There were many valid reasons to cancel the annual DCSS Science and Engineering Fair, as did some other school districts, but Douglas County found new and innovative ways to make the usually in-person science fair a virtual event.

"I'm proud to be part of a school system that was determined to provide this rich academic opportunity for our students in spite of the challenges of COVID," said K-12 Science Coordinator Casey Bethel.

Fifty middle and high school students competed in this year's fair. Around half of the projects submitted were from students who are learning in person this year and the other half by students who are learning online through School-Based Digital Learning.

"Although the number of projects submitted was lower this year because it was an optional activity, the quality of the projects was phenomenal," said Bethel. "The students who are really interested in science and engineering opted to participate, and their passion for science was obvious in their projects."

Rather than display the traditional tri-fold boards at the Murray Educational Center as in years past, this year the students recorded a five to 10 minute video presentation of their project. They could also electronically submit up to 10 artifacts. Judges were given seven days to view and evaluate the projects electronically. On January 12, the judges interviewed every student online through Google Meets.

Bethel noted that one of the advantages of going virtual this year was the ability to recruit renowned judges from afar, including luminaries from the University of Michigan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, companies and organizations that are longtime supporters of the annual science fair provided expert judges, including Georgia Tech, the University of West Georgia Innovation Lab, the University of Georgia, Google, Chick-fil-A corporate office, Douglasville-Douglas County Water & Sewer Authority, GreyStone Power, Georgia Power, the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce and West Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center.

The overall winner for the junior division was 8th grader Lillian Jaillet from Mason Creek Middle School. The overall winner for the senior division was 9th grader Maddison Gardner from New Manchester High School. They each received a laptop, thanks to a donation from Google. These two students, along with 13 others, will advance to the West Georgia Regional Science & Engineering Fair, which will be conducted virtually through the University of West Georgia in February.

For a presentation which features all students who placed in the science fair, click below.

1st Place: Yahminisakti Chandrasekaran, 6th Grade, Fairplay Middle School

The next step for Chandrasekaran is competing virtually in the GAE Region 4 Spelling Bee on February 27. Region winners move on to the GAE State Spelling Bee in March, with those winners moving on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee this spring.

Spelling comes easily for the girls, mainly because of their love of reading, so they didn’t have to do a lot of preparation for the spelling bees other than reviewing word packets provided by their teachers. While the sisters are very supportive of each other, they all say they’re very competitive with each other! That’s no surprise since their first names all end in sakti which means “power” in India, their parents’ home country. English is a first language for the girls, but they understand Tamil, one of the languages from southern India.

Spelling isn’t the only areas of success for these sisters. Subasakti, or Suba, the oldest of the three, was an individual winner in the county math competition when she was in 6^th grade. Suba’s favorite subject is math “because I like solving equations and doing algebra.” Suba’s hobbies are reading, gymnastics, spending time with family, and learning to cook for her parents.

Yahminisakti, or Yahmini, is the middle daughter. She’s won multiple Accelerated Reader (AR) awards. She was the class AR winner in 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grades and was the overall school winner in 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grades, breaking the school’s AR record for a single year when she was in 4^th grade! She won the Georgia Young Author’s competition in 1^st grade for her school and the county. Her favorite subjects in school are science and social studies. Outside of school, she enjoys reading and drawing. Yahmini is looking forward to representing Douglas County at the regional Spelling Bee next month and says, “I can’t wait to see how I do.”

The youngest sister in the trio is Dheephaasakti, or Dheepha. Dheepha’s favorite subject is science “because I like learning about clouds, matter and the solar system.” Like Yahmini, Dheepha won the Georgia Young Author’s competition in 1^st grade for the school and county. She also had the most AR points for her class in 2^nd grade. Outside of school, Dheepa enjoys art, reading, and learning to cook.

DECA students at Chapel Hill High School won several awards in the virtual Georgia DECA region competition. These students will advance to the state level.

First place winners were Brylen Thompson, Jaden Young, Jenee Kennedy and Kristen Wilkerson. Second place winners were Temidayo Solomon, Delorna Stutts, Karli Hollis, Donovon Jackson and Andrew Sorg. Selene Garcia placed fourth.

With 3,700 high school chapters, DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Marketing Education Teacher Antoinette Godfrey sponsors the club at Chapel Hill High School.

Pictured left to right in downtown Douglasville are DECA members Andrew Sorg, Jaden Young, Rylee Rice, Ethan Sayles, Brylen Thompson, Kristen Wilkerson and Quanajesha Cooke.

The survey will take 5-10 minutes, and your input will be anonymous. Thank you for your help as we work to provide the best educational experience possible for our students. The survey will be open through January 27.

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Nia Simon has a 3.9 GPA, is in the top 2% of her class, and will graduate in May with no less than seven advanced English credits, ten advanced science credits, and five advanced math credits. Not only will she have completed both the Biomedical Science and Engineering STEM pathways, but, upon turning 18, she will be eligible to become a licensed Emergency Medical Technician. Outside of the classroom, Nia is involved in a variety of organizations, including Robotics (in which she serves as a team captain), National Honors Society, National Mathematics Honors Society, Healthcare Occupation Students of America, and Technology Student Association. She is a passionate reader and enjoys running and drawing when she's not helping to make Lithia Springs High School a great place to "Educate, Motivate, and Elevate!”

Youth of all ages are invited to the "Paint Your New Year" online event, hosted by the Office of Behavioral Health Prevention and Federal Grants and the GA State Opioid Response. Students who register will receive free art supplies by mail that they will use to participate in the online art instruction event.

Please click here for a PDF with clickable links for registration.