CCUSD Prepares for Kiwanis Community Science Fair

January 14, 2009

Online application deadline for students Tuesday, January 20

At CCUSD, teachers, students, and Kiwanians are working hard to prepare for the 4th Kiwanis Community Science Fair. Last year, about 3,200 students submitted over 1,800 projects, of which 246 projects advanced to compete in the Tier 2 competition. Last year’s total participation was about 6 times greater than for the first year in 2006.

Two new activities are expected to boost participation in the 2009 Fair to break last year’s record. 

At Cactus Shadows High School, a group of high school students has worked with William Watters, Skills USA Advisor and Kiwanis to develop a video that shows students what the science fair is all about.

“We’re excited about the video, and hope it can encourage more kids at Cactus Shadows to join the fair and have fun with it. Besides requiring knowledge in math and science, the process required to successfully complete a science project can help kids with important life skills that are especially important today, such as independent thinking, creativity, and meeting deadlines,” remarks Jim Walborn, chair of the Carefree Kiwanis Science Education Committee.

The deadline for Cactus Shadows students to submit an online application to participate in the fair is Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Brett Hoeppner, the producer of the video, exclaimed: “Producing this science fair promo was an enlightening experience since I knew it would be injected into the creative minds of the student body, resulting in fantastic projects to flood the science fair floor. Thanks to the hard work of our entire crew, we could send this message out to a wide spread of students who are interested.”

Another new activity that is expected to enhance the 2009 Fair’s results is mentoring by Kiwanis volunteers at several CCUSD schools. Several teachers asked for Kiwanis’ help in working with kids to formulate ideas for projects and get started. As a result, Kiwanians have taken to the classroom to work directly with kids at Desert Arroyo Middle School and Desert Sun Elementary School.

Cash prizes, medals, and a $2500 scholarship to Grand Canyon University also give kids a good reason to participate.

The Kiwanis Community Science Fair is sponsored and operated by the Kiwanis Club of Carefree’s Science Education Committee in cooperation with all schools in the region of the Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD).