2024 STEAM Fair & 5th Grade Science Fair

On March 22, 2024, the Kutztown Area School District, with financial support from the Kutztown Area School District Education Foundation, hosted the 5th-grade Science Fair and STEAM Fair. The event showcased students' innovative spirit through science fair projects and various engaging STEAM stations.

This year, there was a surge in the number of 5th-grade students participating in science fair projects, with more students completing and competing with their projects. Winners were acknowledged in both individual and group project categories. The district awarded scholarships to recognize outstanding student achievements.

The STEAM Fair featured various stations organized by teachers, middle school students, and Kutztown University education majors. Exhibits included art displays, live animals, virtual reality experiences, microscopy, and various science demonstrations.

We are thrilled to share a firsthand account of the STEAM Fair, highlighting the incredible talent and creativity of the students and the broader community's commitment to fostering education and innovation. Here's Nirvana Werst's captivating account of the 2024 KASD STEAM Fair as described by the 6th-grade student:

On the evening of March 22nd, 2024 the Kutztown School District, with financial support from the Kutztown Education Foundation, hosted the 5th-grade Science Fair and STEAM Fair.  Seventeen science fair projects were judged while 27 stations provided entertainment and educational fun to more than 300 members of the community who attended.

This year, more 5th-grade students than ever before began a science fair project in the fall and more completed and competed with their project. The overall winners of the competition were Anthony Ilustre in 1st, Catherine Keller in 2nd, and Livianna Horn in 3rd for the individual projects. The group project winners consisted of Weston Knutsen and Gavin Light in 1st, Preston Stone and Ajax David in 2nd place, and in 3rd we had Maci Kehl, Avery Yearick, and Madelyn Meitzler. 

Showing similar momentum, the 2024 STEAM Fair included more STEAM stations than ever before.  Teacher organizations stations that included a variety of exciting stands. Kris Tuerk’s shared a middle school art exhibition while Ben Hoffman and the National Art Honor Society demonstrated pendulum and spin art painting. Alya Blatt and the FFA students exhibited young goats and chickens. Mary Gruber provided augmented and virtual reality experiences she uses in her library class. Kelly Mahoney exhibited projects created by the Science Olympiad team for their competition. Jen Wyland brought microscopes and dissecting equipment for guests to explore. The Kutztown Education Foundation, who has provided funding for the event year after year, ran a station sharing information about their program.

The bulk of the stations were envisioned, created, and run by middle school students. The middle school projects exhibited various topics. All the way from the Future City project, to Science Olympiad, coding games, the Art Show, learning about the golden ratio, and lots more. It is amazing to see how brilliant, intelligent, and open-minded the middle school students and the 5th grade can be. 

One new aspect in 2024 was inclusion of KU education majors.  Erica Moriarty and Kristina Bryan attended to help students with stations, while Mallory Burns designed a station demonstrating the conservation of energy using bouncy balls.

In 2007, KAMS held its first 5th-grade science fair, led by Linda Schroeder and accompanied by Betty Imboden. By 2011, the program took place in the middle school, where it joined up with the Festival of Arts (FoA) - a since-discontinued annual celebration of student art - to appeal to a wider audience.  

After FoA ended, the STEAM Fair was born. Initially began informally to add excitement to the room while the judges deliberated, in 2017 Pamela and Aaron Ashman started the first official STEAM fair. Teachers from throughout the district and students from the middle and high schools prepared stations to inform and entertain guests from the community while sharing their learning relating to science, technology, art, engineering, and mathematics.

To honor the vision and motivation of Mrs. Schroeder and Mrs. Imboden, the Kutztown Schools awarded scholarships to the winner of the Science Fair and to Vicente Ilustre, an 8th-grade student who demonstrated excellence in his work on the STEAM Fair each year of middle school.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to making the STEAM Fair a resounding success! The collaboration and enthusiasm of our participants, volunteers, and sponsors truly made this event a memorable one.

As we look forward to future events, let's continue to foster a love for learning and innovation within our community. The participants' experiences remind us of the importance of nurturing curiosity:

Catherine Keller, The Chicken's Choice Awards: The Best Bedding Goes to…

Question: What was something you liked about the science fair?

Answer: "Finding out which question you want to do and the discoveries about your project." I also learned that chickens are picky.

Kailey Greiss and Katelynn Dieterly, Dissolve the Rainbow: Which Liquid Will Dissolve the Skittle Color the Fastest?

Favorite part: "Doing the project together."

We learned that coffee reacts to Skittles.

After reading Nirvana's engaging write-up and reliving the excitement of the STEAM Fair through the photos skillfully captured by DK Photography, Steve Fenstermacher, and Melissa Nolte, we hope you share our appreciation for the talent and dedication showcased by our young participants. Their passion for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics serves as an inspiration to us all. Thank you once again for being part of this incredible journey!