By Shana LiVIGNI

Holy Redeemer students are ready to demonstrate how scientifically saavy they are at this year’s  Science Fair.
“It’s a science fair, not a competition, where students demonstrate their science skills and their science knowledge,” explained science teacher Cathi Garcia.
“The students in grades five through eight are required to participate and their points count as a test score. The other students in the school are welcome to participate, and many of them opt to, from kinder to fourth grade if they choose to.”
Second grader Sean Metz loves science and spent many hours on his optional exhibit.
“My project is about recycling, like how you can recycle, what you can and can’t recycle, how you can help with recycling. Recycling is important for the environment so you don’t fill your garbage can,” he explained. Erica Dennis, a fourth grader, also participated voluntarily with her project about the Mars rover.
“I did a robotic model of a Mars rover and I did facts on Mars and different pictures of the Mars rover,” she explained. “There’s a solar panel on the back of my model that makes the eggshell on the bottom move.”
Kevin Backes, 14, explained the concept behind his science project. “Mine is on combustion and I’m finding out if there’s an optimum mixture for combustion. Combustion needs an oxidant and a fuel. To test that, I made a cannon out of PVC pipes. For the bullet I used a wooden cylinder. It’s fun.”
Seventh grader Jackson Toyon’s display included a 12 minute video he wrote, recorded, edited and starred in. It visually explained his project about how the average family can reduce their carbon footprint in a sustainable manner. “To test this, we started trying to live out those ways and I also made a video journal on the way we do it,” the 12-year-old said. “A carbon footprint is pretty much all the carbon, methane and all those kinds of emissions made by an event, organization, people or a place.”
“It’s really a showcase of our student talent. We have great talented students and we want science to be engaging and fun and it is,” said Garcia. “‘Science rocks at Holy Redeemer’ is always our theme. We do that cheer at every class!”
Holy Redeemer’s science program is designed to inform, instruct and inspire students to discover the excitement of science. Relation to real-life situations, innovation and creativity, and teamwork are emphasized. Projects will be judged between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. today and open to the public tonight beginning at 6 p.m.  Holy Redeemer School is located at 2361 Del Mar Road in Montrose.  For more information, call (818) 541-9005.

  Holy Redeemer