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TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER
The gymnasium at Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic wasn't filled with sounds of bouncing balls or clashing sticks on March 14, but something very different.

Grade 4 student Christopher Groom shows off a set of firefighting gloves. His project on how they keep firefighters protected won him one of the top prizes at Chief Paul Niditchie School's annual science fair. - Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison/NNSL photo

The community's annual science fair kicked off at 1:30 p.m., and students from Grades 4 to 9 were busy showing off their creations.

Dale Blake Jr., a Grade 6 student, took three days to complete his project on car horns and how they work. "What did I learn? I learned about how electricity works," he said. "Science is easy. I like it."

Grade 8 student David Lennie was busy trying to fit a hard-boiled egg into a glass water bottle without breaking it, and Robert Neyando, a Grade 6 student, made a miniature electric motor with a D-cell battery.

"I just wanted to build something electric," he said. "I wanted to make something move."

Jessica Andre VanLoon, who is in Grade 5, said she initially didn't know what to do for her science fair project until teacher Brandon Otway suggested she take a different approach.

"Mr. Brandon said that baking was like science," she said. "I learned that when you put the cookies in the oven, the heat makes the cookies harder and bigger, because if there was no heat it wouldn't be harder and it wouldn't taste good."

Davina Benoit-Cardinal, a Grade 4 student, made a papier-mache volcano and filled it with lava made from vinegar, baking powder and food colouring. "It was really fun to do," she said.

Students from Grades 1 to 3 also took part in the science fair. Each made their own "balloon rockets" – constructed with balloons, straws and paper airplanes – that they zoomed along a string line after releasing the air.

Peter Ross, a bylaw officer in Tsiigehtchic, was one of approximately half a dozen community members who stopped by to see the students' projects.

"I wanted to see what kids learn over the year," he said. "I think it's awesome because we never did these things when I went to school."

Ross, who attended residential school in Aklavik in the 1940s, said it's nice to see students take an interest in science.

"I learned a thing or two," he said of his visit to the science fair.

Bobbie Jean Andre, the hamlet's recreation co-ordinator, and Charlene Blake, who works at the health centre, acted as the fair's two judges.

Andre said judging was harder than she thought because of all the information students had collected.

"I think they did really good. It looks like they knew what they were talking about," she said.

Robert Neyando, Christopher Groom and Jessica VanLoon won for best projects after the judges marks were submitted.

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