Mitchell Haw, a Grade 7 student at Sturgeon Creek School, didn’t come home from the Canada Wide Science Fair held last month in Saguenay, Que. with a trophy or a first-place finish.
But he did receive on honorable mention, meaning he placed fourth in the junior Life Sciences category.
Along with the honourable mention, Haw accepted a certificate and a $100 cheque.
“It was surprising and it was really good,” he enthused. “There were quite a few people there and I didn’t expect to do that well.”
Haw’s project, “An Icy Life,” tested which de-icing substance is the healthiest for trees. He tried several combinations of substances, such as magnesium/salt, calcium/salt, salt, and sand with a small amount of salt.
“I mixed the substances in one litre of water and watered the three pots of four trees for 15 days,” he had explained before heading off to Quebec.
“I found sand was the healthiest for the trees,” he added.
Haw estimated he competed against close to 40 students. There was a total of 750 participants in 18 categories altogether.
“I met quite a few people,” he noted. “I stayed in a room with three different people I’ve never met. And you met people every time you travelled somewhere.”
Aside from the competition, Haw enjoyed seeing Quebec for the first time. “The land was really rolling and the trees were about the same as here,” he recalled.
“And it was really exciting to be in a French community because you got to use a bit of your French,” he added.
“In the community where the science fair was, very few people spoke English. So if you went to a small business, you had to use French.”
The participants also were able to go on several tours, such as to a wildlife zoo, a waterfall, and a historic village.
Since Haw still will be in elementary school next year, he will have another chance to make it to the national level, which will take place in Truro, N.S.
“I’m definitely [going to] try to go again next year,” he said. “It was a really good experience.”
While Haw said he doesn’t have any plans for his next project, he noted he got some good ideas from seeing the other displays at the science fair.
“There were some very interesting ones I could get some ideas from,” he remarked, adding he’ll start working on his project in January, which will be on display during the school science fair in March.
Then, hopefully, he will make it to both the regional and national levels.
Bailley Strom, an eighth-grader at J.W. Walker in Fort Frances, and Brianne Doudiet, from Ear Falls Public School, also competed in the Canada Wide Science Fair this year, but did not place in the top of their respective categories.
Fort Frances Times
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