Pali Elementary Scientists Showcase Their Smarts

By MAGNOLIA LAFLEUR | Reporter

Palisades Charter Elementary School held its annual science fair on Saturday, March 12—marking the school’s first in-person event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Pali is so excited to be able to welcome our budding scientists and their families back to campus for the 2022 science fair,” Principal Juliet Herman said to the Palisadian-Post. “The pandemic has shown us just how critical the scientific approach is when solving problems. We are thrilled to show our students’ scientific curiosity while offering them the opportunity to speak directly with the judges about their projects.”

Herman bid a huge “thank you” to the Science Fair Committee, spearheaded by a number of parents, for their ability to do a last minute pivot from online to in-person.

Noah Benharash earned first place for his project “The Mystery of Decomposition.” Chloe Lee was awarded second place for her presentation “Would Different Types of Music Improve the Growth of Plants?” And third place went to Ethan Mackay and Max Moore for “Snacking Made Easy.”

Benharash’s presentation was centered around trying to determine which environment a banana peel would decompose most rapidly in: wet soil, dry soil, water or air. After testing his hypothesis, which was that wet soil would be a better means for decomposition rather than dry due to the bacteria inside of the water, he was able to conclude that he was correct.

The fifth graders were judged on whether or not their topic was unique, the use of the scientific method, their research, the ability for the experiment to be repeated with consistent results, graphs and averages, the presentation to the judges, a “clear [and] well-organized” presentation, and a “love of science.”

Underlining the value of “science in our lives”—especially after a two-year pandemic—parent volunteers at Pali Elementary Marisa Rood and Kshama Mehra shared that they worked together for the second year in a row to help put on this year’s science fair.

“My co-chair, Kshama Mehra, and I have been coordinating the fair for the last two years together,” Rood shared with the Post. “Kshama and I both think it’s important that students learn how to ask questions while exploring the world around them. If there’s anything the last few years of the pandemic has taught us is the importance of science in our lives. You never know if one of our student scientists will uncover a love of science at Pali and change the world someday.”

“​Science fairs offer students a wonderful opportunity to explore,” Herman said. “They have both voice and choice in projects and the sky [is] the limit. They can let their imagination take them wherever they want as they work through the scientific method. Kids need the opportunity to ask questions and work independently to find the answers.

“The world is a complex place. Teaching our kids to think in innovative and creative ways is key to solving problems both now and in the future.”