By Amy Batista, Special Writer
FLORENCE — The Riverfront School celebrated its first schoolwide science fair March 14 in the gymnasium.
The fair attracted 27 entries from students in grades four to eight. The experiments ranged from how acid in a potato can power a light to learning about the effect of gravity on bones and muscles.
According to Riverfront School Secretary Bernie McAneney, students began the planning process in January and met weekly with advisor Jennifer Maguire, seventh-grade teacher and district science liaison.
”With the help of several staff members, we decided to hold a demonstration fair where all students had to use an area of their grade level’s curriculum and create a demonstration that would teach others what they had learned,” Mr. McAneney said in an email March 15.
The projects also were required to have some interactive element other people could touch or experience.
”During the meetings, we went over their ideas, and I made sure their idea was safe for them to make and others to view,” Mr. McAneney said.
He added, “The student projects turned out great. The students were also a spokesperson for their scientific concept, and the comment I heard most from the parents and guests was “I learned something from every student.’”
Seventh-graders Sofia Boracci, of Florence, along with her partner, Julia Campbell, of Florence, explained their project.
”It shows how the stars change positions as we go through the air,” Sofia said.
”We thought this would be a really cool project,” Julia said.
She added Sofia came up with the project idea and shared it with her.
”We are learning astronomy in school right now,” Sofia said.
”It feels nice,” Julia said in regard to placing third.
Despite entering his project late in the fair, fourth-grader Giovanni Ardzivian, of Florence, took first place with his “Potato Power” project.
”Do you ever cut up a potato and feel something that is wet?” Giovanni said. “Do you think it is juice from the potato? It’s acid. It’s the only edible acid.”
According to Giovanni, the phosphoric acid inside the potato mixed with a copper penny and a zinc galvanized nail. The copper and zinc ions mixed with the acids inside a potato to make a chemical reaction, which makes a LED bulb light.
”It worked,” Giovanni said, adding the light bulb is 1.7 volts, needing power equal to four potatoes to power it.
When he found out he won first place, he said, “It feels really cool.”
”I thought it was a great experience for him, and he loved it,” said mom, Daniela Ardzivian, of Florence. “Teachers were great about it.”
”I’m excited for him,” Ms. Ardzivian said. “He worked really hard on it.”
Alexis Torres enjoyed seeing the variety of projects, many of which were “hands-on.”
She said, “I saw some other ones that were a lot of hands-on, but I really liked a lot of the ones that were hands-off, too. You had to take your time to read them.”
According to Alexis, she did learn some new things during the fair.
”I learned that there were 27 bones in the hand,” Alexis said. “I never paid attention.”
Fourth-grader Jack Dodge, of Florence, experimented with the “Vandergraph Generator” as his project.
”It’s two subjects in one, static electricity and gravity, and I thought that sounds like an awesome idea,” Jack said. “It was very fun.”
Fourth-graders Sophia Najam, of Florence, and her partner, Lauren Hopkins, of Florence, explained their science project on gravity and weightlessness.
”No matter how long you stay in space, your muscle and bones will shrink because it is really hard for your heart to pump blood everywhere in your body,” Lauren said. “Gravity is pulling it down.”
According to Lauren, the muscles shrink in space from lack of use.
”There’s no such thing a zero gravity because mass is all around us, and mass is gravity,” Sophia added.
”It was a tough project to do, but we stuck with it,” Lauren said.
The students were scored on a rubric that measured their display and scientific knowledge, according to Mr. McAneney.
The winners of the science fair are as follows:
Grand Prize winner — “Cell Cycle” by seventh-graders Tarrin Earle, of Florence, and Mathias Cross, of Bordentown.
First place — “Potato Power” by fourth-grader Giovanni Ardzivian, of Florence.
Second place — “Tsunamis” by sixth-graders David Luthke, of Florence, and John Sardoni, of Florence.
Third place — “Sparkling Star Chart” by seventh-graders Julia Campbell, of Florence, and Sofia Boracci, of Florence.
Honorable mentions were:
Fourth-grader Cara Marcello, of Bordentown, and her partner, Daphne Ozkan, of Bordentown, whose project was called “Getting a Leg Up.”
Fourth-grader Jack Dodge, of Florence, for the “Vandergraph Generator.”
Sixth-graders Jelissa Reyes, of Bordentown, and Elizabeth Cross, of Bordentown, for their project, “Fronts.”
Fourth-grader Logan Carter, of Roebling, for “Can I Get a Hand?”
All students received buttons and certificates supplied by the Riverfront PTO.
Snacks and other materials were supplied by a PRIDE in Education grant from the Florence Township Education Association.

