These fifth- and sixth-graders at Horizon Elementary School submitted projects that earned honors in the annual Horizon Science Fair. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – Baking soda, gravity and safety helmets posed opportunities for research and discovery for students in the 2017 Science Fair at Horizon Elementary School.

“The projects were judged by outside volunteers,” science fair sponsor/coordinator Beth Bero said. Bero works as gifted specialist at Horizon.

“All students in fifth grade were judged together in order to find the eight winners allowed to progress to the next level,” Bero said. “The sixth-grade projects were judged together to find the 16 projects for the next level; we didn’t have sub-categories at this level.”

Judges selected 24 winners and two alternates from a field of 183 participants in grades 5-6. “We had almost 100-percent participation. The winners will compete at the North Alabama Science and Engineering Fair on March 22-23,” Bero said.

In preparing for the fair, Horizon students learned about the scientific process from their sixth-grade science teacher Amara Alexander and fifth-grade teachers Dr. Lauren Harrison and Tesa Hernandez. “For us, the science projects are a part of our curriculum. The process is an important part of the science lessons taught in all of our science classes,” Bero said.

In sixth grade, Isaac Allen researched “Does Temperature Affect Air Pressure?” Octavia Bankhead’s project was “White, Whiter, Whitest.” Marjorie Baumbach presented facts on “Roasted.”

Sixth-grader Root Belay researched “Biomass Energy.” Lauren Bruce titled her project, “Shiny! A Study of Reflective Fabrics.” Zachary Burns developed his “Catapult!” project. Sarah Ewing submitted “The Rise of Robotany” for her project.

Also in sixth-grade, “Wavelength & Frequency Relationships” was Bryce League’s project. Marcello Mancusi studied “Aerodynamics.” Drake Meyer completed research on “Stealthy Shapes.” Aidan Newby experimented with “Helmet Crash Test.” Jimmy Pleasant presented concepts on “Wind Power.”

Sixth-grader lian Qu studied “Water Holding Fabric” for an honorable mention. Carter Sewell questioned “How Does Gravity Affect Root Growth?” Harrison Szanto Reid’s project was titled “Ready, Set, Grow!” Sydney Truesdail constructed “Baking Soda Volcano 2.0.” Caleb Williams experimented with “Float Your Boat.”

For fifth-grade honors, Elinor Carlson answered “Do Cats Have Favorite Colors?” Katie Dougherty researched “The Thirsty Rock.” Acadia Kynard investigated the “Steam-Powered Electric Generator.” Honors went to Max McGee for “What is the Best Way to Remove Oil from the Water?” Elizabeth Newsom had to decide “Which Lip Balm?”

Also in fifth grade, Jeremy Gorritz Rivera researched “How Do Different Surfaces Affect the Speed of a Solar Car?” Trinity Webber solved “How Does Baking Powder Affect the Rise of Cake?” Wesleigh Winfrey reached conclusions on “Cra-zy Color!” for an honorable mention. Ashton Worley documented “Food Digestion.”