On Saturday, March 11, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) hosted its seventh annual History, Industry, Technology and Science (HITS) Expo at St. Charles High School. The event showcased an array of student science and history fair projects for judging, with awards presented to eligible students.
The science fair projects were categorized by Behavioral/Medicine and Health Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Science, Life Science, and Physics and Astronomy. The judges awarded special recognition to several students for their exceptional projects.
The grand prize winner was Skylan Brassell, an eighth-grade student at the Neighborhood Creative Arts Center, for her project, “Troubled Tributaries: Turbidity Data for Mattawoman and Piscataway creeks.” Other notable winners included Jasmin Ali and Hayley Pinggory, seniors at North Point High School, who tied for first place in the behavioral/medicine and health science category with their projects “Are you drinking bacteria?” and “Investigating the Antimicrobial Properties of Yeast Found in Three Common Foods,” respectively.
In the elementary division, first place awards went to Jackson Heise, fifth grade, Walter B. Mitchell Elementary School, for “Egg-cellent Replacements!” in the chemistry category, Victoria Palmer, third grade, Dr. James Craik Elementary School, for “Stop, Hover Time!” in the engineering category, Emily Maradiaga, fifth grade, St. Mary’s School, for “Magic Manure,” in the environmental science category, London Alexander, fourth grade, Billingsley Elementary School, for “Soil Meets Soil,” in the life science category, and Yahya Ziden, third grade, J.C. Parks Elementary School, for “Breaking Nails,” in the physics and astronomy category.
A complete list of winners and special award recipients can be found on the CCPS website.
The HITS Expo is a great opportunity for students to showcase their scientific and historical knowledge and encourages exploration in these fields. The event is a testament to CCPS’s commitment to promoting excellence in education.