Newton County School System (NCSS) middle and high school students racked up the awards at the recent Griffin RESA Regional Science Fair. In fact, every NCSS student who participated won a first, second, or third place award at the event. Overall, six NCSS projects earned first place awards, 18 projects received second place awards, and eight projects won third place awards.

All students winning first place awards will represent NCSS at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Georgia on March 30-April 1, 2024.

In addition to their placement awards, several students also brought home additional awards of recognition from the Regional Science Fair. Alcovy High School student Mason Garrett won the Coweta-Fayette Georgia Tech Club Award in addition to his second place ribbon for his project. Petra Aten not only won first place for her project but also brought home two very prestigious honors—the Office of Naval Research/United States Navy & Marine Corps Award and the Broadcom Masters Award. David Byrke and Russell Danilchuk of Liberty Middle School also won a first place award and the Broadcom Masters Award for their joint project. The Broadcom Masters award is the highest award given to middle school students at the regional competition and all winners are invited to compete in the Broadcom Masters competition in Washington, D.C.  

The amount of awards earned by Newton County School System’s students speaks volumes about their talent, as they competed against the best and brightest students from Fayette, Henry, Griffin-Spalding, Butts, Pike, Lamar, and Thomaston Upson county schools.

“I am absolutely thrilled and so very impressed by our students’ success at the regional science fair,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “To have every single one of our student competitors bring home an award is an outstanding accomplishment. I know for a fact, and have been saying for years, that Newton County School System is home to some of the most academically gifted students in the state. Our students continually prove in competitions such as this that they can compete with and out-perform the very best students the state of Georgia has to offer. I am so proud of each and every one of them and wish those moving on to the state competition the very best of luck. I know they will represent their schools and our school system well!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following is a list of all NCSS Regional Science Fair winners:

STUDENT	SCHOOL	GRADE	AWARD	CATEGORY	PROJECT
FIRST PLACE-MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITION
Russell Danilchuk & David Byrke	Liberty	8th	1st Place	Physical Science	“Magnets & Motors”
Petra Aten	Indian Creek	7th	1st Place	Physical Science	“Keeping Warm”
SECOND PLACE-MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITION
Tony Ha	Clements	8th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“How Can Citric Acid & Sugar Affect the Growth of Gummy Bears Through Osmosis?”
Grace Watts	Newton County Theme	7th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“A Helping Hand”
Nia Simons	Newton County Theme	8th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“Coffee Muggin”
Aralyn Everett	Newton County Theme	8th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Do Gamers React Faster than Non-Gamers?”
Eva Fuhrey	Cousins	7th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“’Eggs’plaining Teeth Stains”
Caleb Hawkins	Cousins	6th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“How the Strength of Magnets Varies With Temperature”
Ken Nguyen	Cousins	8th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Poop Energy”
Naomi King, Jordyn Ash, & Alinna Aiken	Veterans Memorial	7th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Magnificent Breakfast Cereal”
Elias Dietrich	Indian Creek	8th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Georgia Soils: Soil Types vs Moisture Content”
Clark Hanson & Weston Avery	Newton County Theme	8th  & 7th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Sodalicious Name Brands”
Julian Crockett	Liberty	8th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Cleaning Oil Spills with What?!”
Logan Dobar	Liberty	8th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“Fuel Cell Efficiency Across Temperatures”
Jackson Allen	Indian Creek	6th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“Blood Spatter”
Ivy McWaters	Indian Creek	8th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“EXPO Makes the Mark”
Gabriela Sanchez	Veterans Memorial	8th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Dog Saliva vs Bacteria”
THIRD PLACE-MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITION
Kayla Edwards	Indian Creek	8th	3rd Place	Physical Science	“Bridges”
Josh Sewell	Cousins	8th	3rd Place	Physical Science	“3D Printing: An Application”
Garrison King, Blake Farmer, & Jet Rawls	Indian Creek	8th	3rd Place	Physical Science	“Who Needs Batteries?”
Abigail Prieto	Newton County Theme	8th	3rd Place	Biological Science	“Building a Gel Electrophoresis Chamber”
Bailey Smith	Indian Creek	7th	3rd Place	Biological Science	“How Cooking Methods Relate to Food Deterioration”
Sarah Grijalva	Veterans Memorial	8th	3rd Place	Physical Science	“How Does the Speed of a Rotor Affect the Amount of Lift?”
FIRST PLACE-HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
Madeline Farill & Sarah Schlueter	Eastside	9th	1st Place	Biological Science	“Examining the Efficacy of the Bluetooth Tandem Communication-Type 1 Diabetes”
Seth Carpenter & Najee Tillman	Alcovy & NCCA STEM Institute/Newton & NCCA STEM Institute	11th	1st Place	Biological Science	“Do You Recall?”
Elizabeth Cooper	Eastside & NCCA STEM Institute	12th	1st Place	Biological Science	“Iridology: What Can Your Eyes Tell You?”
Braxton Buff	Eastside	9th	1st Place	Biological Science	“How Diction & Syntax Can Influence Behavioral Outcomes”
SECOND PLACE-HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
Sydney Meeler	Eastside	9th	2nd Place	Biological Science	“Resistance is Futile, Part II: The Building of Antibiotic Resistance”
Logan Putnam & Ian Kennedy	Eastside & NCCA STEM Institute	9th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“The Age of Fuel Cells”
Mason Garrett	Alcovy	9th	2nd Place	Physical Science	“1,2,3…Spashoff: The Finale!”
THIRD PLACE-HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION
Dos Harper	Eastside & NCCA STEM Institute	11th	3rd Place	Biological Science	“BuzzKill 2.0”
Bethany Jones & Ellie Proffitt	Eastside	10th	3rd Place	Biological Science	“The Effects of Disinfecting Cosmetic Applicators on Microbial Contaminants”