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Health & Fitness

Blog: Kids Celebrate Science In Westhampton

Pint-sized brainiacs took on science fair March 14 at Raynor Country Day School in Westhampton

10-year-old Brendan Gregory's science fair entry of "Which Wood Would, Which Wood Wouldn't?" wowed the judges at Raynor Country Day School's annual competition in Westhampton which took place March 14.

The fifth-grader, whose project studied the absorbable properties of different types of wood, scored big at the fair, earning first place in his grade and first place overall.

"I got this idea from a Boy Scout derby race," explained Gregory. "One of the books I read about making the derby cars said you should 'bake' the wood to make the car lighter and faster by drying it out." So, he said, he was motivated to find out about the properties of water evaporation on wood. Using five samples, Gregory found white oak absorbed the least amount of water, so thus was the best material for a derby car.

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The elementary school, which has an enrollment of approximately 100 kids from pre-K to sixth grade, hosted the fair which is now in its twelfth year. Principal Kerry Coonan, who heads Raynor, said children as young as 5 are encouraged to enter the school's science contest. 

"We're committed to providing our students early access to science here," she noted.

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And indeed, three young Raynor kindergartners took home bronze, silver and gold medals with their submissions: Giavonna Scharf, Alyssa Hurd, and Winslow Ryan, respectively.

Students in grades three and up at the school are required to participate in the fair.

Evan Kappenberg said he was "really excited" after grabbing the gold for his third-grade entry, "Recyclable or Plastic?" The eight-year-old's project tested the strength of two different types of shopping bags. "I always wondered why [my family]  bought those recyclable bags," he said, referring to the green reusable totes that can be purchased at supermarkets like Stop and Shop. "I always thought they were just a waste of money! But what I found out through my experiment was that [the recycle bags] can hold a lot of weight, a lot more than plastic bags, before they break." The third-grader explained that he spent "about a week" preparing his entry. "My class had a lot of great projects so I wasn't sure if I would be in the top three," he added. 

Kappenberg's third-grade classmate Brianna Marichal earned second place with a tea and fruit fly experiment and Gia Balsamo came in third wondering how much body weight could affect a gymnast's performance.

The three winners at each grade level, K-6, will go on to compete in Brookhaven National Laboratory's Science Fair which will be held May 5 in Upton on Long Island. The Raynor kids will compete against over 500 other Suffolk County children from other schools. 

Said Kappenberg, he's "confident" about the next level of competition and looks forward to the upcoming challenge at BNL.

Results of Raynor Country Day School's 2012 Science Fair

Sixth grade
1st-Bennett McCombe
2nd-Ariel Kaplan
3rd-Evelyn Kennedy-Jaffe

Fifth grade
1st-Brendan Gregory
2nd-Clare Staley
3rd-Gina Fazio

Fourth grade
1st-Alexander Smith
2nd-Katie St. George
3rd-Michael Balsamo  

Third grade
1st-Evan Kappenberg
2nd-Brianna Marichal
3rd-Gia Balsamo 

Second grade
1st-Lane and Tessa McCombe
2nd-Bella Ballato
3rd-JB Hunt

First grade 
1st-Sean Beaver
2nd-David Andrews
3rd-Grady Roppelt

Kindergarten
1st-Winslow Ryan
2nd-Alyssa Hurd
3rd-Giavonna Scharf 

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