Sunset Rotary expands Da Vinci Arts, Science Fair to include middle school grades

In 2016, the Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club will expand its annual Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair to include middle school grades.

Previously, the fair has been limited to third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students.

The middle-school fair will be held January 23-24, 2016, at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in the New Hope Center auditorium at 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 24, preceded at 3 p.m. by an open house when entries will be available for viewing, a press release said. All participants, parents, teachers, and the public are invited to attend.

Complete information about both fairs and registration forms for the middle school fair are available on the website www.davincifair.org.

“Offering the additional fair for middle-school grades provides a gateway for students to participate in other regional science fairs,” the press release said. Science project winners in grades 6-8 will qualify to participate in the Junior Division of the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Knoxville April 4-7, 2016.

The arts and science fair for third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students will be held in May. The fairs will be open to all students in grades three through eight in the East Tennessee region.

The online registration deadline for the middle school students is January 8, 2016, and registration information for the grades 3-5 fair May 21-22 will be available on the fair website on February 1, 2016. Confirmation will be sent via email.

Students entering art projects should take two signed copies of the registration confirmation email with their projects to Jefferson Middle School on January 20 from 4-6 p.m. For science projects, entrants will need to take one signed copy of the registration confirmation email when they set up their projects on January 23.

Judges will determine winners for each grade level and in each of these categories: art, physical science, earth science, and life science. A special panel of judges will select the grand prize winners from the group of first prize winners in each category and grade level.

“Students who submit science projects have the opportunity to meet with local scientists to gain meaningful scientific knowledge about their project and explore ideas for possible extension of their discoveries,” the press release said.

Art teachers will jury student art pieces completed within the last school year. The categories for art work include painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, digital and traditional photography, computer graphics, mixed media, and printmaking. There will also be a special award for the combined Arts/Science winner.

The grand prize in science is a quality electronic tablet. Second prize is an iPad and third prize is a Kindle Fire.

In art, the grand prize is an iPad.

The winning student in each grade level in each category will receive a gift card valued at $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place.

In addition to student prizes, the Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club offers a limited number of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) grants for schools to support science fair projects or for other STEM-related activities. Grant applications are accepted year-round. Details can be found on the application form on the fair website.

The Sunset Rotary Club has sponsored science fairs for third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students since 2009, expanding it each year. The Rotarians sponsor the science fair in support of the STEM programs in the schools.

“The aim is to engage and excite students to the wonders and adventures of science, with the hope that each participant would have fun and enjoy learning about science and the world around them,” the press release said.

The arts also play an important role in giving children a well-rounded education and an art element should be added to the existing science fair project, the release said.

Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci wrote: “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

The Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair provides a platform to demonstrate the relationship between the arts and sciences and a venue for students to display both science experiments and art work, the release said.

“We are happy with the outstanding support the fair has received in previous years from local businesses and the scientific community,” Club President Roger Petrie said. “We thank the generous sponsors and the participants for their support. We also appreciate the work of science and art teachers in the area for their participation.”