Southold School District

Video: Southold Elementary School’s science fair and art show

(Credit: Jennifer Gustavson photos and video)
Southold Elementary School sixth-graders came up with this year’s art show theme “Artecs” — an ancient race of people who worshipped art and music instead of the sun. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson photos and video)

Science projects and artwork by Southold Elementary School students were on display at joint shows held last Wednesday, impressing fellow students and parents.

Art teacher Ken Maier and science teacher Russ Karsten organized the events, which were held at the school.

This year’s art show theme transformed Mr. Maier’s classroom into an Amazon rainforest and put a creative twist on the history of the Aztecs, who lived in Central Mexico and dominated large parts of the region between the 14th and 16th centuries.

His sixth-graders came up with the storyline of the “Artecs” — an ancient race of people who worshipped art and music instead of the sun.

The room’s mystical mood was set with the help of jungle sounds and the use of black lights bouncing off neon-colored artwork. Many of the works incorporated pens, pencils and paintbrushes, and a lot of creatures were depicted as being artists themselves, Mr. Maier said. One project was reminiscent of a member of the legendary rock group Kiss.

“The goal of our art show is to be completely opposite of what a traditional art show is,” he said. “We try to make it an experience.”

At the neighboring science fair, nearly 120 projects by 150 students were on display.

Mr. Karsten said it was the most impressive science fair in recent years, resulting from collaborative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lesson planning across subjects. In addition, the school provided each student with a Chromebook computer, enabling them to instantly create graphs and slideshows while working on projects.

“There’s a lot of fun projects — from the classic volcano and lemon battery to some great engineering projects, aero rockets and bridge buildings,” Mr. Karsten said. “A lot of time, it’s just a board with pictures. Now [with the Chromebooks] we get to actually watch the rocket take off or the bridge crack and fall apart.”

Scroll down for more photos and a list of the science fair winners

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Student Travis Sepenoski and his mother, Cindy, view Justin McGreevy’s science project. Justin won first place among third-graders for his project, ‘Which Toilet Paper Is Best for Your Cesspool?’ The answer: Scott brand.

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THIS YEAR’S SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS:

Kindergarten
First place: Erin Quarty – What Type of Home do Worms Like Best?
Second place: Audrey Chapman – Six Ways to Clean a Penny.
Third place: Ethan Rebentisch – Magnetic Forces

First grade
First place: Kai Cichanowicz – How Much Grease is in Your Potato Chips?
Second place: Henry Burns – Do Different Types of Wood Burn Differently?
Third place: Alexander Kennedy – How Much Sugar is in Our Food and Drink?

Second grade
First place: Tristan Zugmeyer – The Effect of Temperature on Crystals.
Second place: Nicole Corazzini – Is My Yogurt Alive?
Third place: James Treharne – Tasty or Not?

Third grade
First place: Justin McGreevy – Which Toilet Paper is Best for Your Cesspool?
Second place: Brendan Kilcommons – Which Contains More Water, Orange or a Lemon?
Third place: Violet Rand – Igneous Fudge

Fourth grade
First place: Belle Penny – Nature’s Wildest Storm
Second place: Naomi Cichanowicz – Why So Certain Liquids Mix and Some Don’t?
Third place: Landon Bennett – Do Different Types of wood Burn at the Same Rate?

Fifth grade
First place: Kaia Rothman – Vitamins, Really?
Second place: Juliet Rand – Warm Feet
Third place: Jackson Volosik – Finding Tardigrades

Sixth grade
First place: Jessica Mele – Which Grows Faster?
Second place: Nicholas Vicinanza – Yawning Games
Third place: Emma Quarty – Which Household Items Make Good Ant Repellents?