The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) recently announced the winners of the 61st Annual San Joaquin County Science and Engineering Fair – and a couple of Dent Elementary students made the grade.

The honors were presented on Feb. 28 at the Awards Ceremony. Judges spent two days reviewing 250 individual, group, and whole-class projects submitted by 550 K-12 students in the county. On the fourth day 24 selected students were interviewed by judges to determine the winners. In all, 21 schools from 10 school districts, three private schools, and one charter school participated in the fair.

In the kindergarten through second grade category, first place went to Hadley Casazza of Dent, “Collecting Pinecones in the Mountains”; while third place went to Bradley Potts of Dent, “Diet Pepsi Plumps Plants”.

Volunteer judges evaluated projects and determined award winners. This year, 25 professionals from the community helped judge the projects and conduct interviews.

The last day of the fair concluded with an awards ceremony.

Six projects from the Fair will represent San Joaquin County in the California Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles on April 29 and 30.

The SJCOE's STEM Programs department seeks to promote science and engineering exploration and understanding for students. Each year, the SJCOE awards thousands of dollars to students and teachers who exhibit and articulate superior levels of understanding in the areas of science and engineering.

The Stockton Symphony donated tickets to the top contenders. The San Joaquin Audubon Society and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory donated cash prizes. Additionally, cash prizes were awarded to top contenders from the San Joaquin County Office of Education Educational Foundation.