St. Dominic High sweeps
prizes at Annual Science Fair
~ Students urged to pursue invention opportunities~
CAY HILL--St.Dominic High School dominated the fourteenth annual Science Fair by capturing the top prizes in all categories and sweeping all prizes in the Best School and the 12 -13 categories. Twenty-two projects were entered into the competition, and nine prizes were awarded to students and three in the Best School category.
Loud roars of applause, high fives and hugs had been scenes in the hall of the Belair Community Center Saturday evening when St. Dominic High teacher Jennifer Halley, one of the coordinators who worked with students, had been asked to remain on stage to collect all three prizes for Best School category.
St. Dominic High also won the 16 plus category with their project “Microbial fuel cell,” Learning Unlimited came in second place with their project “ Too little too late,” and Milton Peters College HAVO/VWO came in third with their project “Our Inconvenient Truth.”
St. Dominic also placed first in the 14 -15 category with their project “Neem Oil,” Learning Unlimited came in second with their project “Clean and Green,” and St. Maarten Academy third with their project “How to control flooding in St. Maarten.”
St. Dominic High also won all the prizes in the 12-13 category – with first prize going to the project “Asthma,” second prize to the project “Atherosclerosis” and third prize for project “Diversifying GEBE’s Energy Sources.”
VROM Head Delano Richardson, who gave a PowerPoint presentation titled “Invent your world,’ had urged students to grasp invention opportunities whenever they presented themselves. “New technologies open opportunities. When you see an opportunity to excel grasp it. Go and invent your own future world,” he said.
Richardson also urged students not to “hide” from exposure since “knowing their weaknesses will only make them stronger.”
Education Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams said the projects put together by students could very well propel possible careers as scientists, noting that one day the resume of a future scientist will mention that they had competed in a project in the St. Maarten Science Fair. She said students are working hard and at their creations, and are getting increasingly better at them. “The heart of a nation is what young people think about, work on and produce,” the Commissioner said.
Science Fair Foundation President Benson Pompier had told the capacity crowd that he was happy with the improvement in the quality of the projects submitted annually. “They (students) take their project and research very seriously, and you can feel their excitement and energy as they presented and defended their findings. These students know that they are in charge of their destiny and want to create awareness about problems that could negatively impact the quality of life in St. Maarten. Some even went further and offered plausible solutions to these problems,” Pompier said.
He recommended that students participating in the fair be given opportunities outside of the event to present their projects to authorities as solution to problems affecting the island (see related story).
Pompier said he was impressed with most of the projects and the level of quality of the work presented. “The science fair foundation will continue to explore new ways of enhancing the value of the Science Fair and making it more exciting for the participants,” he continued. ‘This will include participating in regional and international science fairs so that what you see this evening is just the beginning.”
Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards had challenged students to take their projects to the next level. “You have boldly competed in the science fair project, but now I invite you to take your projects to the next level, whether or not your particular invention… was selected as among the most favoured ones.”
He said, throughout the years, the fair had provided an “open environment” to help schools and students with their science fair projects. “It has shown students and the community at large that amazing things happen when you, the future, get involved in science and innovation. As young scientists you must remain committed to the various opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics available across the world.”
“You have answered the call to take a fresh look at what you see around us to recognise that science is a part of the things that you and others care about by getting involved in this project-based science initiative,” Richards said.
The fair had opened last Thursday. Other schools that participated in the fair were Milton Peters PBL/PKL and Sundial School. Most of the projects had focussed on the environment and alternative energy.
