@KOOL Engages in Cariboo Mainline Regional Science Fair

In the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, our District Mission is to provide students with learning opportunities and environments that inspire students to thrive. 

The Cariboo Mainline Regional Science Fair has been the flagship science competition and enrichment opportunity in the Kamloops-Thompson since 1990.  This year's Regional Science Fair is on April 12^th at Thompson Rivers University.  Each year thousands of dollars in prizes and scholarships are awarded to top achieving students in grades 4-12; our local top-achieving students are promoted to represent our Region at the Canada Wide Science Fair each May.   

Participating in Science Fair helps students develop many important science competencies and foster scientific habits of mind.  Further, engaging in science first-hand supports a positive attitude towards the value of science in everyday life and society more broadly.  These in-demand, 21st century skills and attitudes, are a critical component in intellectual development, including: a curiosity about the world, the ability to analyse critically, reason and think independently and develop a lifelong appreciation of learning. 

It takes courage for any teacher to support science fair projects in their class; teaching students through distance learning adds further challenges to engage students and support their passion in science remotely.  It is worth the effort though, in the end, for both teachers and students.  Kristi Nichol from @KOOL said this, after facilitating science fair projects for the very first time with her students, about William, an exceptional Grade 4 student.   

I'm so impressed with all the skills he is learning doing this. Their plan for this week is to learn how to use Excel to make graphs/charts. He learned how to input data into a spreadsheet last week! It’s been a learning curve for me too, but a great experience! 

Like a good lawyer, a scientist must back their claim up with reliable evidence.  William’s family raises cattle, an important industry in our community.  His science fair project addresses the question of if male or female calve weigh more at birth.  He has learned amazing principles of scientific investigation including the power of having large sample sizes, eliminating outliers from your data and using consistent measurement procedures.   

According to Let’s Talk Science, 70% of Canada’s Top Jobs require STEM education.  Supporting science fair in your class or school is a personalized, rigorous, engaging, and equitable learning opportunity for students.  Public viewing and awards ceremony for the 2023 Regional Science Fair is between 1:15 and 2:30 on April 12th at the Grand Hall; come see what all the buzz is about! 

Thank you, Morgan Whitehouse, District Science Coordinator, who worked with teachers, students, and organizers from within and outside of the district who made this event and story possible.