Peterson science fair was a success Students...

Peterson science fair was a success

Students in Linda Perkins’ fifth-grade Gifted and Talented

Education class at John R. Peterson Elementary School took science to

the next level with their inventions during the school’s annual

science fair last month.

Students prepared for their projects with a whole unit of study on

inventors, science and simple machines. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

and Thomas Edison, they joined in with personal creations of their

own.

On the evening of the fair, parents, teachers and fellow students

were presented with a peanut butter and jelly maker, a machine that

cleans the ice off of ice skates, a garlic peeler, a pooper scooper

and a variety of other inventions.

Principal Dareen Yonts said there were no winning medals, only

participation ribbons. More meaningful were the lessons learned.

John Dunn, 10, got tired of hunting through bathroom cabinets for

an air freshener so his invention prompted a spray of freshener with

each flush of the toilet.

“I didn’t think I could actually make it but I found I could do

it,” John said.

His classmate, 10-year-old Laurie Bezjian, invented a “dog breath

terminator” and learned “to never give up and always try hard.”

Lauren Stuhr, also 10, discovered how to use all of her dad’s

power tools when she invented her “groovy grape grabber” which brings

grapes straight to the chair.

“You have to use your resources and find lots of stuff around the

house,” said 10-year-old Alexander Weinthal, who made a complicated

moving target machine for archers.

Stephanie Walter, 11, learned “to ask for help and not to try and

do it alone,” emphasizing the support she received from her teacher

and parents.

Aiming for increased efficiency, she invented a window washer to

help her mom with the housework.

“My mom is always cleaning and it is a simpler way to clean,” she

said.

The focus for the fair was on using the scientific method to prove

or disprove a hypothesis.

“If it doesn’t work, most important is to ask why, scientists

don’t always have their experiments work out,” she said.

Pegasus celebrates Abe’s birthday

The Pegasus School celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s Feb. 12 birthday

with a special educational treat for the students.

On Monday, parent David Penner took on a new look with a black

stovepipe hat, beard and coat. While he might not have tricked all

the students into believing he was the real Lincoln, students enjoyed

hearing what Penner had to teach them about the former president.

The students surprised Penner with the information they had

already learned about Lincoln in their classes. The third, fourth and

fifth-graders were curious participants asking about Lincoln’s role

in the Civil War and ending slavery.

Penner emphasized the importance of reading in his presentation.

That is how Lincoln learned so much that he was able to become a

lawyer and then president of the United States, he said.

Making valentines for veterans

Circle View Elementary School students honored veterans at the VA

Hospital in Long Beach for Valentine’s Day. Students decorated a

large heart as a part of a school-wide effort, headed by the student

council.

Joyce Stalcup’s fourth-grade class expressed their appreciation in

the form of letters. The students wished to thank veterans for their

years of service.

Stalcup said the letters ranged from thoughtful to funny and read

from some of them.

“Thank you for being so courageous and loving,” one student wrote.

“We appreciate you with all of our hearts,” wrote another.

“Because of you I have freedom, a great teacher, a great school,

great friends and I can play handball anytime I want,” penned a

third.

Many of the students had grandparents who were veterans and some

of their parents fought in the Gulf War, Stalcup said. Many of them

could identify with the project on a personal level, she added.

The class hoped their letters and decorated heart would brighten

the veterans spirits, making Valentine’s Day a little happier for the

recipients.

Collecting change for cancer

Students in pre-school through sixth-grade at The Hebrew Academy

are in the midst of a fund-raising drive called “Pennies for

Patients.” During the three week program, parents and students are

asked to donate spare change. Larger donations are welcomed also. The

proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. School

officials hope to teach students about personal achievement, teamwork

and ultimately the meaning of giving to one another through this

event. The top fund-raising class will have a party sponsored by the

physical education coach. For more information about making a

donation, call (714) 898-0051.