Two Bonita Canyon students earn impressive victories at the California State Science Fair

It was impressive enough that a pair of Bonita Canyon Elementary School sixth-graders traveled to the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles last week and placed first and third in their respective categories. But what makes this story particularly remarkable is the fact that the B.C. students were competing in the Junior Division, which includes

seventh- and eighth-graders. Caleb Brown earned first place statewide in the fair’s physics and astronomy category for his project titled, "Where in the World? Finding Your Location Using Gravity, the Earth's Magnetic Field and a Sundial," while Allison Hickok took third in the behavioral and social sciences category for "Waste Not, Want Not: Can a Simple Sticker Cause People to Go Green?” In fact, Brown and Hickok were the only non-eighth-graders to place in the top four in their categories. On May 17-18 more than 950 students representing 394 schools from across the state participated in the 59th annual California State Science Fair hosted by the California Science Center. The venerable competition, which issued $60,000 in awards this year, is considered the final fair of the season for aspiring young scientists in grades six through 12. Those in the know also point out it’s an honor just to compete at the state level, and Brown and Hickok weren’t the only students to do so from Bonita Canyon. B.C.’s Allison Piper faced stiff competition in the zoology category with her project, “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue: Hummingbirds and Flower Preference.”