Thanks for support of the science fair

Thank you to the community of the Flathead Valley for your support of the Flathead County Science Fair.

This is an annual event that helps our community’s youth, in grades three through 12, to become confident, knowledgeable members of our community. While allowing them to learn to ask questions and figure out how to objectively determine the answer, they improve their reasoning and mathematical skills, their presentation and speaking skills, and improve their confidence. Some of them even earn some awards and money, and may move on to win scholarship opportunities.

Every year, as we work to put on the science fair, I am amazed at the character and generosity of our community. From people willing to provide funding or provide their time to judge the students’ projects, to others who just dig in and help get things done to pull off this event, it is great to see the people of the valley come together to help our students.

I would like to thank our sponsors: The Applied Materials Foundation, Parkside Credit Union, Kalispell Regional Healthcare, and Flathead Electric Cooperative. Your financial support goes a long way in helping us to continue to hold the county science fair.

I would also like to thank the 100-plus community members who took time out of their lives to show up and talk to our students, and provide them with constructive feedback on their projects. This includes the Elementary Education class at FVCC. You are really the key to a successful science fair. I would also like to thank Jimmy John’s, Super One, Montana Coffee Traders, and Culligan for your help in keeping our judges energized and happy. Also, community organizations like the Audubon Society, Flathead Lake Biological Station, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, and the Montana Programmers Society, as well as Kalispell Regional Healthcare and Flathead Electric have provided special category awards for some of the students, and we always appreciate that.

Finally, there are a few teachers that always step in and help to make sure this event is a success. They spend their own time to serve on the committee, set up for the science fair, work to make sure the students are having fun, and clean up afterwards. If one of these teachers has your child in their class, you are lucky. Please tell them “Thank you.” By the way, these same teachers are probably the ones who spent extra time working with the students in their schools to make sure they understood how to do these projects in the first place. There are also a few other community members who have helped us out with planning and executing the science fair. It is nice to see people step in and help out, just because they want to help our students.

My last thank you goes to the Daily Inter Lake, for always taking the time to talk to our students about their projects, and putting their stories in the paper. This is really the culmination of pulling this story together for the entire community.

Please stay tuned to see how our local students do in the Montana Science Fair in Missoula on March 19.

Ritzdorf, of Bigfork, writes on behalf of the Flathead County Science Fair Volunteer Committee.