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WVMS STEAM Fair brings out the problem-solvers and innovators

A group of young students, wearing matching purple shirts, stand together in front of a large screen displaying a colorful, futuristic-looking image.

On Monday, the Warwick Valley Middle School cafeteria was more laboratory than lunchroom, as students, their families, teachers, and administrators gathered for the middle school's annual STEAM Fair!

More than 25 student projects were on display, ranging from original inventions to the presentation of data collected through hands-on investigations. It's events like this one that are prime examples of what STEAM education looks like in practice at the middle school level! Students aren't just learning concepts, they're identifying a problem, forming a hypothesis, building solutions, testing them, and presenting their results. That's a lot of skills packed into one project, not to mention that the young scientists also worked hard on their communication and presentation skills in order to present their findings to a room full of people!

See a gallery of photos from the event below this story!

The impressive array of projects was adjudicated by science teachers Jan O'Keefe, Dan Nicholas, and Kallista Ferguson, who volunteered their time to handle the unenviable task of choosing three projects to be awarded.

Taking first place were Gia Spadacinni and Madeleine Turnbull, who built the "Mailboxinator 3000" — a device that uses coding software to send you a notification when your mailbox is opened.

Second place went to two students in a tie: Zoe Fong for her Articulating Arm and Ethan Stolt for his Solar Pool Heater.

Third place was also a tie, with Noah Carillo presenting on emulsions and Isabella Piascik exploring what happens when you bake cookies at different temperatures.

Thank you to the WVMS PTA, for generously donating some premium STEAM-themed prizes!

Beyond the competition, WVMS teacher Benjamin Heyer brought students Cole Treloar and Dax Morrison from the WVMS Robotics Club to set up an interactive robotics activity that families had a great time trying out.

The annual middle school STEAM Fair is an excellent representation of the district's Portrait of a Graduate -- the seven qualities the district works to develop in every student from kindergarten through commencement. Those qualities are: collaborator, communicator, creator and innovator, ethical and global citizen, resilient individual, problem-solver, and lifelong learner. And students who are designing solar pool heaters, coding mailbox alert systems, and researching the chemistry of emulsions are definitely checking off more than a few of those boxes.

Along with the top prize winners, there were several students whose projects earned them an invitation to present at the annual District-Wide STEAM Fair & Art Show that's coming up later this spring. Congratulations to Katherine Black, Dylan and Mila Chan, Nicholas Hooyman and Alexander Mita, Penellape Pagilia, Mia Scoolidge, and Kava Ramsey!

The image depicts a science fair project display board with various informational sections, including a question %22Expensively poo?%22, a graph, and several other visual elements.
The image shows a group of people, some standing and some sitting, in what appears to be a classroom or workshop setting, with various equipment and supplies on tables in the foreground.
A young person in a purple shirt stands in front of a display board titled %22Electric Sparkle Van de Graaff Generator%22.
The image shows a laptop screen displaying a visual programming interface, with various blocks and connections representing a software program or application. The laptop is placed on a desk or table, with a yellow background visible in the image.
Two young girls in purple shirts are standing in a classroom setting, with a whiteboard and other classroom materials visible in the background.
The image shows two young people, a boy and a girl, standing in front of a display board with various geometric shapes and information. They are both wearing purple t-shirts with a logo on them.
The image shows a young woman standing in front of a display board, which appears to be a science fair or project presentation. The woman is wearing a purple shirt and is gesturing towards the display board, which contains various text, diagrams, and other visual elements.
The image shows a young boy standing in front of a poster about a solar pool heater, wearing a purple shirt with text on it.
The image shows a young person in a purple shirt standing in front of a display board titled %22Emulsions%22, which appears to be a science project or presentation.
A young woman in a purple shirt is gesturing and speaking to two children seated at a table in what appears to be a school or educational setting, with various supplies and materials visible in the background.
A group of five individuals, dressed in purple shirts, stand together in front of a large screen displaying technical information.
A group of young people wearing purple shirts with a logo, standing in front of a large screen displaying technical information.
A group of young people, likely students, are standing together in a room with a large screen display in the background, all wearing matching purple shirts with a logo.