Sumter students recognized for SCISA science fair accomplishments

Posted

ORANGEBURG - Area students were recognized for their accomplishments during the awards ceremony at the 2019 South Carolina Independent School Association State Science Fair held April 9 at the Sumter County Civic Center.

Jack Dennis, a student at Thomas Sumter Academy, who exhibited in the senior environmental science category, was named best entry in the senior division at the event. His project also took the top spot in the category.

Lizzie Silvester, who also attends Thomas Sumter Academy, was awarded first place in the senior behavioral science section.

Adam Reisenauer, a student at St. Anne & St. Jude Catholic School in Sumter, placed second in the junior behavioral science area. Christianna Fuppiana, another St. Anne & St. Jude Catholic School student, captured second place in the elementary environmental science division.

Thomas Sumter Academy student Logan Scruggs placed third in the senior biological science category.

"These students are to be congratulated for their practical applications of the scientific method," Dr. Spencer Jordan, executive director of SCISA, said in a news release. "The caliber of the entries indicates the amount of work all of the students put into their projects."

The SCISA State Science Fair was open to students in the following age divisions: Elementary - grades 3 through 5; Junior - grades 6 through 8; and Senior - grades 9 through 12.

Each division had seven categories: biological science, physical science, computer/math, behavioral, interdisciplinary team project, invention/engineering and general science.

Judging criteria included technical correctness, aesthetic quality, theory, feasibility, effort and scientific methods. Approximately 142 projects were judged at the state science fair.

The South Carolina Independent School Association is a nonprofit, voluntary association of more than 120 independent schools serving more than 37,000 teachers and students.

South Carolina incorporated SCISA after its founding in 1965 as an exclusively educational organization with the responsibilities of establishing accreditation standards, coordinating academic and athletic competition and providing professional development for member organizations.