Centerville Elementary students make science fair for 1st time

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- In March, hundreds of middle and high school students showcased their detailed research in the STEM field at the 72nd Fresno County Science Fair.

For the first time, Centerville Elementary participated in this year's Fresno County Science Fair.

Their science teacher, Sandra Adame, says providing this opportunity for her students is a big deal and is proud of their hard work.

Two seventh-grade students are putting Sanger Unified on the map with their impressive and detailed science projects.

"These students are incredible students. They are incredible human beings outside of the classroom, so it does not surprise me to an extent that they are doing so well," said Adame.

At the start of the school year, Adame assigned her students research projects of their choice and told them they could take it a step further by participating in the Fresno County Science Fair.

Twelve students took on the challenge, showcasing their work at the Fresno Fairgrounds.

"From ant farms and how those are built to questions about social media," Adame said.

Two of them are receiving recognition and cash prizes, including Diego Cano.

His project was on the cognitive effects caused by excessive exposure to social media.

He says this experience is influencing his future.

"I have always wanted to be a story animator, but with this project, I think I want to be a psychologist," Cano explained.

The second student is Adame's son, Joel.

Adame says that even though it was challenging to navigate some details of the science fair, the support was overwhelming, reminding her of the support she once had as a young student in Sanger Unified.

"I had amazing science teachers who just opened the ability to think past what I thought were my limitations. Knowing that we have so much support, hopefully, this is only the start of a new tradition here," said Adame.

This weekend, both students will be traveling to Los Angeles with their families for the State Science Fair.

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