SAN FRANCISCO – Young scientists from several San Francisco middle schools will compete in a Bay Area-wide science fair happening later this month after they recently took first place spots in a citywide competition held at the Randall Museum.
More than 100 students from 15 San Francisco public and private schools competed in this year’s annual San Francisco Middle School Science Fair, held between Feb. 28 and March 4. The competition featured four categories: behavioral, environmental, biology, and physical sciences.
Students from École Notre Dame des Victoires, St. Anne and Holy Name schools took first place in the behavioral science category, while students from École Notre Dame des Victoires, Adda Clevenger and St. Brendan schools earned first in the environmental science category. Students from Holy Name, St. Philip and St. Monica schools earned first place in the biology category. Students from Stratford, St. John the Apostle and Adda Clevenger took first place in physical sciences.
The winners were announced during Saturday’s Science Festival at the Randall Museum. The museum has hosted the Middle School Science Fair for 39 years. San Francisco Recreation and Park Department staff organize the event and Randall Museum Friends raise funds to purchase the supplies and other amenities needed to run the fair.
San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman attended Saturday’s event and commended all the middle schoolers who participated.
“This long-running tradition is important because it gives young people a chance to showcase what they’ve learned, in a creative and fun way,” Mandelman said. “I want to thank the folks at the Randall Museum for providing these learning opportunities, captivating not just youth, but the community as a whole.”
“This annual event is a chance to honor some of our best and brightest middle schoolers. It’s also an opportunity for the Randall Museum to engage young people in learning about nature, the environment, and, of course, science,” said SF Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “The feeling of community and camaraderie around this science fair is electric—and that’s because students always conduct themselves so well!”
Winners will now move on to the Golden Gate STEM Fair. Their projects will be displayed March 18 at the Bay Model Visitor Center in Sausalito from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students earning top spots will then move on to the California State Science Fair and the International Science and Engineering Fair.
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