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Kateri School’s youngest scientists were recognized for their work. Eve Cable The Eastern Door
Kahnawake’s most impressive young scientists are readying themselves to take their projects to an even bigger stage, after the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC) announced the winners of each category this week.
Each first place winner will head to the Quebec Indigenous Science Fair, which will be held from March 24 to 26 in La Tuque, about four hours northeast of Kahnawake.
“Seeing the children’s interest in science grow throughout the whole process is motivating to continue organizing events like this,” said Kathy Walsh, KEC’s science curriculum consultant who helped organize the fair.
Thirty-seven volunteer judges from the community and outside organizations like Concordia and McGill University came together to judge the fair.
“It was an amazing range of projects, anything you could possibly think of,” Walsh said. “At the beginning I can sense some reluctance because it’s a big project, it’s homework, but then as they start diving into it and discovering their interests, you see the excitement grow.”
Karonhianónhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstáhkhwa fifth-grade student Shakohawi:nes Zacharie was one of KEC’s second-place winners, taking home a prize for his project “Magic Magnets,” a topic he became interested in after an inspiring exhibit at the Museum of the Future on a family trip to Dubai.
“I was nervous, but when the first judge showed up and started asking questions, it was easy,” he said. “I like engineering, I like to know how things work.”
He said the highlight of the science fair was seeing his friends and their projects come together from all KEC schools. His mother, Kimberly Cross, said she’s delighted with her son’s achievement – she even watched him teach his younger brother about science by allowing him to help with his experiments.
“Watching him be excited about his work, about science, and that it was something he was truly interested in, was fun,” she said. “Watching him enjoy the work was a highlight for me. He has always been into building things and seeing how things work. And watching him explain to his friends, he was exciting them about the science!”
Should any of the high-school age winners win big at the Quebec Indigenous Science Fair, they could be selected to go to the Canada-wide event later this year. A number of additional prizes will also be awarded in La Tuque in March.
The full winners list can be found below:
Karonhianónhnha
Grade five:
