Last week, the Lawrence County Science Fair took place at Chesapeake Middle School.

In order to compete in the event, students had to receive a “Superior” rating from judges at the individual fairs at their schools.

According to Julie Walters, of the ESC, this year saw a increase in the number of qualifying projects, the largest in several years.

By requiring students to employ the scientific method with their projects and testing a hypothesis and drawing conclusions from results, the fair promotes critical thinking skills that will serve its participants well in life.

The projects, judged by community representatives this year, with three students, with Jacob Harris and Cecilia Haldeman, of Chesapeake Middle, and Gavin Simpson, of St. Lawrence Elementary, earning a score of 39.33 each and creating a tie for Best Overall Project.

All students who earned a “Superior” on Friday will be eligible to go on to the district fair at the University of Rio Grande in coming weeks.

We wish them well and commend them for their work. And we applaud all those who made it to the county level this year.