SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — The Greater San Diego Science and Engineer Fair showcased the best work of public and private school students from throughout San Diego County. Once again, the projects submitted by San Diego Hebrew Day School students rose to the top.
Twelve projects garnered 16 awards overall, including five First Place designations.
What is most remarkable is the scope of scientific inquiry these projects
represented. The five First Place winners spanned four distinct
categories: Plant Science, Biomedical / Health, Product Testing, and
Physics / Astronomy.
“Each student explored many topics, and chose an area that interested
them the most,” noted Julie Rivard, science advisor at San Diego Hebrew Day School. “The research was conducted independently. The students’ broad range of interest is reflected in the many fields of research
they pursued.”
Daniel Pink, the Middle School science teacher commented: “The common denominator is that each student showed their thorough understanding of the scientific method, and due to strong resilience and high-level motivation, they saw through the experiments, compiled results, and drew conclusions.”
One of the projects, titled ‘How Do Different Basketballs Compare in Bounce and Friction’ was deemed so outstanding that it will be included in the State of California fair next month. Simon Factor took a simple concept, and in the process of testing various basketballs, coded a unique sensor machine to quantify his experiments.
In two cases, the projects failed, and yet broke new ground and yielded important data. Such is the process of true scientific exploration. “Real science is not turning pages in a textbook,” commented Rabbi Benjamin Geiger, Head of School, who himself formerly taught high school physics. “It is trial and error. It is a testament to the depth of learning taking place in San Diego Hebrew Day that students created award winning projects when their premises proved wrong.”
San Diego Hebrew Day’s science program is legendary throughout San Diego County. Today, many prominent physicians, research scientists, and behavioral scientists got their start in the school’s innovative lab. In earning Highest Accreditation from the California Association of Independent Schools, the organization noted that “through a vigorous and informed focus on learning, it is able to engage and maximize the learning potential of each student.”
Enrollment is now open for the 2025 / 2026 school year. For information, check out hebrewday.org or aortiz@ssdhds.org.
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Preceding provided by San Diego Hebrew Day School.