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Well, it was that time of the year again. Time for the annual 4th grade Lakeside School Science Fair.

“Are we done yet?” “When is it due?” “Isn’t this fun!” “Whose idea was this anyway?” “My teacher said it had to be done this way!”

Parents of fourth grade Lakeside students have heard these statements and many more these past weeks. Relief finally came to both parents and students April 6 when all projects were displayed and the students were interviewed.

A plethora of experiments and research projects were available for all to view. Of course there were all the old favorites––tornadoes, electricity, plants and hurricanes. There were some new and interesting topics also –– “Were left handed or right handed Major League pitchers more successful between 1966-2005?” “What’s the best kind of fabric for gymnastics leotards based on elasticity?” was another new topic.

The fourth grade students started learning about the scientific method back in January. Each classroom had a white rat brought in. Then classrooms paired up and asked the question, “How does diet effect growth?”

All students made a hypothesis about what they thought the outcome would be, talked about the variables and learned other science vocabulary. The classes’ conclusion was that milk, along with a variety of food groups, is needed for effective growth.

Teachers at Lakeside are in the process of aligning curriculum with those of the new state standards. The science fair will be part of fourth grade for many more years to come.

The fourth grade team would like to say a special thanks to Pat Pitala, Judith Stignani and Lakeside’s wonderful custodial staff. Also, thanks to Superintendent Mike McLoughlin and parents for volunteering their time to interview students.

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