Overall, the highlight for me was seeing the passion of the Middle Schoolers shine throughout the process. It is so important that they have this space to express their interests, and I hope that others will see their courage and gain the confidence to share their talents with their peers, too!”