The students at the Mississippi School for Math and Science have performed their fair share of scientific experiments and systematically arranged tri-fold boards for science fairs, but it is not everyday that they receive the opportunity to be the judges of other science fair projects.

On Friday, January 13th, a select group of students accompanied MSMS science teacher Mrs. Kaye Truitt  to New Hope Elementary School to help determine the science fair winners for each grade level.

Mrs. Truitt, who has selected student judges for several years, expressed that it is both engaging and beneficial for the students to partake in this valuable experience.

“The younger students really love seeing the high school students look at their work and give them feedback. I also think that it is great for the high school students to assess other work,” she stated.

Equipped with a stack of rubrics and a clipboard, the students set out among the rows of tri-fold boards to ensure that each project had every necessary element required of a thorough science experiment and the creative aspect that makes a project unique. The project in each grade level with the most points was declared the winner.

“I really enjoy judging science fairs,” senior Kate Shelton said. “This is my second year to come to New Hope and it’s always fun to see the scientific ideas presented by younger kids.”