A borough-wide event featured the borough’s young scientists.
On Thursday, March 26, students, kindergarten through 8th grade, representing over 30 Catholic schools came together for the 29th annual Bronx Catholic Schools Science Fair at Mount St. Michael Academy, inside the Mount St. Michael Academy Gymnasium.
At the event, which was held by regional superintendents Roseann Carotenuto, from the northeast/east Bronx region, and Ray Vitiello, from the northwest/south Bronx region, students showcased over 200 science experiments that they developed in a 12-week period.
Students’ experiments were selected based on personal interest or picked from a topic that they initially explored and learned in class. The participants were chosen by their school to represent their grade and class.
During that 12-week period, students studied the scientific method, researched diverse topics and developed their own hypotheses with a science experiment of their choice, using elements of theory, prediction and observation.
After presenting these experiments at this event, volunteer judges, which included school principals and teachers, made a walk through and began evaluating each of the 207 projects to determine the award winners. The judges made their official evaluations upstairs before the awards were announced.
“I learned a lot from this science project experiment,” said fourth grader Marleen Cerda from Immaculate Conception School, whose project was a study on the cleanliness of fruits and vegetables. “Never eat fruits or vegetables without washing them in advance,” she recommended. Marleen did not get sick from her experiment.
“I chose a project that I could really relate to but also learn a lot about,” said eighth grader Robert Green from St. Mary’s School, who worked on a project involving a relation between listening to music and blood pressure.
As a piano and cello player, and the son of a father who plays the saxophone and a mother who has previously sang background for legendary signer Diana Ross, Robert already had a prior knowledge of music that helped him with his project. “Calm music can contribute to low blood pressure,” he concluded from his experiment.
At 6 p.m., students, teachers, parents, judges and the rest of the attendees awaited the event’s winners, after the judges discussed their opinions amongst themselves for about an hour.
The first place winners included kindergartener Kayla McPhatter from Sts. Phillip & James, first grader Gabriela Martinica from St. John Chrysostom, second grader Daniel Cabral from Sacred Heart, third grader Emily McGrath from St. Lucy, fourth grader Kaylin Mensah from St. John Chrysostom, fifth grader Steven Carmona from St. Ann, sixth grader Jordan Mensah from St. John Chrysostom, seventh graders John Marcano, Michael Martire and Kevin Franceshini from Villa Maria Academy and eighth grader Victor Isaac from St. John Chrysostom.
All scholars at the science fair received a certification of participation. Students in each grade that placed first through fifth received a ribbon, and trophies were awarded to the first place winners as well as the home school of each first place winner in each grade.
“This event inspires creativity,” said regional superintendent Roseann Carotenuto.
