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By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
Watch out, Marine Park parents — your kids are awesome at science.
Marine Park Junior High School hosted the first-ever middle-school level science fair on the district level on May 29, where Marine Park’s home boys and girls stole the show by taking two out the event’s three top trophies for their excellence in the natural arts.
“We had some really nice projects, and we were thrilled the way it turned out,” said science teacher and organizer Bruce Gamsey.
Marine Park took home first prize in the sixth- and seventh-grade brackets of the highly competitive science competition, although the home team had to concede defeat on the eighth-grade level to Alexa Manssa, whose excellent pint-sized Lego house was powered by miniture solar panels.
“It was really cool,” said Gamsey.
Jared Bernstein took the top trophey amid the sixth-grade contendors for his astounding catapult, which he demonstrated by hurling a bean bag clear across the auditorium.
“It was funny,” said Gamsey. “He had a hard time finding somewhere to point it where he wouldn’t hit anybody.”
Marine Park seventh-grader Anastasia Zablotny took the cake among her age group, with her study on the devastating affects of antibacterial agents on that microscopic pest, bacteria.
“Our seventh-grade winner did a lot of research,” said Gamsey. “Now I know what types of hand sanitizers are the most affective.”
This was the first district-wide science fair that the attending schools have celebrated, but it won’t be last — District Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Farkas made some comments following the event that alludes to an early science bash in District 22, according to Gamsey.
“I think the Super wants to bring it back as a yearly thing,” he said.
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.