Explaining her science fair project to a judge from UTEP, junior Kyle Vogelmeier was one of 25 students to be awarded a sweepstakes ribbon. photo by Alvin Garcia

by Mauricio Casillas

Whether it was for extra credit, the glory of winning sweepstakes, or an easy way to get out of their 8^th period class; students dragged their 3 “ tall science boards to the cafeteria to be judged in the science fair.

Students were called down at 3:00, to stand by their boards, most grinning anxiously awaiting to be judged.

Judges for the fair were recruited from the University of El Paso, and most were science majors.

“I look for boards with an interesting title, a lot of information and data,” judge Luis Rubio said. “ A good project should have a conclusion that interprets the data, and research that applies to science principles.”

As a former Franklin student, Rubio has an understanding of how the students feel, as he participated in the Science Fair a few years ago.

“ I know how the students feel,” Rubio said. “I remember having butterflies in my stomach every time a judge walked by.”

Out of all of the projects that were judged, only 25 boards were rewarded with a sweepstakes ribbon. Sophomore John Bohle had set out to win that distinction.

“I was a little nervous [coming into the science fair], because I wanted to do better than I did in class, “ Bohle said.

Bohle’s project,“Foil the oil,” described the different methods for removing oil stains out of a driveway.

For Bohle and 25 other participants, their hard work paid off when, they went back at 5:30 to see the fate of their projects.

“I was surprised, because I didn’t know how well I did, but [being awarded sweepstakes] was a pretty cool feeling.”

Sweepstake winners advance to the district science fair  at UTEP.