NEWS RELEASE
February 5, 2018
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Hansen, Director of Marketing
561-345-3103
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Rosarian 8th grader Mercedes Cassidy holds the two awards she received at the Regional Science & Engineering Fair Awards Ceremony.
Five Rosarian Academy Science Projects Place in Regional Fair
Seven eighth-grade Rosarian Academy students received recognition for their science experiments at the Palm Beach Regional Science & Engineering Fair Awards Ceremony on January 18, 2018, at Santaluces Community High School.
Mercedes Cassidy received second place in the category of Earth & Environmental Science for her project, “Which Mollusk, Indigenous to Lake Okeechobee, Works as the Most Efficient Filter?” Given the recent phenomenon of excessive pollution and toxic algae bloom growth in Lake Okeechobee, Cassidy tested which indigenous mollusk would clean Lake Okeechobee most efficiently. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection also honored Mercedes with a special Community Partnership Award for her work on Lake Okeechobee.
Jamis Bornschein (Team Leader), Joseph Coates and Wilder Breckenridge placed third in the category of Earth & Environmental Science for their project, “A Solution for Plastic Bag Pollution.” In their experiment, they tested to see if wax worms could be a solution for plastic pollution in future years. They concluded that the worms did consume plastic but not at an effective rate that would be able to cut down on the world’s plastic pollution problem.
Three students—Caleb Curtis, Maggie Acosta, and Margot Smith—received 4th place recognition. Curtis and Acosta placed in the category Biomedical & Health Science for their projects “Is the Five Second Rule a Gimmick?“ and “Which Drink Provides the Highest Level of Electrolytes?“ respectively. Smith’s project “Slip Resistance Design“ was recognized in the Engineering category.
Rosarian Academy, founded in 1925, educates students from early childhood through eighth grade and offers an exceptionally strong academic program enriched by athletics, visual and performing arts, and community service opportunities. The independent, Catholic school is located on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach and is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Bus service is available throughout Palm Beach County. For more information, visit www.rosarian.org or call 561.345.3106.
