Newton County School System students represented the school district extremely well at the recent Griffin RESA Regional Science Fair held on Feb. 27, with 23 coming home with either first, second or third place awards. The Newton County students competed against students from Fayette, Henry, Griffin-Spalding, Butts, Pike, Lamar and Thomaston Upson county schools. All first place winners and alternates will proceed to the state competition, which will be held at the University of Georgia on April 1-4.

“During the fair students have the opportunity to interact with many college professors and specialists within their fields as they defend their projects,” said Vicki Meeler, Quest department chair at Indian Creek Middle School. “That’s why we continue to participate in the science fair year after year. It’s a rare and unique opportunity for our kids to be able to conduct and defend their own original research. It’s where science meets the real world.”

The following is a list of all NCSS winners along with their project titles:

In first place from Indian Creek Middle School: Kathleen Cunningham and Addye Williams in the biological science division for their project “Don’t Split Hairs!”; Dakota Phillips for her biological science project “Which One is Worse?”; Josh Pierson for his physical science project “Biodiesel fuel as an alternative in Newton County school buses”; Hannah Jacobs placed first and also won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her physical science project “The Power of Poo” and Samuel Stewart placed first and received the National Society of Professional Engineers Award for his physical science project “Don’t Talk to Me in That Tone of Voice.”

In second place from Indian Creek Middle School: Kareana Medouze for her biological science project “How Does Fashion Impact the Behavior on Others Around Us”; Demi Hammond placed second for her biological science project “Truly Tricky Team of Two”; Quin Murphy placed second for his physical science project “Dimples and Golf Ball Aerodynamics”; Robbie Ellwanger and Josh Brooks placed second for their physical science project “What Everyday Chemical Makes the Best Accelerant for a Flamethrower?”;  Ryan Johnston and Daniel Hill placed second for their biological science project “Determining Species Using Scent Stations”; Rachel Ramsey and Emily Carroll placed second for their biological science project “Hot and Cold – Bikini or Scarf?” and Vitaliy Semenikhin and Myles Martinez placed second for their physical science project “The Ballista.”

In third place from Indian Creek Middle School: Alex Grady for his biological science project “Fish Out of Water”; Emily Bryans placed third for her biological science project “Plantastic Plants”; Kayla Kauffman placed third for her biological science project “The Effects of Tap Water, Mineral Water, and Seltzer Water on House Plants”; and Alexis Langford and Peyton Misenheimer placed third for their biological science project “Squeaky Dogs.”

In the senior division, Newton High School students Tiffany Hunt and Kristen Birdsong placed third for their chemistry project “Freshly Squeezed.”

“I’m proud of all the outstanding projects this year,” said Dr. Adria Griffin, director of middle school curriculum for Newton County Schools. “A lot can be learned from conducting a science experiment the correct way, as these students did. I hope they will expand their projects and continue the investigative process.”