Jewish day schools join efforts for science fair

Students from Solomon Schechter Day School and the Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy came together for the first time to share their knowledge and accomplishments in science. Families, friends, and community members were on hand to celebrate the occasion.  

David Chameides, an advocate for collaboration between the two schools and a parent at both schools said that small day schools like Solomon Schechter and the Hebrew Academy should interact on any level they can so that the kids and families can have a wider group of Jews to interact with within the community.

"The science fair seemed like a natural idea not only because there are no religious differences to contend with, but by having the two schools share the fair, students from each school will be introduced to new ideas they may not have thought of. It really is a win-win situation and it's my hope that this is just the beginning of future interaction between the two schools."

Schechter Rogow Middle School students create science fair projects each year. This year, all students in grades 6-8 were expected to submit an individual project based on a testable question of their own devising, including research papers and tri-fold presentations.

Students met with six professional engineers, who reviewed their projects and asked numerous questions. First-, second-, and third-prize winners and honorable mentions were selected for each grade, and three students were selected to represent SSDS at the State of Connecticut Science Fair in March. All of the SSDS Middle School students displayed their tri-folds at Hebrew Academy for Science Night and were available to offer explanations and answer questions. The nine award winners had the opportunity to present their questions and research findings to the audience at Science Night.

The students enjoyed having a chance to find out what their peers were studying and to be able to share their academics in a community setting. The two schools plan to rotate the location of Science Night on a yearly basis. The inaugural evening last week was held at the Sigel Hebrew Academy; next year, Schechter looks forward to hosting the event.