From kindergarten to eighth grade, St. Croix public school students eagerly displayed their work at the annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fair, which filled the lower level of the Sunshine Mall Thursday and Friday.
About 268 scientific projects were on display as judges hovered over students and the young scientists explained the procedures they had followed and the results they obtained from their projects.
Jahkeil Edmunds, a Ricardo Richards Elementary School kindergartner, titled his project “Dancing Mothballs.” Jahkeil had doubts that mothballs do dance, and to test his hypothesis he experimented by adding vinegar and baking soda to a jar with water. He stirred the mixture before dropping in a few mothballs.
“Yes,” he told the judges, “Vinegar mixed with baking soda and water caused mothballs to dance around in a jar.”
Jahkeil’s “Dancing Mothballs” won first place in the Kindergarten Science category.
Science Coordinator Rosa White said Friday the STEM fair was exciting and went “extremely well.”
“Generally our students did an excellent job explaining the problems, hypotheses, the procedures and the results of their experiments,” she said. “We applaud their aptitude and diligence in producing such quality exhibits.”
Judging was done by members of the Regional Science Bowl Championship team from the Educational Complex, science majors at the University of the Virgin Islands and former MESA students, according to White.
