Da Vinci Fest molds inventive minds
January 12, 2016
Da Vinci Fest is an annual art and science fair sponsored by The Partnership Plan that takes place at the high school. Stillwater students are encouraged to compete in the festival, but enrollment in the festival is open to all students in District 834. This year the school is hosting the eighth annual Da Vinci Fest. The event will be held on Jan 9th, 2016, and it is sure to draw a crowd as always. The festival is funded by The Partnership Plan: a non-profit organization that helps raise money for extra projects that are out of the district’s financial reach.
Bev Petrie, Director of The Partnership Plan, is one of the people in charge of organizing the event. Petrie described Da Vinci Fest as a “community celebration of art and science.” She enjoys seeing the children’s creativity and claims that “their work never fails to amaze me.”
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Students compete against others in their age group; fourth and fifth graders compete together, grades six through eight are grouped together, and lastly grades nine through twelve compete together. Fourth and fifth graders compete in a non-competitive environment that serves more as a museum than it does a contest. All younger students receive a participation medal for their work.
Science teacher Jeff Ranta attends Da Vinci Fest each year and is a supporter of the event. Ranta claims his favorite part of the event is “seeing the young kids research. It is good to have them start so young, because they are our next generation of engineers and scientists that will shape the world. Science and art have always been about thinking outside of the box and that’s why it’s such a great thing to see kids doing.”
Students competing in artistic categories have a chance to have their piece displayed in a Stillwater art gallery. Science competitors grade six and up have a chance to take their project to the next level on a state level of competition at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair.
Science and art may seem very different but when you think about it they have more similarities than you would have guessed. Science teacher Staci Brown said, “Science and art both go hand in hand, they both require creativity and allow you to come up with new ideas.”
The students are really good at making things that can attract people, but also keep their attention.
— Henrik Boe
Students are allowed to show their peers and their community examples of their creativity and intelligence. To encourage creativity and scientific integrity, The Partnership Plan encourages all science fair entries to be research experiments as opposed to models or demonstrations. Star Lab is an example of a project funded by The Partnership Plan. It is a large dome with a projector inside and is used to educate children about space. It remains a very popular attraction year after year.
Junior Henrik Boe has attended Da Vinci Fest twice before and said, “The students are really good at making things that can attract people, but also keep their attention.” Boe plans on attending this year’s festival as well and encourages other students to take part in the event.
Whether it’s to see the art of your community or to observe the next generation of scientists, attending Da Vinci Fest is rarely regretted. It is an opportunity to see what those in the community are capable of and to discover new knowledge and art.
Joe Rice • Mar 30, 2016 at 8:20 am
Nice comparisons between art and science. I would liked to have known more about what the winner gets besides just having their piece displayed in an art gallery.
Jimmy Thomson • Feb 17, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Exellently informative, and as a fan of art and science, I found the facts interesting as well as helpful.
Emma Brandt • Feb 17, 2016 at 8:19 am
It was very easy to get wrapped up in this article, you made it so interesting and informative. Given I don’t know much about this event it was very easy to read and gave me more background info on the event. well written.
Cassie Hansen • Feb 17, 2016 at 6:47 am
It was great how thoroughly you explained what the Da Vinci Fest was instead of just jumping right in. You chose good people to interview fro this article too.
Alex Serier • Feb 16, 2016 at 10:11 pm
This article was pretty good. I liked the inclusion of a different assortment of people. Like the director of the partnership plan and also a science teacher. It was also good to include information about the next level of competition. It was good to show the value of da vinci fest and how it spans the ages of most of the students in the district.
Nathan Novotny • Feb 16, 2016 at 6:20 pm
Good article Dante. From someone who doesn’t know much about the Da Vinci Fest, it was really interesting learning exactly what it was all about. I like the interviews and the information presented in general. Kept me involved.
Adam Sutcliffe • Feb 16, 2016 at 5:18 pm
I thought this article did a pretty good job overall of capturing the annual community celebration. The quotes taken from those who have attended, along with various supporters of the program (science teachers) gave a wide perspective of the event.