On Saturday, May 4, seventh and eighth grade students from St. Athanasius attended the IJAS State Science Fair at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.

St. Athanasius took home Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards. In addition, eighth grade student, Gus Berne, earned the Top 10 Award in the paper session, and also Top Project in Physics in the poster session.

The Illinois Junior Academy of Science gives students interested in science some insight into the problems and methodology scientists use in their fields.

Under the guidance of instructor Mrs. Mary Vitaioli, students research, plan, and test experiments in a host of areas. These include: Physics, Material Science, Botany, Zoology, Math, Health Science and Engineering, among other fields.

Each year, students prepare and present their assignments to the school, and can also choose to participate in the regional and state IJAS Science Fairs.

Congratulations to this year's state participants!

Top photo, from left: Gus Berne, Parker Lofstrom-Austin, Nick Graczyk, Orlagh Reardon, Sara Nolan, Mrs. Mary Vitaioli, Hannah Donnelly.