Experimenting with the School Science Fair

Nine to Compete in County Fair

Isabelle Rollins, Staff writer • December 12, 2025

Freshman Ford Alston begins his science fair presentation Dec. 3 in the Jack Stephens Gym.

The annual science fair was held on Dec. 3 in the Jack Stephens Gymnasium. There were 41 participants, but only nine won in their categories and will advance to the county fair. The winners are:

Animal Sciences: freshman Piper Rutter
Behavior and Social Sciences: freshman Ford Alston
Biomedical and Health Sciences: freshman Aelissa Stavrakis
Chemistry: freshman Avery Matthews
Environmental Engineering: freshman Leighann Murphy
Materials Science: freshman Keagan Winebrenner
Microbiology: freshman Carl Dearth
Physics and Astronomy: freshman Brady Miller
System Software: freshman Dalton Earley

Stavrakis did her project on electrolytes in sports drinks, also finding them in orange juice and water. She was inspired by her use of these drinks as an athlete and wanted to find the best one.

“It felt pretty cool (to win). It was really fun and I found out a lot and I think I will use it in the future,” Stavrakis said.

This year is the most entries science fair adviser Summer Bunner has received, which she said was “very rewarding”.

“I’m proud of all of them. You know, it takes a lot of work to do a science fair project,” Bunner said.

The winners are now preparing for the county science fair which is Dec. 15 at WVU-P.

“I think our kids are all going to do really good,” Bunner said. “I think that they will go beyond county. I think they’re that good this year.”

About the Contributors

Isabelle Rollins, Staff writer

Isabelle Rollins is a junior and this is her first year on The Journal staff. She is a part of the Thespian Troupe #264 and NHS as well. Isabelle is a nerd who enjoys writing, reading, history and vintage things. After school, you can probably find her holed up in her room listening to music, adding to her many Pinterest boards, or eating a Doritos Locos Taco. Isabelle is most excited to share the stories of the amazing students and faculty at this school.

Brooklyn Miller, Managing Editor

Brooklyn Miller is a senior and the managing editor for The Journal along with being the editor-in-chief for the Parhischan and helping with the PHS Media instagram page. She enjoys taking pictures of school events, writing and most importantly, editing. Outside of her time spent in journalism Brooklyn also is a Red Wing and participates in Student Council, Senior Women’s Club, NHS, DSU and is a member of Quill and Scroll. The very little amount of free time she gets goes to hanging out with her friends and her mom. Brooklyn recently attended the National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville a long with visiting Orlando over the summer to attend Yearbookpalooza and the 2024 National High School Journalism Convention. She is excited to see where journalism will take her in her life, as she plans to attend college and major in journalism with a specialty in advertising.