Three Flagstaff Academy middle school students walked away winners at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair earlier this month — as did a teacher.
Judges selected student winners from 215 projects that were on display from students in grades six through 12 at the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University Fort Collins Campus on April 7 and 8.
Flagstaff Academy said in a release that eight grader Eli Kraus placed second in the mathematics and Computer Sciences Junior Division for his invention, “Learn Better With Games.” The goal of his invention was to make learning math more fun by incorporating video games into the lessons, balancing gaming challenges and skill level and providing opportunities to practice multiplication tables.
Kraus also received the Office of Naval Research Award and received a nomination to the 2022 Broadcom Masters competition. Kraus placed first in the math and computer science category at the Boulder County Regional Science Fair in February.
Sixth grader Mandy Roth placed third in the Animal Sciences Junior Division for her submission titled, “Does Jumping Higher Result in a Dog Landing with More Force?” Roth’s project was inspired by her trained agility dog, Kimmie, and explores the forces that active dogs are subject to on a daily basis.
Roth received the top junior division award, “Best in Show,” and also the Office of Naval Research Award at the Boulder County Regional Science Fair last month.
Seventh grader Lakshmi Thanikasalam received the Pioneers of Science Arthur Askin Award for her experiment, “Capillary Action - Investigation and Empirical Modeling.” As part of her experiment, Thanikasalam identified what capillary action is and how it occurs, and explored whether or not capillary action differs between various types of liquid.
Thanikasalam placed first in the physics category at the Boulder County Regional Science Fair last month.
“These students exemplify the fantastic science program at Flagstaff Academy, which is strong from kindergarten through middle school,” Flagstaff Academy executive principal Katie Gustafson said. “Inspiring students to view the world through a scientific lens is not only part of the mission of the school, but also is evidenced by the rigorous, hands-on opportunities that our students have in the classroom.”
In addition to these student awards, Flagstaff Academy sixth grade science teacher Boone Starr was honored at CSEF with the Lockheed Martin Teacher of the Year Award as well as the Doug Steward Memorial Award. As the Teacher of the Year recipient, a $3,000 grant was awarded to Flagstaff Academy in Starr’s name.
