Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hello Science Fair Friends, Sponsors, and Alumni,
Today was the big day! We all rose early in the morning to prepare ourselves for judging. The anticipation was all building to this, and everyone was somewhere between nervous and excited. After eating breakfast in our rooms and changing into our business attire, the crew left for the convention center for judging. We were there at 8 AM sharp with our projects ready to go.
The judging itself was interesting, but also very protracted. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing the results of our hard work and representing CT, but after the first three hours, there was a little fatigue mixed in as well. We all received different numbers of judges in this morning session—ranging from five to seven among our group. Each judge talked to us for about fifteen minutes, listening to our presentations and asking relevant questions along the way. By the time it was lunch, we were all glad to eat at the nearby restaurant, Majerle’s, for a quick refueling. Soon enough, however, we found ourselves heading back to the judging area to man our exhibits once again.
Judging extended all the way to 5 PM, and by the end of the day, some of us had talked to upwards of 20 judges! Luckily, Ms. Frattalone’s care packages of cough drops, tissues, and mints sustained us through the ordeal. The announcement marking the conclusion of judging for the day was met with the thunderous applause of 1600+ tired competitors. We shared stories about our respective judging experiences as we returned to the hotel, and Max, Rebecca, Emily, and Karim washed away the fatigue of the day with a relaxing dip in the pool.
The day, which started off on a serious note, ended on a celebratory and fun one. In the evening, all of the students headed over to the student mixer, where they met and socialized with all of the students at the fair, who hail from all over the world. This mixer featured games, food, and dancing. Meanwhile, the adults attended their own, separate adult mixer. Finally, to top off the day, most of us went to watch the midnight premiere of the new Star Trek movie, while the others decided to get some much needed sleep and rest.
We are all looking forward to see how the judging went at the awards ceremonies tomorrow and Friday!