10 Hurley Students Earn Science Expo's 'Best in Show'

Around 165 seventh graders presented their science projects to a group of judges—made up of teachers, community members, Superintendent Madeline Meyer and members of the school committee—on Wednesday. Ten were awarded Best in Show while another 12 received honorable mentions.

Students had been working on their since October, both in class and at home. Many students said they enjoyed the hands-on learning that the project provided them.

“It has so much more value and it stays with them,” said Principal Dr. Joan Fargnoli.

Students were allowed to pick their own subjects and do the research on those topics, with their final experiments being approved by their teachers. Students could do experiments they found online or come up with original experiments that interested them.

“A lot of the kids came up with their own questions,” said Ellyn Metcalf, a science teacher at Hurley Middle.

The projects incorporate more than just science. English, social studies and math all have a place in the projects, through research papers, and the graphing of results and impact of those results.

Additionally, the projects allow students to practice their oral presentation skills as they presented and defended their research to the judges.

The different areas of the projects allowed each student to have a part that they would likely excel in.

“All students have an opportunity to shine on the day of the science expo,” said Dr. Fargnoli.

Best In Show

• Jacque Turcotte for “Small But Mighty: Mandolin vs. Trebuchet”
• Tanner Emond for “Catapult Launches: Which object would go the furthest?”
• Madison Paine for “Do Some Lotions Absorb Better than Others?”
• Allyson Patterson for “Stinky Feet No More: Which item would rid sneakers of odors faster?”
• Jacob Ciolfi for “Trebuchet: Is More Really Merrier?”
• Joshua Lane for “Do Mints Cool Temperature?”
• Morgan Platt for “Feel the Energy Seekonk: An investigation into the use of a wind turbine for Seekonk schools.”
• Wesley Gallishaw for “How to Stay Cool: Which container keeps ice cream frozen the longest?”
• Andrew Santos for “Which Bridge Can Hold the Most Weight?”
• Hannah MacDonald for “Floating Your Food: A Lesson in Buoyancy”

Honorable Mention

• Shane Halajko for “Hang-Time of Parachute Materials”
• Sophia Zirkle for “What Foods Should You Eat for Breakfast?”
• Angela Farren for “Battle of the Batteries: Which would last longer in a flashlight?”
• Perry Joubert for “Does Temperature Affect Batteries?”
• Ben Leonard for “The Effects of Drinks on Your Teeth: Do yours have brown stains on them?”
• Andrew Silveira for “The Impact on Mouth Guards: An investigation into which mouth guard absorbs the most force.”
• Shannon Cabral for “Paper, Plastic, or Reusable? The Truth Behind the Bag.”
• Madison Gilmore for “Food for Our Future: An investigation into the preservation of foods.”
• Alissa Pacheco for “The Effect of Music on a Plant.”
• Luke Klegrafe for “How Well Does Your Lotion Work?”
• Jacob Merola for “Fruit and Veggie Power! Which type of fruit or veggie produced the most electricity?"
• Julia Vieria for “Berry Your Fabrics in Color”