SCIENCE FAIR
W. I. S. E. 2003, Wonders of the Imagination Science Exhibition, the first annual community science fair offered by Bedford Public Schools Community Education Program, will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2003, in the Bedford High School cafeteria, 8285 Jackman Road, Temperance, Michigan. The science fair is open to all interested students in grade levels K through 12. Students attending Bedford Public Schools, as well as homeschooled students and students attending private, parochial, and other public schools in the southeast Michigan area, are encouraged to participate.
The science fair has the following features:
· Four components—the workbook (which documents the project), an optional report, the display, and an optional, scheduled interview with a judge
· A flexible structure that allows students to select which components (or parts of components) they complete and the level at which they complete them, tailoring the project to fit their grade level and interests
· A scoring system by which the student can track progress from year to year
· A personally selected coach who supports the student throughout the project
· Encouragement of family participation, since the home is the ideal place where children’s interests and careers are nurtured
· Instruction booklet with the following information:
o Comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for doing the project
o An approach to generate ideas for a science fair experiment
o
Information about science websites, equipment catalogs, museums,
and magazines, including a website with an eight-week plan for doing a project
o Registration information for the Tri-County Science & Technology Fair in Adrian, Michigan, and the Northwest District Science Day in Toledo, Ohio, for students in upper level grades
· Drop-in mentoring sessions to discuss any project-related questions or problems during the weeks leading up to the science fair
· Ten levels of achievement (with corresponding certificates of achievement) for each type of project (collections, models, and experiments)
· Certificate of achievement and participation ribbon for every student entering the science fair
· First, second, and third place award for each type of project in each grade level
· An award for the best project in each branch of science—biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and computer science, physics, and social science—provided there are a sufficient number of projects in the branch of science
· W.I.S.E. Award for the best of show
· Award certificate, ribbon, and prize for each winning project
· An opportunity to purchase a commemorative T-shirt
· For students in grades K through 8 in Bedford Public Schools, the opportunity to be selected to participate in the Monroe County Science Fair
Registration materials are available at the Bedford Community Education Office, Bedford Public Schools Administration Building, 1623 West Sterns Road, Temperance, Michigan 48182, and can be downloaded from the science fair website http://www.geocities.com/wondersoftheimagination/. The registration materials consist of one instruction booklet and one family entry form per family and one scoring booklet per student.
The completed and signed family entry form, with payment for the total amount due, must be received no later than Friday, January 31, 2003. The non-refundable entry fee is $10.00 for one student, $18.00 for two students, or $25.00 for your entire family.
For the science fair to be successful, we need your support. If you would like to volunteer to help, for example, by serving as a mentor, by soliciting prizes and contributions from sponsors, by assisting at the registration table, or by judging (and interviewing) at the science fair, please contact Bill Werner, Science Fair Director, by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 734-847-3446.