CORAL HARBOUR/CHESTERFIELD INLET
Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet had students qualify for the national science fair for an astounding 11th straight time at the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair at Sakku School in Coral Harbour this past month.
Jalen Tagoona of Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School in Baker Lake took top spot at the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair at Sakku School in Coral Harbour this past month.
- photo courtesy of Jennifer Roop |
While the top award eluded Chester this year, two of three students to qualify for the Canada-wide Science Fair are from Victor Sammurtok.
Jalen Tagoona of Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School in Baker Lake took top spot with his project, titled Charge, while Maliki Kattegatsiak of Chester took second for the entry, titled Using? Substance Abuse and Chester Youth, and Vanessa Mimilak of Chester took third for Qajqq Perceptions.
Tagoona, Kattegatsiak and Mimilak will represent the Kivalliq at the national fair in Lethbridge, Alta., May 14-21.
Victor Sammurtok teacher Glen Brocklebank said the Kivalliq is allowed to send three students to the national fair and, with the top three being single-student projects this year, they all can go.
He said doing well in science has become a big deal in Chester, and Victor Sammurtok students get pumped for the regional fair every year.
"Our students know their projects are quality and they feel that when they arrive at the fair," said Brocklebank.
"Our own school fair is very high calibre and, this year, 10 of the 15 projects we had were competitive.
"They know they have to conduct multiple tests and try to control variables.
"And they know doing something once or twice isn't good enough because you have to be able to duplicate the results of your experiments."
Brocklebank said the Chester students moved away from the culturally-themed projects they're become known for at the Coral fair.
He said their projects focused on surveys and social science as they begin to expand their scientific horizons.
"Coral did a great job hosting this year's fair.
"But, unfortunately, Whale Cove didn't make it in.
"Their first plane went mechanical and the second flew over.
"As far as anyone can remember, this was the first time students didn't make it to a fair and we hope it never happens again."
Brocklebank said Tagoona's winning project was an excellent piece of work.
He said he was impressed by the data Tagoona collected, the number of tests he conducted and the way he presented the material.
"He was looking at how to prolong the life of batteries and his work was very, very, very thorough.
"He plays a lot of games, so he had a natural interest in his subject matter.
"He followed the scientific method perfectly."
Brocklebank said the overall quality of the projects in Coral was the highest he's ever seen at the regional fair.
He said the majority of Kivalliq schools are into the science fair and understand what has to be done.
"Of the 21 projects entered at the Coral fair, eight were a Level 3 or higher and there's only four levels.
"At one time, you could walk into the science fair, look around, and know which projects were going to be at the top.
"This year it came down to the interviews to select the winners.
"We're going to be sending three strong projects to the Canada-wide fair in Lethbridge next month."
