Tri-fold poster boards mean one thing

Science fair projects, admittedly, were never my forte while working through elementary and middle school.

I was — and continue to be to this day — a “words guy.” I knew history, mathematics, foreign languages and the other electives were important, too. But I was the kid who was always asking: “Just when exactly will I have to find the sine, cosine or tangent of this triangle later in life?”

Now, 30 years after high school graduation, I’m still waiting. But I digress.

Spring is in the air and it only means one thing: It’s science fair time. I’ve always wondered if the schools have some secret agreement with area stores as the sale of tri-fold poster boards explodes in the months of February and March. It’s a big money-maker this time of year.

I received an invitation to be a part of the judging panel last week for the fourth- and fifth-grade science fair projects at Mesa Elementary School in Clovis. I enjoy doing these types of things as part of my job as publisher, being a part of the community and getting the opportunity to interact with some of our young minds.

The categories really haven’t changed too much over the years. Chemistry, engineering, biology and physics are still some of the main focuses.

At Mesa, I had the chance to check out some truly great projects.

Honestly, I was very happy to see the majority of the entries were done, for the most part, by the students.

Sure it’s important for Mom and/or Dad to be involved in helping guide the assignment from start to finish.

However, these projects were never intended to be battles between the parents. Sadly, too often they are.

As part of the judging, the students gave short verbal presentations about their project and then answered questions as part of an interview process. That’s always a good time to get a gauge of just how much work Johnny or Janey put into the project.

Fortunately, at Mesa, I never had to write down a comment on the rubric such as, “Great job, Mom and Dad!”

I’m sure science fairs started under the premise of good intentions. The first one was held in New York City in 1928. Today, when you Google “science fair,” it returns nearly 30 million hits.

Those search results provide endless ideas for experiments. Nearly all of the Mesa students said that’s how they came up with their idea. The work that most of the students then put into their boards was impressive.

I walked out of the school that day a lot smarter. I now know how much salt I need to put into a glass of water to make an egg float. I also know what substance — soapy water, vinegar or ketchup — is best to use to clean up your dirty pennies.

(Spoiler alert: It’s half a cup of salt and ketchup.)

Rob Langrell is the publisher of The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact him at: [email protected]