School District Five announces winners of the 2026 District Science and Engineering Fair
School District Five announces winners of the 2026 District Science and Engineering Fair
For Immediate Release – February 12, 2026
School District Five announces winners of the 2026 District Science and Engineering Fair
IRMO – Lexington-Richland School District Five has announced its Science and Engineering Fair winners. This year’s event was held at Spring Hill High School on Saturday, February 7. The fair encompassed projects from elementary, intermediate, middle and high schools across the district.
The Science and Engineering Fair had 189 projects representing the fields of Earth and Environmental Science, Math and Engineering, Life Science, Physical Science, and Human, Behavioral, and Social Science. 403 students in grades 5-12 representing 19 schools along with The Center for Advanced Technical Studies competed. Participation increased from last year's fair by almost 70 students.
"I am so proud of this year's District Science and Engineering Fair winners, award recipients, and participants as we had an incredible amount of talent displayed at our District Science Fair event,” School District Five Coordinator of Science and Health Nickie Powell said. “I was thoroughly impressed by all of the students' ideas and the level of creativity and abundance of knowledge they utilized to solve problems and provide solutions. This year's fair was truly inspiring! I wish all those competing in the Region II Science Fair at USC on March 9th and 16th the best of luck!"
Elementary (5th Grade) District Science Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering:
1st Place: Caroline Cash, Harper Harrison, Ezra Livermore, Caden Shaw – (Chapin Intermediate)- Rapid Racers
Earth/Environmental Science:
1st Place: Lexie Brunson, Zuri Garrett, Olivia Stoikevych, McKenzie Suffridge –(Dutch Fork Elementary)- Water Cleaning Heroes
Life Science:
1st Place: Henry James Cain, Gus Holden, Lucas Powell, Grayson Rodger – (Chapin Intermediate)- Light’s Effect on Plants
2nd Place: Leah Boozer, Kylie Lyons, Mila Miles, Samantha Moody – (Chapin Intermediate)- Which Liquid Will Affect Plant Growth the Most?
3rd Place: Maci Fennell, Jordyn Gantt, Faith McClerklin-Johnson – (Dutch Fork Elementary)- The Invisible World
Honorable Mention: Wynter Still, Manning Truong – (Nursery Road Elementary)- What will it be: A Hit or a Miss
Honorable Mention: James Grogan, Ethan Maxon – (Leaphart Elementary)- From Cool to Contaminated: How Heat Affects Bacteria in Water Bottles
Physical Science:
1st Place: Carter Mixon, Tesla Piotrowski – (Harbison West Elementary)- Sanitizing Showdowns
2nd Place: Kaelyn Hedtrich, Vera Robinson – (Chapin Intermediate)- Coils and Clips
3rd Place: Iris Drain, McKenzie Rodriguez, Jocelyn Williams – (Harbison West Elementary)- The Big Cotton Cloud
Honorable Mention: Savannah Bell, Blakely Knight, Dani Medlin – (Irmo Elementary)- Chemical Reactions
Honorable Mention: Savannah Meisner, Alani Reese-Riley, Krista Tallon – (Dutch Fork Elementary)- Fruit is Energy
Intermediate/Middle (6th-8th Grade) District Science Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering:
1st Place: SaiRuthvika Garapati, Scarlett Gore – (Irmo Middle)- Over and Out…
Earth/Environmental Science:
1st Place: Harper Arvidson, Denver Henderson, Melina Kellenberger, Dantae Mora – (CrossRoads Intermediate)- Don’t waste your money on a water filter
2nd Place: Santiago Colorado, Lyla Rudek – (Dutch Fork Middle)- Keeping Coastal Communities Safe
3rd Place: Ellison Hill, Allielee Neiger, Declan Wilson, Bahar E. Yousefian – (CrossRoads Intermediate)- Acid vs. Limestone
Life Science:
1st Place: Caroline Chorey, CeCi Newberry – (Irmo Middle)- Does your medium matter?
