COVINGTON, Ga. — Students from Alcovy and Newton high schools and Newton College & Career Academy (NCCA) took first place honors in the 2022-2023 NCSS High School District Science and Engineering Fair. 

“Newton County School System students continue to make us proud of their talents and achievements,” said Shundreia Neely, NCSS Director of Secondary Education. “This year’s science fair projects were quite impressive. Each year we see the depth and complexity of our projects increase.

“The wonderful thing about the NCSS District Science Fair is that it gives students the opportunity to bring research and experimentation to life,” Neely said. 

All first-place winners will represent Newton County Schools in the Regional Science Fair in Griffin.

“We know they will do well. We thank our students for participating and our teachers for guiding and supporting them,” Neely said.

The following is a list of all Newton County School System Science Fair winners along with their project titles:

First Place Winners

Names / School / Grade / Title

• Chantel (Theresa) Boney and Jasmine Couch / NCCA / 12 / A New Generation of Pollutants: Microplastics in Local Watersheds.

• Natalie Henderson / NCCA / 12 / Encrypting Data with MultiBase Arithmetic Systems.

• Noah Larson and Noah Geiger / NCCA / 12 / Shooting for the Goal.

• Bethany McGowan / NCCA / 12 / Micro-Fuser: Compact Nuclear Energy Generator.

• Nicholas Jean and Jade Neal/ NCCA / 12 / Formation of an RFID Chip/Safety During Car Rider Dismissal.

• Kayla Archibald and Milo (Hailey) Baker / NCCA / 12 / Ultrasonic Transformation: Heat Shock and Bacterial Transformations.

• Briana Jones / NCCA / 12 / Algae Science: Photosynthesis Rates.

• Nathan Walsh / NCCA / 12 / Silica Sol-gel Beads as Glucose Biosensors.

• Kaitlyn Williams and Alani Munoz / Alcovy / 10 / The Best Antacid for Heartburn.

• Evan Mam / NCCA / 12 / Betta Fish Response Latency to Visual Stimulus.

• Elisabeth Kelly, Rhin (Melissa) Eubanks and Grace (Sara) Knowles / NCCA / 12 / Microscopic Gardeners: Brassica Hydroponics.

• Dhakiya Knights and Chiara Chie / NCCA / 12 / Bias and the Body: Blinking and Political Stance.

• Lucero Alvarado, Kelsey Harpe and Ashley Morgan / NCCA / 12 / UVB Rays & Cognitive Function: C elegans and SPF Levels.

• Gabriella Green / NCCA / 12 / Investigating Hormonal Contraceptives Effect on Tear Proteins.

• Rylan Haney / NCCA / 12 / Stimulation Awareness: Visuals/Audio Affect on Empathy.

• Danielle Foster and Santiago Jaramillo / NCCA / 12 / Flynn: A Chatbox that Specializes in Panic Disorder.

• Justin Doepke and Cole Shannon / NCCA / 12 / Improving the Ergonomics of a Prosthetic Leg.

• Aniya Wren and Jaslynn Hill / Newton / 10, 9 / Is Biotin the Source of Strength?.

• Naija McGee / NCCA / 12 / Comets Grazing the Sun.

• Jasmin Spillers, Brielle Henderson and Madelyn Stroy / Newton / 10 / Glow Sticks in Different Water Temperatures.

• Nolan Pollard, Connor Richards and Dylan Smalls / NCCA / 12 / Utilizing a Mechanical Exoskeleton to Combat Muscle Atrophy.

• Wesley Connell / NCCA / 12 / Mobile Eye Tracker for Handicapped users.

• Megan George, Shanell Edie and Janiyah Brown / Newton / 10 / What Liquid Does a Pea Plant Sprout the Fastest In?

Second Place Awards

• Eris Sellers, Kaila Smalls and Jaise Benton / Newton / 10 / How Does the Type of Material Affect Drying Time?

• Joseph Cloer / NCCA / 12 / Creating Mobile Applications to Optimize Medical Examinations.

• Emyiah Randle and Roman Brown / Alcovy / 10 / Purification of Water.

• Christopher Jones, Jocelyn Kilgore and Kendyl Maddox / NCCA / 12 / You’re Not the Bird You Think You Are!