Stambaugh Elementary science fair showcases student curiosity, hands-on learning

Reid Holm stood behind a project that made a simple question feel like a small discovery: why do raisins jump when they are dropped into the right liquid? Around him, parents leaned in, classmates compared notes, and Stambaugh Elementary’s K-5 science fair became less about ribbons than about children explaining how the world works.

That scene captured the tone of the April 20 fair at Stambaugh Elementary in Iron River. Students did not just display posters. They brought collections, demonstrations, experiments and models that connected schoolwork to everyday life, from animal habitats and insects to transportation systems and weather science.

Science that connects to daily life

The strongest projects were the ones that made a hard idea visible. Evelyn Yates presented a sloth collection, turning an animal study into something tactile and memorable. Daphne Papatriantafyllou explained how to trap Asian lady beetles, a topic with clear relevance in northern homes where insects are part of seasonal life. Revel Reis tackled a question that makes immediate sense to anyone who has lived through an Iron County winter: why the Upper Peninsula gets so much snow because of Lake Superior.

Other students showed the breadth of what young children can learn when they are given room to investigate. Lynnea Johnson presented a shark project, Bobby Lorenzoni walked through brake controls, Kora Arneson built a skunk habitat exhibit, and Darrell Yates displayed an axolotl. Each project asked students to do more than memorize facts. They had to research, organize, and explain.

That matters in a place like Iron County, where practical learning has real value. Children in the room were not only studying science, they were practicing how to speak clearly, answer questions and make a case for their ideas. Those are the same skills that later show up in classrooms, on job sites, in clinics, in shops and in public meetings.

More than a ribbon contest

The fair worked because it treated presentation as part of the assignment. Students had to stand in front of an audience and walk people through what they learned, which turned the event into a live exercise in public speaking as much as a science display. For young children, that kind of practice can be just as important as the project itself.

Parents added another layer. Their presence turned the fair into a family event and showed how much school success depends on adults making time to listen, encourage, and help children follow an idea from curiosity to finished work. That kind of involvement does not erase the challenges many families face, but it does show how schools can create space where effort is visible and celebrated.

The school’s size and student body help explain why these opportunities matter. U.S. News lists Stambaugh Elementary as a PK-6 public school with 365 students, 23 full-time teachers, and a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. It also reports that about 70% of students are economically disadvantaged. In that setting, a schoolwide science fair is not just enrichment. It is one of the few places where every child can access hands-on learning, family support, and a chance to speak with confidence.

Grade-level winners

The fair also recognized top projects by grade span, but the list of winners still reflected the school’s broader emphasis on participation and explanation.

In kindergarten and first grade, Evelyn Yates took first place, Reid Holm placed second, and Austin Luckey finished third. In second and third grade, Revel Reis earned first, Kora Arneson took second, and Hadley Jacobs placed third. In fourth and fifth grade, Daphne Papatriantafyllou placed first, Lynnea Johnson took second, and Deacon Mottes finished third.

Those results show how early the school is building confidence around research and communication. Even the youngest students were expected to handle complex subjects, and many did so with enough clarity to stand out in their grade groups.

A tradition inside a wide district

The science fair also fits into the larger structure of West Iron County Public Schools, a consolidated district formed in 1967 from Bates Township School, Iron River Public Schools and Stambaugh Township Schools. The district says it covers more than 560 square miles in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which makes local schools central to community life across a broad and often rural area.

Stambaugh Elementary sits at 700 Washington Ave. in Iron River and serves as the district’s elementary building on the Stambaugh campus. In a district that large, one schoolwide event can become a shared marker of what the community values: curiosity, presentation skills, family participation and classroom effort that reaches beyond a single grade.

The fair also appears to be an established tradition rather than a one-time showcase. It has returned in consecutive years, showing that Stambaugh Elementary continues to use the event as a way to put student work on display and make academic learning visible to families.

That is what made the science fair feel bigger than an afternoon of projects. It showed children practicing the kind of clear thinking and practical problem-solving that communities need, while giving parents a front-row view of what their kids can do when they are trusted to investigate, explain and present their work.