The Willie J. Williams Middle School science fair participants.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Willie J. Williams Middle School students flexed their research muscles this past month in the school’s science fair, which featured 173 projects running the gamut from gymnastics and fishing to water quality and crop production.

Overall, the school selected 61 students to advance to the regional science fair in February.

Jim Horne, principal of Williams Middle School, said the science fair showcased the best of his school. “We are so proud of our students’ and teachers’ hard work and the overall quality of the projects,” he said. “I know they will represent Williams well at the regional competition.”

The participants are all part of PackerX, a program at Williams that focuses on developing research skills and critical thinking through interdisciplinary learning activities.

Allen Edwards, director of gifted education and ELA curriculum for the school system, said projects like the science fair allow students to see the connection between multiple subject areas.

“Rarely ever in the workplace do adults use the academic skills they learned in isolation, so why do we teach our classes like that?” said Edwards. “Most jobs require us to use our reading, writing, math, and research abilities in concert to accomplish a goal or solve a problem, and that’s what we ask students to do in the science fair.”

Jason Suber and Jessica Joiner teach sixth and seventh grade science, respectively, in the PackerX program, and the majority of the work was completed in their classrooms. Suber said the most rewarding aspect of the fair is guiding students through the process itself.

“The small idea the students first generate evolves over the course of a few months into an impressive scientific study,” said Suber. “We value all of the hard work, time, and dedication the students pour into their projects because it shows the tremendous brain power and innovation in our upcoming generation.”

In seventh grade, Alexander Serrano Lopez was named the grand champion for his project on Maglev trains, and Jack Gainous took home reserve champion for his research into bulletproofing book bags.

The sixth grade grand champion was Willis McCranie, who tested the accuracy of rifle ammunition, and the reserve champion was Jeremy Blaylock, who built a functional speaker out of paper.

Other awards were as follows:

Animal Science: seventh grade students Hayden Hamm, first place, and Cason Haskins, second place; sixth grade students Ret Turner, first place, Levi Hunter, second place, and Adrian Martin-Bautista, third place.

Behavioral Science: seventh graders Jackie Pacheco-Garcia, first place, Miya Cardin, second place, and Tanner Grant, third place; sixth grade students Jaelyn Croucher, first place, Kynlee Haskin, second place, and Preston Crosby, third place.

Biomedical Science: seventh grade students Greer Turnipseed, first place, Anna Grace Hunter, second place, and Hannah Huante, third place; sixth grade students Sadie Saunders, first place, and Keaton Doane, second place.

Chemistry: seventh graders Levi Griffin, first place, Payton Jones, second place, and Caleb Schmidt, third place; sixth graders Bennett Lairsey, first place, Brandy Tran, second place, and Daelyn Greeson, third place.

Embedded Systems: sixth grade student Jack Kirksey, first place.

Energy (Sustainable Materials and Design): sixth grader Maggie Strange, first place.

Engineering (Environmental): sixth grade students Ethan Yingling, first place, and Tommy Thorne, second place.

Engineering (Mechanics): seventh graders Angel Alvarado Lopez, first place, Cole Buckner, second place, and Trent Hill, third place; and sixth graders Jeremy Blaylock, first place, Tristan Johnson, second place, and Harrison

Sims, third place.

Environmental Science: seventh grade students Carter Newman and Annalia Small tied for first place, and Kendall Meeks, second place.

Materials Science: seventh graders Jack Gainous, first place, Harrison Brown, second place, and Ben Jones, third place; sixth graders Alana Keigans, first place, Elizabeth Ann Hobby, second place, and Jewel Hart, third place.

Math: sixth grade students Emily Hill, first place, and Jasmin Grijalva, second place.

Microbiology: seventh graders Banks Flowers, first place, and Clay Reynolds, second place.

Physics: seventh grade students Alexander Serrano Lopez, first place, Lane Duckworth, second place, and Mackenzie Williams, third place; sixth grade students Willis McCranie, first place, Jack Taunton, second place, and Bailey Fountain, third place.

Plant Science: seventh graders Kynder Vining, first place, Emily Lampman, second place, and Blaine Autrey, third place; sixth graders Jenny Dang, first place, Emily Thompson, second place, and Isabella McCoy, third place.

Systems Software: seventh grade student Perla Alvarado-Lopez.

Translational Medicine: sixth grader Norah McGill, first place.

These students will now prepare for the Southwest Georgia Regional Science Fair on Friday, February 21, at Albany State University’s West Campus. Winners in each category at the regional science fair will then compete in March at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair in Athens. Students who progress beyond the state level will attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Anaheim, Calif.