T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Berea Miller, a seventh-grader at East Richland Christian School, describes her project for State Science Day. She also earned the Belmont College President’s Award at the district level. The Belmont County Board of Commissioners recognized the students Wednesday.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Board of Commissioners congratulated eight East Richland Christian School students Wednesday for their participation in the 2023 State Science Day.

The event, held May 13 at Ohio State University in Columbus, featured more than 1,000 students from across the state who have demonstrated the use of the scientific method in experiments.

Jennifer Gooch, fifth grade language arts teacher and fourth grade teacher, said the event spans multiple disciplines across the curriculum.

“It involves math and social studies and reading as they do their research,” she said. “It’s a privilege to help the kids on this process. … These kids are writing research papers. Full-on research papers.”

She said the students will learn the results of the fair at the end of the school year.

“It’s almost a full-year process,” she said.

She added that the school received the Governor’s Thomas Edison Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Award for the 13th year.

The students spoke about their projects. Olivia Dean, a seventh-grader from Cadiz, described her experiment, which focused on detecting radiation generated by different communication apps.

Charles Gooch, a seventh-grader from Bridgeport, talked about his project that involved dissolving sutures to determine how long they would take to dissolve when used on simulated skin when different variables are applied.

Abram Miller, a ninth-grader from St. Clairsville, tested the effectiveness of fire-resistant fabrics and whether fabric softener decreases that fire resistance.

Halle Baum, a ninth-grader from Barnesville, studied the whitening effectiveness of different brands of toothpaste on mediums such as egg shells. She also said the experience has been valuable in helping her with public speaking.

In addition, Berea Miller, a seventh-grader from St. Clairsville, earned the Belmont College President’s Award at the Belmont County District level for her experiment analyzing different types of mulch and which brands best keep moisture in the soil.

Miller said her project demanded 20 trials per brand for a total of 80 trials.

“Mine was a lot more complicated,” she said. “We did it over a period of six days, just to see the decreasing level.”

She said the project also called for practice in presentation.

“I was very surprised, because not many people my grade level get that. I think it’s mainly high school level,” she said.

Gooch said several students also received scholarships at the state level.

Matt Close, a pastor at East Richland Friends Church, member of the school board, father of a participant and judge at the local science fair, said students who begin at local science fairs often move on to working in laboratories.

“I’m always proud to see how much they grow,” he said.

He also commended the parental involvement.

In other matters, the commissioners will auction off the former site of Belmont County Western Division Court and the Prosecutor’s Office at 147 W. Main St., St. Clairsville, and the former Veterans Affairs office at 3326 Belmont St., Bellaire. The auctions will be held at 4 and 5:30 p.m., respectively, on Sept. 25. Ohio Real Estate Auctions will conduct the sale.