Completely immersed in scientific methodology, Spanish Lake Elementary students participated in the Miami-Dade STEAM Expo and its related competitions, SECME Olympiad & Festival and the Elementary Science Fair, at the 2017 South Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair held on the Miami-Dade North Campus February 3.
This competition provides the ideal opportunity for students to learn and to demonstrate their understanding of the scientific and engineering processes and methods. Student science fair projects broaden a student's understanding of the essential and annually assessed Nature of Science Standards and their subject matter content knowledge.
In addition, a student becomes totally immersed in these "hands-on, minds-on" projects. Students participating in the SECME Olympiad & Festival have been engaged in scientific investigations and have immersed themselves in a club which meets weekly to experience a multitude of opportunities to participate in hands-on science experiments to mousetrap car making to making water bottle rockets to building bridges to essay writing to themed banner making.
Students representing SLE in the SECME banner and Mousetrap Car Project were grade five students Joshua Badillo, Alyss Santiago, and Genisis Rodriguez. Representing SLE in The Elementary Science Fair and placing were Isabella Marti, grade five, whose project, “Band Aid or Badly Made” received an overall District Gold Medal.
Emma Caraballo, grade five, whose project, “Wi-Fi Notspot,” received an overall District Bronze Medal. Jayden Antoine, grade five, whose project, “The Stable/Not-to-Stable LEG,” received an overall District Silver Medal. Nayeli Quintana, Science/SECME coach, Maria Vogel, Math Coach, and Lesley Varas-Caraballo, SECME/Robotics club sponsor led the students.