Following a series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEAM) events at Bear Creek Elementary School and Prairie Winds Elementary School, individuals and school communities were honored at the recent March 14 Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education meeting.
Board Recognition
A group of students who participated in the Pikes Peak Regional Science Engineering Fair on behalf of Bear Creek Elementary School and D38 presented the Board of Education with information about their projects.
“Even though we have our science fair at Bear Creek, they have the choice to join that one, or to put in extra hard work and work for a few months and join this science fair for the region, and these students represented D38 with very high honors and we’re very proud of them,” said Valerie DeLello, sixth grade science teacher.
Of the 12 students who put in the work to participate in the regional fair, they walked away with more than 20 awards and one student advanced to the state-level of competition.
Bear Creek Science Fair & STEAM Event
Dozens more students participated in the Bear Creek Elementary School Science fair, with more than 28 students winning first-place honors and 67 total students being recognized for their efforts.
Following the science fair, dozens of high school students from across D38 came together with community partners to bring joy and learning to students at Bear Creek.
“We have guests from all over Colorado Springs and Monument ready with hands-on activities for all of our students and parents that come,” DeLello said. “Many staff members also engage with our students in make-and-take, along with some wonderful high school groups helping us out. It really takes a village for this event!
Prairie Winds Elementary Science Fair
Prairie Winds Elementary School also engaged in a science fair on Friday, March 11, combined with the annual Sixth Grade Bake Sale, all-grade basket raffle and book fair.
With the celebration of science at its core, the combined event brought joy to the halls of PWES. Students from across all grades displayed their science research projects and experiments along the school hallways as viewers milled about.
The projects ranged from paper-mâche volcanoes to exploring how neon works to the science of ice fishing.
“The science fair is important for multiple reasons, the main reason is that the fair provides students with an opportunity to apply scientific processes to problems or questions that interest them,” said Alicia Welch, PWES principal. “I also like that students are able to get practice presenting to their peers about something that they’re both passionate and knowledgeable about.”