McNeil Canyon Elementary School hosted a Science Fair on Friday, April 4. At least a dozen students proudly displayed colorful presentations detailing their intricate creations.

Veronica Jones is the Title I Tutor at McNeil Canyon. She said that as a Title I school, McNeil is charged with putting together two annual family engagement events. This year, they decided one of those events should be a science fair.

“It’s a joint effort,” she said Friday. “We have all of the teachers involved in helping, in some capacity, and families work together at home, and then the kids presented to a group of judges this morning.”

Fire was a recurrent theme at this year’s fair, with at least two students using their experiments to play with the physical reaction, in different ways.

One student, Toby Porter, created a Ruben Tube to display how sound waves can influence flame.

Another, Findlay Kilcher, built a presentation exploring how variations in pH can affect hydrogen production by using electrolysis. His presentation was titled “Water to Fire.”

Student projects were judged Friday morning before the school was opened to parents and guests in the afternoon.

Findlay Kilcher demonstrates his science project in front of other McNeil students during the Science Fair on Friday, April 4. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)

Disintegrating gummy bears are on display during McNeil Canyon Elementary’s Science Fair on April 4. This project was presented by McNeil students Emrie and Ellowyn. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)

McNeil Canyon Elementary Student Toby Porter presents his Ruben Tube experiment at the Science Fair on Friday, April 4. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)