AMENIA — Despite the looming bad weather on Saturday morning, Feb. 25, the Webutuck STEAM fair was a resounding success. The Eugene Brooks Intermediate School (EBIS) gymnasium was the site of about 40 projects presented with titles ranging from the whimsical to the thoughtful.
Co-chairs and middle-school science teachers Danielle Fridstrom and Christine Gillette were gratified to see the results. “We were happy with the turnout this year and learned much from the enthusiastic participants,” Gillette noted, adding, “I think the key piece for getting students to participate is to encourage them to pick something that interests them. Whether it be dairy farms to corgis or Jolly Rancher candies, it is important to choose something they are excited about. This then makes the project fun and not a tedious task.”
As to differences in fairs from year to year and ongoing similarities, Fridstrom continued: “It was terrific to see the creativity this year — even jokes were added to ‘This Project is Bananas’! We always struggle getting seventh- to 12th-grade participants so we are thrilled to see any of them show up and present.”
That latter group was represented by 11 students with projects ranging from top winner “Gummy Bear Osmosis” to technical explorations like “Archery Science,” “What Puts the Pop in Popcorn?”, survey studies (“Jolly Rancher Preferences”), keen observations from real life in “Digestive System of a Cow” and the sobering “We Destroyed: The Oceans.”
On the value of the yearly fair, Fridstrom said, “It’s a great opportunity to practice doing science …While we certainly do lots of hands-on things in class, we’re always amazed at the kind of things students come up [with] to investigate, and it’s always exciting to see the investigations into things we don’t know answers to.”
The spirit of youthful playfulness was in evidence in projects with titles like “Tiny Dancers — Homopolar Motor,” MacGyver Award winner “Elephant Toothpaste,” and the hilarious and informative “This Project is Bananas!” by the ebullient Schultz sisters, Charlotte and Alivia.
The role of older student “listeners” was touching to observe. One was Gillette’s daughter Zoe, who reflected, “We get them to open up and reveal more than they thought they knew,” adding that it seemed wise that participation in the fair is a voluntary effort based on students’ deep interests.
Exploring our region’s natural resources with a family angle, two Lawrence siblings with firsthand knowledge explored dairy cows, one with the use of a drawing previously made by their mother and overlaid with anatomical terms relating to the bovine digestive system.
In terms of environmentally focused work, two projects took a broad view toward solving a problem that may seem intractable: plastic waste, particularly in our oceans. In “We Destroyed: The Oceans,” Lyla Kern and Andy Mersand, both seventh-graders, looked at the decomposition rate of plastic and paperlike materials in three conditions: plain water, water over time, and water containing enzymes. Though some materials may be labeled “flushable,” their investigations showed that those claims may be less than accurate.
Taking off from one of science history’s great serendipities, fourth-grader Zoe Gellweiler’s project, “Milk Plastic/Bioplastic! The Single Use Plastic Solution,” explained how, in 1897, German scientist Adolf Spitteler’s rather clumsy cat was responsible for the invention of casein. Pronounced “kay-seen,” the word refers both to the protein in milk that provides its white color as well as a type of plastic made from it. An overnight spill of formaldehyde into the feline’s milk bowl resulted in a hard, horn-like substance that was eventually used to make combs, buttons, buckles, beads, handles for various implements, pens, game pieces and even bowls until the 1930s.
Zoe’s project suggests that food wrap films made from casein could help to solve the problem of single-use plastics, since casein plastic is stronger and biodegradable under home composting conditions, without the toxicity of petroleum-based plastics. Whether our habits can revert to pre-petroleum practices or the deep links between the plastics and petrochemical industries can be undone are issues for adults to ponder.
The program ended with all participants receiving gift bags, some students getting book vouchers from Oblong, and winners in various categories claiming their prizes and certificates of participation. As adults helped to pack away projects destined for the County Science Fair at Dutchess Community College in late March, or the district’s upcoming Math and Science Night, several young scientists dashed around the cavernous gym, seeming to enact some basic principles of kinetic energy.
More information, and pictures of winners in all categories, are available on the Webutuck Central School District website -www.-webutuckschools.org
Second-grader Lois Musgrove indicates one of her favorite parts in her investigation of fossils. Photo by Deborah Maier
Karina Powers teaches traditional dances from Mexico in Millbrook.
Powers received a master’s degree in Mexican folklore dance from Escuela de la Danza in Baja California, Mexico. Since moving to the United States, she has built a career in performance and teaching. She has not only served as a dance director and performed as a professional vernacular music singer in California, but she has also worked towards her Doctorate, which she will receive in October.
As the founder of her company, Powers works tirelessly to make sure her dancers have everything they need, including costumes, proper flooring, music and a space to practice. Her husband built wooden panels, called tarimas, for students to dance on with their folklórico shoes. Millbrook Mayor Peter F. Doro allows Powers and her group to practice in Millbrook Hall, where she brings the tarimas to every practice along with costumes and proper footwear.
Powers dreams of owning her own studio where she can practice with her group, offer more classes, store costumes and create a space for her dancers to do their hair and makeup before performances. She said she hopes people learn about her classes so her company can grow and she can teach dances from a wider range of Mexican states while having greater access to traditional dress.
As a single mother and professor, Powers’ mother, Carmen Méndez, put her children in dance classes and signed them up for track and field, always keeping them goal- and career-oriented. She helped Powers with her company by creating all of the costumes her dancers wear in their performances. After her mother’s death in 2021, Powers said she has dedicated herself to carrying forward the passion, work ethic and love of dance her mother instilled in her.
“I miss her terribly, and I’m here because of her,” Powers said. “That’s why I want to do this, because of her. She gave me a lot, with the costumes, with her support. I do it for my mom.”
Karina Powers and her students practice in Millbrook Hall.Lucia Iandolo
Dancers in Powers’ group are dedicated to learning the art of dance from different states in Mexico on Tuesday and Friday nights at Millbrook Hall. They travel from many different places in New York to participate, with some dancers traveling more than an hour to make it to rehearsal each week.
“It’s a lot of work, but they learn it. I believe they love it, and it’s a way to come together, to do something good, to do something healthy, and to have people around you who appreciate this kind of art,“ Powers said.
Powers has studied with professor Eloy Jiménez Figueroa since childhood and said his mentorship inspired her to become the teacher she is today. She added that while she may not be the best teacher, she learned from the best.
While living in California, Powers taught elementary, high school and college students, as well as adults. She was recruited to teach traditional Mexican folkloric dance because of the region’s large Mexican community. Today, she encourages people of all backgrounds to explore the rich traditions of Mexican dance.
“This type of dance is not only for people from Mexico,” Powers said. “This is an art and the arts unite nations.”
Powers hopes to continue sharing that art in Millbrook and one day teach in the Millbrook Central School District. Powers and her group will perform at the Millbrook Library on Nov. 21, presenting traditional Mexican dances and inviting audience members to participate.
As a professor, dancer and singer, Powers stays grounded by believing in something greater than herself. She says that praying and putting herself in the hands of God has helped anchor her. She hopes to teach and dance for as long as her body allows.
“My mom, for me, is an angel. I put myself in her hands, and I have faith,” Powers said. “I have faith that God, or something good, is going to be there for the group and for myself.”
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