2nd Place: Miles Barrineau, Evelyn Hickman, Raylee Kovacs –(Dutch Fork Middle)- The Bacteria On That Doormat
3rd Place: Aubrey Kimble – (Chapin Middle)- Jumps For Joy
Honorable Mention: Aurora Palmer, Caroline Pressley, Sophie Schepker, Sarah Simensen – (Chapin Intermediate) - Music To My Heart
Physical Science:
1st Place: Dane Burlison, Ryan Wertz – (Chapin Middle)- The Sound of Silence
2nd Place: Lance Anfinson, Coleman Craft, Anthony Harris, Bayan Yousefian – (Dutch Fork Middle)- Magnetic Maglevs
3rd Place: Elizabeth Egan, Sadie Eisenbraun, Siri Hu – (Chapin Middle)- Airbags and Egg Safety
Honorable Mention: Ava Petree, Arabella Rushford, Isabella Torres, Linsey Waters – (Irmo Middle)- Handy Hand Warmer Insulators
Honorable Mention: Van Bik, Jacinda Harper, Genesis Jimenez-Nieves, Parker Saunders – (CrossRoads Intermediate)- Thermal Energy Transfer: Corn Syrup, Water, and Oil
High School District Science Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering:
1st Place: JaQuez Clifton (Irmo High School), Christopher Naranjo-Miranda (Spring Hill High), Anthony Spears (IHS) - The Center - SoundCycler
2nd Place: Jenna Mathis (SHHS), Madeline Rutherford (SHHS), Olivia Somerville (SHHS) - The Center - Breaking the Ice: Tracking Viability in Kidneys
3rd Place: Aiden Knight (DFHS), Erika Nava-Gonzalez (SHHS), Bhagya Patel (IHS) - The Center - ScanGo
Honorable Mention: Jason Cuadra (IHS), Jacob Fulcher (SHHS), Evan Price (SHHS) - The Center - R.O.A.D. (Remote On-road Anomaly Detection)
Earth/Environmental Science:
1st Place: Caden Rogers - CHS - Effectiveness of Kudzu Biochar in Filtration of Pharmaceuticals from Water
2nd Place: Ameirah Rivers – (Spring Hill High)- Under Wraps: How Material Barriers Affect Early Bone Decay
3rd Place: Leona Rupp – (Chapin High) - The effects of biodegradable and traditional plastics on growing lettuce and arugula plants in South Carolina soil
Honorable Mention: Robert Hood – (Chapin High) - Microalgae-based fertilizer’s affect on radishes
Life Science:
1st Place: Shaun Njau (Irmo High) - The Center - The Dirty Truth About Toothbrushes: How Storage and Cleaning Methods Impact Bacterial Growth.
2nd Place: Zhixuan (Annie) Xu – (Dutch Fork High)- Neural stem cell-derived exosomes for adult neuroregeneration
3rd Place: Taylor Brophy (Chapin High), Alora Kelly (Chapin High), Ashley Rodgers (Spring Hill High) The Center- Let it Flow
Physical Science:
1st Place: Isabella Bonavilla – (Chapin High)- Application of Nanoparticles to Bioavailability
2nd Place: Sarah Wildt – (Chapin High)- Freshwater pH Impact on Anabaena Exposed to Silane-Coated and Uncoated Nano-Zinc Oxide
3rd Place: Olivia Fuller, Isabella Howe – (Irmo High)- Rust Buster’s
Human/Behavioral/Social Science:
1st Place: Davis Gepper – (Spring Hill High)- Game On for Learning: Boosting Early Literacy and Math Skills
2nd Place: Suzana Paija Magar – (Spring Hill High) -Medical Misinformation: Possible unintentional biases behind family composition and HPV uptake
3rd Place: Brynley Pigate – (Chapin High)- Family Financial Socialization and Affluence Affecting Financial Literacy within U.S. high schoolers.
Honorable Mention: Ava Castagnetti – (Chapin High)- Hormone Fluctuation and its Association with Menstrual Migraines
Honorable Mention: Juliana Rubio – (Chapin High)- Doorbell Camera Ownership and Perceived Safety
Honorable Mention: Maggie Handeland – (Chapin High)- Emotional Valence in the Method of Loci
Honorable Mention: Caroline Sin – (Chapin High)- Gel Nail Polish Side Effects Among Adolescents
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