Nativity School's Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science winners
Front Row: Left to right: Heidi Sewchok, Deanna Bucci, Christina Hritz, Zachary Rittiger and Katelynn Huber.
Back Row: Left to right: Rebecca Hensler, Amy Nowakowski, Juliette Shine, Scott Marnik, Eric Schmura, Allison Zimmerman, Ryan Nee, Abigail Buckholt, Nancy Laird and Megan Kelly.
Each of the students that represented Nativity School at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) competition on February 7th came home with a Perfect Score, First or Second Place Award.
The group of 13 seventh and eighth grade students, who began working on their individual projects in September, spent many extra-curricular hours with their faculty sponsors, Nancy Laird and Amy Nowakowski, as summer turned to fall and fall became winter. Both teachers and students forfeited days off and hours after school to insure that each project and presentation was as flawless as possible before the students stepped before their assigned judges.
The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science is an organization dedicated to encouraging interest in scientific study among teens and preteens. Each student chooses his or her own project, formulates a hypothesis, conducts an experiment to prove or disprove that hypothesis and must observe the stringent rules of the Scientific Method throughout. Then, students analyze raw data to prove a conclusion, generate their own transparencies and write a speech, which is presented to at least two judges at the competition.
First Place winners will take their projects for competitive judging in the PJAS state finals at the University of Pennsylvania at State College in May.
Nativity staff and students join in wishing congratulations to all of the winners and the very best of luck to our First Place winners at Penn State.
8th Grade Students
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Abigail Buckholt – The Effect of Compost on Plant Growth – First Place Award
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Rebecca Hensler – Chemicals as Factors Breaking Down Fluid Resistant Barriers – First Place Award
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Megan Kelly – Factors Effecting Enzyme Activity – First Place Award
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Scott Marnik – The Effect of Temperature on Various Magnets - Perfect Score Award and a special $100 award from the American Vacuum Society as well as supplies for Nativity School.
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Ryan Nee – The Effect of Detergents on Various Types of Seeds – Perfect Score Award
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Eric Schmura – The Effect of Acid Mine Drainage on Plant Growth – First Place Award
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Juliet Shine – The Effect of Detergent on Plant Growth – First Place Award
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Allison Zimmerman – The Effect of Different Types of Water on Plant Growth - First Place Award
7th Grade Students
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Deanna Bucci – The Effect of Carbon Content in Burning Candles – First Place Award and special award for outstanding performance in chemistry from the National Chemistry Society.
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Christina Hritz – Battery Decay Versus Temperature – First Place Award
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Katelynn Huber – The Accuracy of Weather Stations – Second Place Award
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Zach Rittiger- Which Fruits and Vegetables Have the Most Ascorbic Acid? First Place Award
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Heidi Sewchok – Schooling of Fish – Second Place Award
Congratulations to All
Nativity student named winner of VFW Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition
Rebecca Hensler, an eighth-grade student at Nativity School, has been named as the Third Place winner in District 29 Veterans of Foreign Wars and it’s Ladies Auxiliary Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition.
At the local level, 13 students from several schools were chosen as winners for their essays’ merits, which addressed the question of what service to our country meant to them. Five of the 13 initial winners were from Nativity School.
Ms. Hensler received the special award at a dinner, sponsored by the VFW’s Voice of Democracy Awards Program on February 27th at the West View VFW Post 2754.
Nativity’s staff and faculty join in wishing Rebecca and her family warm congratulations.
“What Service to Our Country Means to me”
By Rebecca Hensler
Anyone who serves our country in any way is a great American and should feel good about themselves. So many Americans serve their country everyday and don’t even realize it. It’s not hard to do.
I believe the greatest way to serve our country is by helping each other. At my school, we collected money for the Red Cross. The donation was made in memory of an area resident whose son was killed in Iraq while working as a civilian. By doing this, we honored a man who died trying to better the lives of others; he truly served our country. The donated money was used to help the people in our area who lost so much during the recent flooding from Hurricane Ivan. Many people helped with the clean up and donated food, water and clothes. There were so many stories of people helping each other during this disaster, and in this way, they have served our country without really knowing it.
As we are all aware, our country is in a war, and thousands of American troops are fighting to protect us and are away from their homes and families. The service they provide protecting our country risks their lives on a daily basis. By supporting our troops, we are serving our country too. I would like to send cards and letters to these soldiers, telling them they are in our thoughts and prayers, and thanking them for their bravery and service to protect freedom.
The freedom we enjoy in this country today, is due to those who have served our country. Many of these are senior citizens living alone in nursing homes, lonely and neglected. We should honor and respect our elderly for all they sacrificed for us. My Girl Scot troop will make small, handcrafted gifts and visit a nursing home in our community. We will spend the afternoon talking, singing and offering snacks to the residents. The sparkle in their eyes, and the smiles on their faces will show that even the smallest acts make a difference in their life, even if just for that day.
As you can see, there are many ways to serve our country. Everybody can have an opportunity to serve in some way. We can’t let these opportunities pass us by.