On Jan. 23, the Hawaiian Mission Academy gymnasium was filled with mice running in a maze, rusty nails, mysterious molding substances and paint ball markers.
It was the scene of the first interschool science fair, where sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from Hawaiian Mission Elementary and Intermediate and Leeward Adventist Mission schools filled the gym with science projects.
HMA science students had the tough task of judging more than 50 projects. Two projects from each grade were presented with Judges’ Choice awards. Subjects ranged from clean air and nitrous oxide fuel to “A Fishy Sewer System.” Winners represented HMEI at the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools District Science Fair. More than 300 junior research/display and senior research projects were on exhibit at this annual private school event. District winners represented their schools at the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair in April.
HMEI eighth grade students were awarded some of the highest honors in the district fair. “The Color of a Flower” by Amber Suzuki and “Fungus Among Us” by Abcde Kuamoo and Luka Zavas received third place awards. In a record high field of 41 team entries, first prize overall was awarded to Cami Muller and Colleen Uechi. They received the Best Team Junior Research awards for their project on wind energy, “Get Wind of This,” and went on to win "Best of Category" at the state competition in April.
Last year, Adam King and Kaleb Lane received first prize at the district fair in the field of physics for their project, “The Age of Rockets.” The win qualified them to enter the state science fair, but they were unable to attend because of a schedule conflict with HMEI’s biannual Washington, D.C., trip.
The director of the district fair invited King and Lane to enter their rocket project in the 2005 state competition, making a total of seven students representing HMEI at the state fair.
HMEI’s sixth grade teacher, John Mooy, and seventh grade teacher, Denny Uechi, planned, coordinated and organized participation in both fairs.
