It may be called April Fools’ Day, but there was no fooling around for Rolla Friday, April 1. Rolla’s State science fair participants loaded up four suburbans and headed east to El Dorado to participate in the State Science Fair.

After a whirlwind trip to the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, the group arrived at Butler County Community College and proceeded to begin setting up their displays. Judging began at 5:30 p.m. Rolla has some of the best science teachers around and the awards won by the students at the State competition showed just that.

The big winners of the weekend were Deserae Schwindt and Paige Claassen. They were chosen as the Overall Science Fair winners and they are invited to attend the International Science Fair in Phoenix, Az., May 8 to 13, with all expenses paid!

Division I winners are as follows: junior Teagan Simmons won first in Environmental/Engineering. Sophomores Deserae Schwindt and Paige Claassen won first in Earth Science. Junior Landon Clemans won first in Physical Science. Junior Luis Martinez won second in Chemistry and junior Ty Dixon won third in Consumer Science. Division II winners were seventh grader Gavin LaRue first in Material Science with fellow seventh grader Jamie Sheedy taking second in the same category. Eighth grader Maria Kroeker won third in Physical Science and fifth grader Carissa Sohm placed third in Botany. There were some special awards given as well. Ethan Garcia, seventh grader, received the Sedgwick Zoo award. Gavin LaRue received the Broadcom Award. Deserae Schwindt, Paige Claassen and Teagan Simmons won the Stockholm Water Award. Junior Tracy Pietz won the Intel Science Talent Search award. Deserae and Paige also won the WSC College of Engineering award.

Congratulations to all the science fair participants! Paige and Dezi, Rolla is rooting for you to win the International Science Fair in May in Arizona! Good luck!