An awards ceremony in the auditorium capped the event. (Photos by Jalen Maspono)

By Jalen Maspono

During the cold days of January over 350 students were beginning their hard work towards completing a science project. These projects were collected and displayed in the 2016 PHS Science Fair competition on June 1. While some students chose to work alone others worked in pairs or in small groups of three. There were also three types of projects to choose from. They were Invention, Experiment, or Investigation.

Principal Velez discusses science project with a student.

Students who were invited to attend the fair during their science classes were able to participate in a scavenger hunt, which allowed them to see and learn from many of the great projects that were assembled in the gymnasium. “The projects were pretty good. A lot of work went into them,” said Senior David Buonofina.

The Science Fair was also a competition so the projects needed to be judged. The panel of judges consisted of Passaic Supervisor of Math, Ali Alavi, Passaic Supervisor of Science, Nilda Carbonell, PCCC STEM Coordinator Thomas van Aken, a retired Nuclear Engineer, and current adjunct professor at NYIT, a retired Physics Teacher and Science Department Chair, a representative from Bio NJ, and PHS administrators.

The judges looked at all the projects, analyzed their scientific value and selected a winner by grade level. The judging took place during the day, but the winners were revealed at the awards ceremony held in the auditorium at 7:00 PM.

Students showed pride and resourcefulness in presenting their science fair projects.

There were awards and prizes for each grade level. Each science class selected a representative for their class in the fair, and received a t-shirt. The shirt was designed by a participant in the fair.

Classes that participated in the fair each voted on a project to represent their class. These students were awarded a Science Fair T-Shirt, designed by one of our Science Fair Participants! The T-shirt design was voted on by the PHS student body. A save the date card was created by PHS Graphic Design students. So this event was a collection of talent from all around PHS.

The first place winner of each division was a tablet, while second and third place winners were awarded $40 and $20 book gift cards, respectively. Junior Thania Rubio, first place winner likes the tablet that she was awarded, though she admitted, “I haven’t taken it out of the box yet. I have been studying for finals. But I had a great time doing the project and it was actually easier than I thought.”

This was a large event and was organized by a planning committee, consisting of Mr. Caceres, Mrs. Russo, and Mrs. Ross. They are planning on expanding the event and making it even better next year!

The new gym became a full display of the scientific exploration created by PHS students.