Mr. Mark Pendergrass and the Mater Christi School six, seventh and eighth graders spent several weeks preparing for the school’s science fair which took place on February 20. During the week prior to the fair, thirteen professioanls from IBM, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, UVM, St. Michael’s College and Oxford University (England) generously donated their time as judges and spent several days at Mater Christi interviewing the students and reading the background material that each student had prepared.

The names of the students who were awarded 1st, 2nd or 3rd place or who received special recognition were announced by Mr. Pendergrass at the close of the science fair are as follows:

8th Grade

• 1st Place: Elizabeth Harrington- “Rats and Organic VS Non-Organic Food Preference”
• 2nd Place: Curtis Plante-“Do you Agree with only Hand Free”
• 3rd Place: Alexander Beauregard-“Humpty Dumpty’s Fatal Flaw”

7th Grade

• 1st Place: Claire Ammirato-“Play Ball Then Go Wash Your Hands” Which Piece of Sports Equipment has the most bacteria?
• 2nd Place: Ethan Behr-“At the Speed of Age” Are people in different Generations worse at certain tech skills?
• 3rd Place: Lily Oliver- “Sugar and Carbs VS Glucose” Do drinks with more Sugar or Carbs actually have more glucose?

6th Grade

• 1st Place: Juliet Hassenberg –“Cocoa: Is It a Miracle Plant Grower” Does Cocoa Powder effect plant growth?
• 2nd Place: George Huffman-“Fracking” George already took his home and I cannot remember the title, but it was about what method of fracking extracts the most oil, cold water, hot water or water and Detergent.
• 3rd Place:  Jackson Harris-“ Parachutes Unraveled” Which Parachute size is the best at slowing descent?

Special Awards:

Marie Currie Prize: Gavin Roberge-“ Liquefaction in Action” Does soil or hand liquefy more during an earthquake?

Sigmund Freud Prize: Brendyn Byrne- -“Dsylexie” Does a font specifically made for people with dyslexia improve reading times?

Charles Darwin Prize: Izzy Tousignant-“Does Age Matter” Can young dogs learn tricks faster?

Mr. P Prize: Caleb Matosky-“Riding on Thin Air” Testing a hovercraft on different surfaces for speed

Each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners qualifies to participate in the Vermont State Science & Math Fair which will take place on Saturday, March 28, at Norwich University

Sister Joanne LaFreniere, RSM
Director of Public Relations and Spiritual Life