Central City High School, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
CENTRAL CITY — Central City High School will host their annual Science Fair on Tuesday, March 4, the event gives students a chance to advance to regional and state science fairs.
The event will be hosted at the high school at 1510 28th St. and will occur from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., the judges will meet at 6:45 p.m.
Grade levels eight through seniors present their projects related to Life Science, Biology, Advanced Biology, Anatomy and Physiology.
During the science fair, students present their independent research to a variety of judges in the high school commons. A unique aspect of the event is how people from all walks of life throughout the community and surrounding areas help with the judging, according to Central City High School.
There are current teachers, retired teachers, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, other health care professionals and many former students.
“Students say over and over again how much being a part of our scientific research program has impacted them, whether or not they went on in a science career,” according to Central City High School.
“After competing at the Central City Science Fair, students have the opportunity to advance to the Nebraska Junior Academy of Science (NJAS) regional competition at Hastings College. From this competition, 6 winning students are selected to compete in the NJAS state science fair at University of Nebraska – Lincoln,” Central City High School stated.
“Students who compete at the state science fair have the opportunity to advance to the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) national conference, which alternates between various cities across the United States, as this conference is held in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference,” per Central City High School.
The Central City High School science fair has produced national qualifiers nearly every year for the past 15 years.
Several former students provided testimonials about the event.
Jonah Peterson is a 2015 graduate of Central City High School.
Peterson said, “. During my time at Central City, I had the pleasure of doing research with Mrs. Gillan in her Biology, Advanced Biology, and Independent Research classes. With these projects, I got to compete at 4 Local, 3 Regional, 2 State, and even 1 National Science Fair. While I did not decide to go directly into a field of science for my career, the skills and life lessons I learned from competing in science fairs prepared me for the many challenges in adult life. From public speaking to critical thinking, I wouldn’t be the professional I am today without these experiences. I hope that Central City may continue to offer these opportunities because I know the great impact they have on our youth.”
Former student Elaina McHargue said, “In research class, I was pushed to challenge myself academically in ways that normally aren’t available to rural communities like ours. I had graduate level experience in scientific research before graduating high school. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I had in through doing research. The experience taught me so many valuable skills, such as communicating with experts, reading and interpreting difficult text, analyzing data, independent learning, and public speaking. Research really helped me to reach my full academic potential. I, along with a few other students, have had the opportunity to present my research on a national level, and have even had one of my research papers published in an academic journal, and none of that would have been possible without the scientific research program.”
Another former student, Isabella Gomez Peterson, said, “Attending science fairs at the local, state, and national levels in high school provided me with invaluable experiences that I am still benefiting from to this day. Although I did not end up in a typical science-related career, there is no doubt that the life lessons, scholarship opportunities, and networking connections are a huge reason I am where I am today in my career as an Attorney and Legislative Liaison for the State of Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. I hope that students are able to continue having these experiences and are able to reap the benefits that I had the opportunity to.”
“The skills gained by students at science fairs are critical to their future success and place them in a rare sector of the population who have the potential to become future problem solvers. At science fairs they strengthen their public speaking ability, gain critical thinking ability and develop resilience,” Central City High School stated.
“This would not be possible without volunteer judges, who allow the students to communicate their research to a broader audience. Science fair participation will help us develop a population of young people who understand the importance of evidence-based decisions and who are qualified to tackle the complicated problems we face,” Central City High School stated.
